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Volume CXXXII, Number 9 |
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Men's hockey gears up for '02 campaign
MIKE BALULESCU
STAFF WRITER
The coming of winter is never a pretty sight on the Bowdoin campus. The days grow shorter, the nights grow colder, and summer clothes once again go into the closet to make room for fuzzier woolens. However, winter also heralds the start of hockey season, and nothing brings a smile to the frozen lips of a Bowdoin student like the winning tradition of men's ice hockey.
After last year's success in the NCAA tournament, Coach Terry Meagher is very hopeful about this season's outlook. Although Bowdoin lost six seniors last year, including All-American Mike Carosi '02, Meagher has a great deal of confidence in the abilities of the current senior class.
"We had very strong leadership last year, and I think that will carry over into this year," he said. "Our captains know what it means to play NESCAC hockey. They have been around the league, and they know what it takes to win."
Leading the Polar Bears this season are captains Jared Porter '03, Ryan Seymour '03, and Sean Starke '03. Meagher noted that both Porter and Starke are captains of another varsity sport at Bowdoin (baseball and football, respectively), and he thinks that being well rounded is what makes Bowdoin hockey players special.
"These guys compete hard, and they enjoy the competition," Meagher said, "But they also have lives outside the rink, and I think that is essential to the success of this program."
Seymour is quite optimistic about this year's potential. "We will do our best to follow in the footsteps of previous captains," he said. "It's our goal to lead the team to a national championship."
Just as last year, junior Mike Healey will assume Bowdoin's goaltending duties. After an impressive sophomore season, Coach Meagher is confident that Healey will be able to perform even better in goal this year.
"[Mike] is an intelligent, cerebral goaltender," he said. "More than that, he works harder than any player I have ever seen. He is the first one on the ice before practice, and he is the last one to leave the ice at night. He has a lot of passion for the game, and it shows."
Bowdoin's potential for success this season is no secret, as the Polar Bears were recently ranked ninth in the country in an online poll. NESCAC rival Middlebury was ranked fourth.
When asked about Bowdoin's outstanding preseason ranking, Meagher was not impressed. "Polls are nice," he said, "But I don't put a lot of meaning into them. The only ranking that matters to me is at the end of the season. My goal is that we are a better team in February than we are right now."
Although the Polar Bears have a solid crew of veterans returning to the ice, Meagher stressed the importance of contributions from the underclassmen. "We know what we can expect from the upperclassmen, but whether or not the sophomores step up and produce can make the difference in a season."
Seymour hopes to instill a sense of tradition in this year's underclassmen, particularly the first years. "The hockey team has had a long history of success," he said. "Hopefully the guys realize how lucky we all are to be a part of the Bowdoin hockey program-each time we put the jerseys on, we wear them with pride and respect for those that have gone before us."
Bowdoin's first two games of the season are on the road, against St. Anslem on November 22, and against New England College the next afternoon.
"I like to say that passion is your novocain," Coach Meagher said. "If you can play with heart, then you can play through anything. I see a great deal of passion in these young men, and I think if we bring our best game out on the ice, we can beat anybody."
After the team returns from the road, Bowdoin's first home game is December 3 at 7:00 p.m. against Colby. Go U Bears!