Posted: 02/14/07

The final stretch
Men's ice hockey team gearing up for the final month of the regular season

Tessa Schraven | contributing writer
tschraven@smcvt.edu

Suffering losses to Middlebury College and Williams College this past weekend, the St. Michael's College men’s ice hockey team has struggled on the scoreboard in recent games. However, the team remains optimistic about the rest of the regular season.

Recent Play

Players load their equipment on the bus before a road game at Skidmore on Friday, Feb. 9th. (Tessa Schraven, photo)

On Feb. 2, the Purple Knights played Middlebury College at home in Cairns Ice Arena. The team scored two goals, but couldn’t hold on long enough to earn a win. Both goals came from junior Matt Hall, while goalie Erik Smith had 32 saves.

“We played well defensively and controlled the game” says senior captain Jared Silver. “[Middlebury] capitalized on lucky bounces and we just couldn’t find the net.”

Although the team didn't win, junior assistant captain Erik Caron says the game wasn't a total loss.

“Middlebury was one of our best games all year,” he says. “We were all playing for each other.”

The next day, they played at home again against Williams College. The team failed to keep an early two goal lead, and came up short, with a final score of 6-4. Senior captain Jared Silver had two goals, and sophomore Ryan Mero got a goal and assist.

“We got some bad bounces and we should have won, but it helped our confidence,” says first-year player Jonathan Silver.

“I was disappointed but pleased with the performance,” says head coach Lou DiMasi. “In a game of 60 minutes, we played all 60. That’s something we’ve struggled with all year.”

But DiMasi says the team’s losses don’t represent the type of play and hard work he has been seeing from his players.

“We keep getting better and we play in a difficult league,” says DiMasi. “I’m proud of the effort and hard work they’re putting in.”

Mero was named the Northeast-10 player of the week by the conference on Feb. 5. He has seven goals and 15 assists for the season.

The next stretch of games will take the Purple Knights to the end of regular season play. As of Feb. 13, they have a record of 6-16-0.

The final home games of the season will be Feb. 16 and 17, when the seniors play for the last time in front of hometown fans.

Rising Above Pressure

Senior Standouts: (left) Assistant Derek Girouard, and Captain Jared Silver. (Tessa Schraven, photo)

Many players have been looking to the seniors for leadership during the 2007 season. At the end of the season they will lose eight players to graduation.

Jared Silver has 27 points so far this season. His teammates give him credit not only for his scoring ability, but his actions off the ice as well.

Coming into the season, Jared Silver wanted to keep improving and bring leadership to the underclassmen, he says.

"He always comes up with a big goal," senior assistant captain Derek Girouard says. "A lot of guys follow him on and off the ice."

Assistant coach Chris Davidson noticed the extra time Jared Silver spent this past summer off the ice.

“He’s in the best shape he has ever been,” Davidson says. “He’s been a better leader and matured in his years here.”

In a Feb. 6 press release by the Eastern College Athletic Conference, Jared Silver was named to the honor roll for his scoring and contributions in recent games.

His success is recognized by the members of the team as well as the coaches.

“He’s a person who at the beginning of his time was first out of locker room and now he’s the last,” DiMasi says. “He’s always working hard for the team with his teammates.”

Jared Silver has had help this season from assistant captains Girouard, Caron and Healy.

“It’s really easy to filter the leadership through them to the younger players,” Jared Silver says.

He will finish his final year for the Purple Knights and hope to leave an impression for his fellow teammates to follow. He attributes part of his success to the great coaching staff.

“In my four years here the coaches have been great and supportive,” he says. “They are always teaching us how to get better at hockey and be better people.”

Post-Season Play

The Northeast-10 playoffs will begin Feb. 24. The Purple Knights' goal is to play in the championship game, Girouard says. The team has failed to make it there during the last two years and he wants to return for his senior year, Girouard says.

The team has three remaining regular season games. Their next game will be at home against Colby, on Feb. 16th. (Echo archive photo)

The long season requires the players to be physically and mentally strong from September until March, Dimasi says. As the season finishes up, the players will try to remain focused, he says.

“In our schedule there are no slouches until the finish,” Davidson says.

“It has been up and down all season and we’ve come up on the short end,” Jared Silver says. “We want to come away with a Northeast-10 championship.”

Davidson says the desire to win is there but winning depends on the determination of the team.

Team chemistry has also been a major contributing factor among the team, Jonathan Silver says.

“It’s a lot of fun and time, but it is definitely rewarding and they are a great group of guys,” he says.

“Our overall goal is to be playing in championship game and it’s the last game of year,” DiMasi says. “We are constantly trying to get better and we’ve missed that game the last few years.”

The finals will take place March 3 and 4 with the location depending on the highest seed. The Purple Knights will fight for their chance to play and allow the seniors to graduate with two Northeast-10 Championships.