Young Icecats face experienced Warhawks

After two dominant homestands against Colorado and Rhode Island and a lopsided pair of wins at Southern Cal, a series which saw goaltenders Mark Meister, Justin Morgan and Mike Tesi combine on a two-game shutout, the Icecats face their biggest challenge of the year so far.

From a tiny school of 10,000 people in the town of Whitewater, Wisc., the Warhawks hope to spoil the Icecats' No. 7 ranking in the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

The Icecats will need solid play from sophomore left wing Paul Dorn, who scored six goals in the last two games against Rhode Island. The combination of Dorn and his childhood friend, sophomore right wing Mike Graves, has been deadly so far in the season.

"I just try to get Dorny the puck so he can net it," Graves said.

Dorn has been "netting" the puck for the better part of the homestands, especially in the Colorado and Rhode Island series. In order for the Icecats to pull off another home sweep, Dorn will need to keep track with a traditionally more experienced Wisconsin-Whitewater team.

Tonight the Wildcats will have to do that without center Marc Harris, who is suspended for a game.

"As for who's going to start at center I'll have to sleep on that," UA head coach Leo Golembiewski said. "I usually don't make those decisions until game time."

Andrew Edwards, who scored a goal in the first game against Rhode Island, is a candidate to see more playing time with Harris' brief departure.

Another cornerstone of Icecat success will be the junior Meister, the man in the crease. With an average of just under three goals allowed per game, Meister is a rarity in the ACHA - a goalie with talented glove play and a solid kick-save.

Meister needs to keep up the solid play he showed against the physical Colorado and Rhode Island teams, in order to shut down the Warhawks and help the UA move up in the rankings.

Also bringing all that he has to the table for the weekend is Golembiewski. Carrying more than 20 years of experience behind the bench, "Coach G" is never at a loss for words or advice. "It's simple," Dorn said. "If we listen to Coach G, we benefit. ... He talks to us like a teacher."

And Golembiewski's reflection on the game at hand?

"We've got Wisconsin-Whitewater at home next," he said after the Rhode Island series. "That'll be a great test for us at home. They always play us tough."

Probably the only weakness for the Icecats to deal with this weekend will be their youth.

Their most clutch performer is a sophomore and they carry twice as many freshmen as seniors on the roster. The Icecats might fall victim to some inexperience, though it hasn't bothered them so far this season.

Ryan Finley can be reached via e-mail at Ryan.Finley@wildcat.arizona.edu.