Hockey team boiling over in experience, expectations
Plain and simple, the goal for USU hockey this season is to make it to nationals. Featuring 16 returning players from a team that finished last season with a record of 23-5-1, along with seven players entering their final season in an Aggie uniform, the expectation is to compete at nationals, rather than come up short for a fifth straight season.
“I don’t think we have any excuses this year to bow out in regionals,” winger Kent Arsenault said. “Right now our goal is to aim for nationals for the number one spot.”
That task will be a bit taller than normal during the 2010-2011 season with San Jose State, who plays in the same region as USU, will be hosting nationals, which affords them the luxury of an automatic bid to the tournament, regardless of final ranking. Because of this, an automatic bid will be awarded to only the No. 1 ranked team in the region at season’s end, rather than the top two finishers, leaving the rest of the teams to battle it out in the regional tournament for the final two spots.
There seems to be little doubt, though, that this year’s team is capable of getting back to nationals, despite the stakes being raised.
“This year, like every year, we’re expecting big things,” Arsenault said. “But I think we’ve got a little surprise coming for all the fans with with the new core of guys we’ve got and the returning players.”
Joining those 16 returning players will be 10 new members to the Utah State program coming from as far away as Alaska and New York, as well as a few new Canadians being added into the mix that have head coach Jon Eccles optimistic as well.
“I’m pretty excited,” Eccles said of the new players coming in for the 2010-2011 season. “They’re all hard-working.”
The influx of youth into the program also adds depth to the third and fourth lines of the team, an area that became one of concern a year ago when the injury bug bit the team.
“I really think we’ve got a good strong core back there, plus if injuries happen we’re not going to be scrambling,” Eccles said. “We’ve got enough guys to fall back on.”
Aside from some quality youth, the Aggies return five players who racked up more than 55 points each a year ago in Arsenault, Billy Guthro, Tyler Mistelbacher, David Wyman and last year’s leading scorer Brendon McDonald. Six other Aggies were responsible for at least 20 points during last season, all of whom return for 2010-2011.
In net the Aggies return last year’s team leader in goals against average (3.10) in Dan Cornelius, and despite losing some depth with the graduation of goalie Greg Finatti, Eccles is confident that the depth along the blue line will take a lot of pressure of the goaltenders this season, as well as provide a jump-start to the offense. Arsenault went as far as to say that the defense is looking like the strongest aspect of the team at this point, particularly from the contributions of one newcomer singled out by both Arsenault and Eccles, defenseman Ty Johns.
“His presence in practice, it just shows what he’s going to bring in games,” Arsenault said. “You can just tell he’s going to be smashing bodies around.”
“We’re really deep in the D-men,” Eccles said. “That will help the forwards, too. With stronger D-men they’ll all be able to break out quicker.”
That quickness on the rush is another aspect of this team that everyone is anticipating as an upgrade this season.
Eccles said, “We’ll be a much faster team than we were last year. It’ll be a much faster brand of hockey for us.”
Utah State opens its season this weekend with a two-game set on the road against Boise State, before returning to Eccles Ice Center on Sept. 24 for the home opener against Weber State.
– matt.sonnenberg@usu.edu