EVAN CARAVELLI/Arizona Daily Wildcat Junior Nick Wedster, left, and freshman Kyle Chiltonare the two latest additions to the UA Icecats hockey team, joining the team over the winter break. They have already made significant contributions during the Icecats' four-game winning streak.

New Icecats play roles in streak

The second half of the Icecats' 2004-05 season has been a storm for opposing squads.

In their first four games of 2005, Arizona is undefeated and has outscored its opponents 34-3.

Playing big roles in this whirlwind of dominance are two newcomers - freshman forward Kyle Chilton, giving Arizona another lightning-quick scoring option, and junior defenseman Nick Wedster, who has added a thunderous defensive presence.

Chilton and Wedster both joined the Icecats during the holidays and have seen significant ice time, playing major roles in the team's four big wins since the winter break.

Head coach Leo Golembiewski said midseason additions have been rare for his program in the past, but he welcomes the duo in the midst of a playoff hunt.

Wedster adds defensive presence

Wedster's play on both ends of the puck was key in the Icecats' sweeps of St. Louis and DePaul earlier this month.

The defender from south Chicago has routinely laid out the opposition on the defensive end while adding scoring to his game with a hat trick Jan. 14 in a 16-0 rout of DePaul.

"He's not like anything the program has had in its history," Golembiewski said of Wedster, who transferred from Robert Morris College.

"He adds a lot to our defense. He's a tough player," said senior goalie Bryan Aronchick after UA's 3-2 win against SLU on Jan. 7, adding Wedster's presence has made his job as a goalie much easier, something Aronchick might have liked the last two years out of his new teammate.

Golembiewski said he contacted Wedster during the defenseman's high school days about becoming an Icecat, but he opted to stay close to home at Robert Morris.

After five semesters near home, he decided it was time to change scenery and called Golembiewski last semester.

"I wanted to join a winning program. There are already so many good players on this team," Wedster said referring to fellow defensemen Mike and D.J. Pelletier and Max Sliwinski.

Wedster said he hopes to bring another level of physicality to an already tough Icecat team.

"Nick brings a lot to our defense. He's a strong, physical guy," Golembiewski said.

Chilton plays lightning to Wedster's thunder

Coming out of high school, Chilton accepted a baseball scholarship to UC Santa Barbara and intended to play infield for the Gauchos this spring.

But as Golembiewski will tell you, Arizona is glad he chose to play forward for the Icecats instead.

Chilton said he decided to leave UCSB following a visit to Tucson last fall when he immediately realized he wanted to be a part of the program.

"I was visiting some friends and we went to game. I got home and called my mom right away to tell her I wanted to play here," he said.

Chilton said the atmosphere at the Icecats' home, Tucson Convention Center Arena, and Golembiewski's long-standing winning tradition, enticed him in his decision.

Thus far the decision has paid off for both the Tempe native and the Icecats' program.

He scored his first goal of the season in Arizona's 16-0 win over DePaul Friday.

"He's got good hands, he's a good skater and he can shoot the puck. He has the potential of contributing to the program for four solid years," said Golembiewski about the prospects of having Chilton around for the next three years.

With the addition of Chilton and Wedster, Arizona's storm toward the American Collegiate Hockey Association Nationals will be a difficult one for opponents to weather.