Positive attitude to carry Ag hockey
Unity and optimism. These two words can sum up the Utah State Hockey team’s attitude coming into this season.
The Aggies could easily hold their heads low with a feeling of uncertainty after barely missing nationals last year and with the addition of 12 new players to the squad.
The Aggies are committed, though.
“I’m very pleased with the atmosphere,” said Head Coach Jerry Crossley. “This team has a lot of potential.”
Crossley, from Edmonton, Alberta, is entering his eighth year as the head coach of the hockey team.
One key addition for the Aggies is goalie Chris Webber, a junior from San Jose, Calif. Crossley said this gives USU another solid goaltender to build around Josh Groves, a sophomore out of Taylorsville.
“I have no problem playing either of them,” Crossley said.
The Aggies will also feature five new defensive players. It is Crossley’s goal to have the best defense in the West, but admits that the next few weeks will be a trial until the team can figure out what its chemistry is like.
He’ll have to wait a few games to see who will emerge.
“We’ll see how things shake out until we can get the right personnel,” Crossley said.
The players are showing no sign of uneasiness heading into the season.
“We’re looking tough,” senior Aaron Burrell said. “We’ve got some young, fast guys to knock some heads around.”
Burrell led the team in goals, assists and points last season.
“All of the new players will help the team,” sophomore Robert Hashimoto said. “We’re a team. We’re one. We win together, we die together.”
Burrell and Hashimoto also said they have a good coaching staff and volunteers this year.
The team is already eyeing nine games against Weber State and also looks to avenge losses last season to Colorado and Colorado State.
“We’ll take it one game at a time,” Crossley said.
The Aggies will, however, have a few holes in their schedule after the University of Utah announced that it was cutting its hockey team.
“It’s a big hole,” Crossley said. “It was a good rivalry and a good fit. I hate to see it leave.”
The Aggies expect to advance to nationals this year, especially after the three teams that finished ahead of them last year (Colorado, Colorado State and Weber State) all moved up to Division-I over the offseason.
“We want to play in the championship game and win it,” Hashimoto said.
The entire team is very appreciative of its fans after a great showing last year.
“The fans are not only what makes our program viable, it’s the whole atmosphere they create, the whole event that fuels the players,” Crossley said. “It’s hard for players to get up and get excited for games with only 50 people in the stands.”
Burrell said, “We have great fans. We would like to keep them on board.”
The team opens its season with an exhibition game against BYU on Friday. USU played the Icecats four times last year and won every meeting. BYU came to Cache Valley twice and never came close to winning, losing 6-2 and 8-2.
The team will travel to Ogden on Saturday to take on the Weber State Wildcats in another exhibition game. USU will then host the Wildcats on Sept. 26 for their final preseason game before officially opening the season at home on Oct. 2 against Colorado State.
Crossley wants to remind the fans that if they are interested in helping the team, there are plenty of things to do. Fans can log on to www.usu.edu/hockey to find out more on how to volunteer.
-bhhinton@cc.usu.edu