Hockey players love the cold. Two practices a day, back to school only three days after Christmas to get back on the ice and back into the weight room, and spending the free time during the dull days of dead campus waiting to get back to the rink.
The ice and winter cold have not been kind to the men’s hockey team however, as the Cardinals have lost eight of their last nine games and sit in ninth place in the league, one win outside the NESCAC playoff picture.
“We’ve had a tough schedule, especially in terms of out-of conference games, and that’s been rough for us,” said Chris Gateman ’05.
The Cardinals recently snapped a seven game losing streak with a Friday night win at home against St. Michaels’ on January 21. Team scoring leader Will Bennett ’07 notched a goal and assist to improve on his team lead in both categories. Ryan Hendrickson ’07 took a pass from Pat Butsch ’06 and put away the eventual game winner in the 4-3 victory.
The four-goal output by the Cardinals was their best in the last nine games as offense, has been hard to come by. Strong goaltending from Steve Binswanger ’06, and a core of solid defenders including Ed Klein’08, Brenton Stafford’08 and Greg Goldman’08 have helped to keep the Cardinals in contests despite consistent scoring troubles.
“We haven’t been converting opportunities like we should,” Gateman said. “We’ve got time and we’re going to fight for that last playoff spot. As long as we work hard and stay competitive, we have a chance to see some postseason action.”
The team will travel to Maine over the upcoming weekend to take on Bowdoin and Colby in two crucial league games. Both schools from the frozen north are among five NESCAC teams locked in a tie for first place, and will be a true test for the struggling Cardinal squad.
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