Hockey ready for season opener in Provo
Aggie skaters are feeling confident about the upcoming season after just two weeks of practice.
USU made a run late last season, winning the regional championship, before traveling to San Jose and winning a game in the National Championship tournament. The Aggies eventually fell to the University of Michigan in the points round, 5-4, ending their bid at a national title.
After the final buzzer sounded, eight players skated off the ice for their last time in Aggie uniforms.
Most notable of the departures, was Aggie career goal leader Kent Arsenault, who topped the record charts with 206 goals, and Aggie goaltender Dan Cornelius, who was in the net for much of the Aggie championship run.
Utah State also lost big time goal scorers, who accounted for 284 points of offensive production for Utah State last season.
Despite the big holes, USU has rebounded and is poised for the 2011-12 season. Aggie head coach Jon Eccles said his team is ready for action.
“We had a long season last year and lost a good chunk of the team,” Aggie defender Jeremy Martin said. “We’ve recruited a solid core of new players who I’m sure will step in and fill those roles.”
The Utah State skaters are ready to get back on the ice after a long offseason and are busy learning how they mesh as a team.
“I’m just looking forward to getting back in the mix of things with the boys,” Martin said.
With 28 filled roster spots, there is no shortage of players. The Aggies have added to both their offensive and defensive staff this season, filling open spots with both rookies and veterans.
“We’ve brought in a couple of new kids that fill the roles of some of the guys we lost,” USU forward Matt Hamilton said.
When Arsenault and the other Aggie greats departed at the end of last season, they left multiple first-line spots open. The open spots have fostered healthy competition among team members, who are battling for the starting positions.
Aggie defenseman Jeff Sanders said the competition among veterans and new players, who are new to the team, have filled those empty positions.
“With the players we’ve brought in, we fill this void,” Sanders said.
While the Aggies have multiple veteran producers, they are also debuting young guns Brian Gibbons and Cooper Limb. The forwards are expected to step into the lineup and be goal scorers from game one.
Last season the Aggie defense struggled to fill three lines. This season they have added depth, they are stacked with eight defensemen, and several more prospects add to the line-up.
“In terms of depth,” Martin said, “we’re probably the strongest I’ve seen in my four years.”
The Aggies have a full schedule, starting tonight in Provo. USU will pit their skills against 17 different teams this season.
“It’s shaping up to be a pretty good season,” Sanders said.
The Aggies look to make another run at a championship, provided they can get in shape and stay healthy. USU battled injuries at the goaltending position all last season, while both Bryce Scherschal and Cornelius spent some time on the disabled list.
“We struggled with injuries at the position last season,” Eccles said. “Hopefully we’ll avoid those, this year.”
Scherschal is still benched following an offseason hip surgery, but the Aggies hope to have him back in the net by late November.
The Aggies have added two new goaltenders this season. Russel MacKay transferred from San Jose State to USU this year and will face his former team on Nov. 12, when the Aggies host the Spartans.
While the Aggies hope to avoid injuries this season, Eccles said he is also concerned about the high altitude of the arena. The Eccles Ice Center sits at 4,500 feet above sea level, but many of the players spent their summers at sea level.
“The biggest thing we’re looking at is getting the boys into shape to play at a high altitude,” Eccles said.
Aggie fans will get their first glimpse when Utah State returns home to face the Cougars again, Saturday at 7
p.m.
– meredith.kinney@aggiemail.usu.edu