Club hockey excels during regular season
The St. Joe’s club ice hockey team boasts quite a talented roster this year and is set to accomplish their season goals. Anything short of winning the division would be a collective disappointment, according to multiple players.
“Our goal this year was to win the division,” said junior team captain John Tarantino. “We have a strong team this year and we know we’re capable of being a playoff team. A few injuries have hurt us but we are in playoff contention with a few games left.”
Fellow junior captain Andrew Sarre echoed Tarantino’s thoughts while also providing insight as to how far the team thinks they can go.
“Our goal was to make it to the playoffs,” Sarre said. “Not only do we want to make it to the playoffs, we want a high seed so we can make it passed the first round.”
The team maintains a great balance in chemistry both on and off the ice, each player knowing just when to flip on their competitive switch.
“The competitive level on our team is very high come game time,” Sarre said. “We like to keep things loose in the locker room and practice. But when it comes to playing meaningful games, we all take it very seriously.”
Teammates make it a priority to form a close bond both on and off the ice; making sure to be around each other a lot on campus.
“We have a really tight knit team this year,” Tarantino said. “We really have been since I got to St. Joe’s. The team takes a lot of classes together and we’re constantly with each other. We play a lot of poker and go to the gym a lot.”
The team captains certainly think it’s a necessary responsibility to set a standard for younger teammates.
“This year we have an easy group of guys to lead,” Sarre said. “We’re always on the same page and striving towards a common goal. We as captains try to set a standard for the underclassmen to look up to.”
Thus far, the team has already made memorable moments throughout the season, one in particular coming from senior Tim Michel.
“He scored his first career goal in an away game against Duke,” Tarantino said. It was awesome to see. He’s worked really hard over his four years and it was cool to see him get rewarded for it. He’s a great example of what it means to be a team player.”
The North Carolina trip seems to be a highlight for most players. It occurs early in early October, and St. Joe’s plays three league teams over the course of their stay .
“It’s my favorite trip every year because it’s usually in the beginning of the year,” Sarre said. “It’s a good time to see what the new group of guys is all about and how they perform.”
St. Joe’s looks ready to make a playoff push and, potentially, win the division. Their next game is at George Washington University on Feb. 3.
