|
SCSU set to face UW
By Jay Corn
As the SCSU women's hockey team skated suicide sprints Tuesday, the team's collective thinking was not on how many they had done or how many were left; it was on the upcoming weekend series against Wisconsin.
The two-game series, to be played at the National Hockey Center this weekend will give the Huskies a chance to avenge two earlier losses this season at the hands of the Badgers, when they were outscored 10-1 (Nov. 21-22).
While the squad heads into the weekend on the heels of losing its last two games to a red-hot Duluth team, Husky captain Kobi Kawamoto insists things are fine.
"Hockey is still fun," Kawamoto said. "Hockey is always fun, and if it wasn't, I wouldn't be here busting my butt skating suicides for 40 minutes. Duluth is a tough team with two standout players. Between Ouellette and Potter, they had five goals Sunday alone. That doesn't put us in the best of spirits, but we're all back here this week working hard and getting ready for Wisconsin."
The focus this week is not on Duluth, nor is it on the team's disappointing 6-15-1 overall record. The focus this week is on Wisconsin.
One of the biggest questions going into the weekend will be who gets the starting nod in net. SCSU has three above-average goaltenders on its roster, and although no decision was made as of Wednesday, the nod may go to first-year goalie Lauri St. Jacques. St. Jacques has recorded wins in three of her last four starts, and despite giving up eight goals against Duluth, has been the most consistent statistical performer this season.
St. Jacques, who leads the team with a .887 save percentage, pointed out frustration with the fact that both the 8-3 and 9-3 losses to UMD came after being tied in the second period.
"It really bothers me that we had them for a while there, and we just let the games get away from us," St. Jacques said. "It was a tough series, and penalties hurt us, but we still played hard and gave everything we had. As far as Wisconsin goes, I'm looking forward to giving them a go and seeing if we can't get a few wins on our home ice and get some revenge for earlier in the season when they swept us at their place."
In addition to the Huskies' goal of finishing the season off strong, they have also taken steps toward filling production vacuums that will be left when Kawamoto and fellow senior Roxy Stang graduate next year. St. Jacques is one of the Huskies' first-year players that has been solid. First-year forwards Bobbie Anderson and Jacqueline Jensen have four points each this season, and will be a key to SCSU's future.
"This year's freshmen are all really solid and helping the program a lot," Kawamoto said. "Things can only get better, and the freshmen we have now are only going to improve. The freshman that come in next year will be major contributors too, and over the next few seasons, I think the program is really going to start coming into its own. People don't realize that this program's only been in existence for five years, and I think what you're seeing now is growing pains more than anything and things in my opinion are looking better than at any other time since I've been here."
|
|
|
|
Privacy Policy Network Advertising Article Syndication
|
|
