Hockey team looks forward to season

The club hockey team is young, relatively inexperienced and facing arguably the toughest schedule in the 32-year history of the program. But as the team prepares to enter the upcoming season, both coaches and players are confident this will be one of the strongest teams the club has ever fielded.\nIn total, only a little more than half of the team's roster wore the cream and crimson last year. But coach Rich Holdeman said the team's youth is made up by its talent and drive.\n"Usually when you have a team as young as we do, with only a couple of seniors on the roster, you get a little nervous about things," Holdeman said. "But I'm confident some of the guys who've been around will step up and be leaders."\nOne of the brightest spots on the Hoosier team is the return of its top offensive line, composed of team captain Dan Hauck and alternate captains Brandon Phillips and Bryan Grant, all juniors.\n"They played together at the end of the year last year and did an outstanding job in the national tournament," Holdeman said.\nGoaltending is also a strong suit.The team returns three experienced seniors in Chad Whitlock, Justin Wojtowicz and Josh Sears, all of whom the coaching staff describes as solid players. \nIn addition, the team has picked up sophomore Charley Pulley, a transfer from Eastern Michigan University. Pulley was a leading goaltender for the EMU Eagles in the 1999-2000 season, chalking up a 10-3-2 record, allowing only 44 goals in just over 968 minutes, averaging out to less than one goal per period and recording two shutouts.\n"We're in a great situation, but (the goalies) may not like it," Holdeman said. "There's going to be a lot of competition for playing time."\n"It's only going to be helping my game, really," Wojtowicz said. "I know that every day I practice, coach is going to be looking at all of us, and I'm going to have to work as hard as I can to show I'm the goalie who's going to play."\nWith a young team and a difficult schedule, the hockey team is looking at a much more difficult season than last year, when the Hoosiers finished 24-6-1.\n"We're going to be tested," Holdeman said. "There's no question about it. But it's the best thing we can do for these guys, get them some better competition and get them playing at a higher level."\n"Our schedule's a lot tougher this year, and that's good," assistant coach Scott Nolting said. "We got tired of blowing teams out 12 or 19-1. This year, we're getting right into it, and they're going to learn quick."\nThe team said they finally feel they're ready to take a shot at the trophy this season.\n"Two out of three years, making it to the national championships and losing, has been heartbreaking," Wojtowicz said. "I hope I can go out with the national championship this year. It would mean everything to me"