By
Ryan Finley
Arizona Summer Wildcat
Icecats hope to avenge loss to Penn State
Although it's been months since the Icecats - Arizona's club hockey team - lost to Penn State in the American Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs, the pain is still fresh for many of the players.
The fact that PSU eventually won the ACHA title means little to sophomore goaltender Brian Schilling, who said the 8-3 loss at the Tucson Convention Center ensured an unhappy end to UA's season. It also meant that five Arizona seniors - Ty Brush, Marc Harris, Paul Dorn, Ed Carfora and Kyle McNeilance - would end their UA careers without a title to call their own.
"The biggest game was against Penn State," Schilling said. "Even though there were five unbelievable seniors on the team, the fire kind of went out. We played Eastern Michigan the next morning. No one really wanted to be there, playing for eighth (place)."
The Icecats, a team that finished the 2000-01 regular season 30-4-1 and undefeated at home, were thought to be a major contender for the ACHA crown. Instead, the team was forced to settle for eighth place.
"It was obviously disappointing," Schilling said of the loss. "We were going to the tournament expecting to win. A lot of teams were kind of scared to play us. We were the team to beat."
The big challenge for Arizona this season is to become the team to beat without its departed seniors, especially Harris and Dorn, who combined for 74 goals and 173 total points in 2000.
"They're definitely going to be hard to replace," Schilling said. "Dorn and
Harris were our top scorers, but it takes a whole team to win and lose. This year will be the start of the rebuilding of the Icecats. We have the talent and we have the guys to do it. It's just a matter of putting in the right combinations and making it click. From what I hear, the recruits are pretty solid hockey players."
Senior defenseman John Saunders said the 2001 season will hinge on whether goaltender Jason Morgan and the rest of the defense can continue to be consistent.
"It all starts on defense," he said. "It's a good base to build off scoring. Scoring will always come off of defense."
UA head coach Leo Golembiewski has shown a history of being consistent in his inconsistency when it comes to goaltenders. In the 1998-99 season, the head coach rotated between then-freshman Jason Morgan and Mark Meister, a transfer from Villanova. This season, Golembiewski will likely use Morgan, Schilling and newcomer Bryan Aronchick to motivate each other while helping him find a reliable starter.
"Coach told us at the end of the year that it's going to be who wants it more and who works the hardest," Schilling said. "Morgan's a great goaltender. I know that last year, when Morgan was the number one and I was the number two, I pushed Morgan to work harder and the third-stringer pushed me. With Aronchick coming in, competition for goalies is going to be good this year."
Regardless of the personnel situation, the Icecats are looking forward to one series in particular this year - the Jan. 4-5 matchup against Penn State.
"Penn State scored three quick goals that killed us (during the playoffs)," he said. "Revenge is always sweet."
Schilling agreed.
"It's good for us to play them during the regular season," Schilling said.
"Because talent-wise, we're a better hockey team."
