Icehounds take on Braves
January 23, 2008
By: Andrew Browning <abrowning@hilite.org>
Tonight the Icehounds Gold team takes on Brebeuf Jesuit at the Carmel Ice Skadium at 9:15 pm. Defenseman and senior C.J. Aulby said he has been pleased by the team’s performance so far this season.
“We’ve done a really good job,” Aulby said. “We tied (Hamilton Southeastern) 1-1 and they were ranked Number-1 in the state. That really tells us where we’re at the moment.”
After taking on the Braves tonight, the Gold team will face the Blue team for Senior Night at the Ice Skadium tomorrow at 5:30. According to both Aulby and forward and senior Tom Coyne, the main focus will be on fun and honoring the seniors, rather than the game itself.
“Senior Night’s kind of fun. We get to play our B team and the game’s not usually that close, but it’s something you look forward to each year to the recognize the seniors,” Aulby said.
“It’s just a fun night to be able to go out there in front of everyone and play your last home game, and the whole thing is dedicated to the us,” Coyne said.
Jack Manard, Gold team head coach, said via e-mail that the seniors have played an important role in the team’s success this season. “As for the role of the Gold seniors, I can’t say enough positive things,” Manard said. “They have demonstrated maturity and leadership on and off the ice.”
After Senior Night the Gold team has four games left before the State tournament begins. Aulby said that the team needs to be playing its best hockey in the games leading up to the tournament.
“That’s probably the most important time when we can set ourselves up for a State championship,” Aulby said. “We won last year, and that’s when we played our best and when you need to play best: leading up to the State championship.”
Manard said that the coaching staff has taken extra time scheduling to ensure that players are properly prepared for the tournament. He said, “We have scheduled our practices and games to facilitate a growing intensity towards the end of the season. Our guys are hungry for the hardware.”
Coyne said that the team must have confidence in itself if they are to continue to have success and ultimately capture a second straight State title.
“If we believe we can beat teams and don’t get intimidated by good teams, I believe we can beat anyone we play against,” Coyne said. “We need to keep a good mindset going into tournament time.”
“These players have more heart, intensity and guts than most teams at this level,” Manard said. “You take a combination like that into a hockey game and watch out.”
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