Most of us who are interested in the upcoming hockey season here at Geneseo are very excited for the season to start. There are a few questions, however, lingering in the minds of many. After the departure of several key seniors, it remains to be seen who will step up to lead the Ice Knights to the level of success seen in previous seasons.
Despite these numerous areas for improvement, Geneseo head coach Chris Schultz expressed his optimism regarding the upcoming season. “We lost 10 players in total from last year’s team, so there are a number of holes to fill throughout our lineup,” he said. “Losing three All-Conference players is never easy, but we have a number of guys returning who are ready for more prominent roles this year and a big group of first-year players who have the potential to step right in and make an impact this season.”
Schultz had high praise for the success of last year’s team and looks ahead to this year with a positive mindset.
“We had a very good season as a team defensively last year; we were one of the better teams in the country at keeping the puck out of our net,” he said. “Our senior goalie Nick Horrigan was definitely a big part of that success, but our forwards and defense did a great job all year of limiting the scoring chances we gave up to the opposition as well.” It will be interesting to see how the defense copes with loss of Horrigan and how this loss will translate to their overall record.
With the loss of the graduating seniors, however, there is the issue of whom Scultz will rely on during the upcoming season. “We have a very talented and experienced group of defensemen returning again this year,” Scultz said. “Five of the six defensemen who played in our Final Four game two years ago are still here, so we will lean heavily on them early in the season.”
This would seem to bode well for the team—particularly for the defense. With the loss of Horrigan, the defense needs to be strong. The Ice Knights are also looking to their offense to put goals on the board and to make up for their early SUNYAC Tournament elimination at the skates of SUNY Brockport last season.
This looks to be a very promising season for the Ice Knights. Although their team is suffering from the loss of seven seniors, their defense appears strong—even considering their loss of Horrigan. Combined with Schultz’s overall confidence in his team, the bond between the players will hopefully lead the Ice Knights to good places this season.
The Ice Knights open the season at home on Friday Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.against SUNY Oswego.