November 10, 2006
Trying to Ice the Season
Trying to Ice the Season
By Ryan Young - The Daily Iowan. Click here to view the article at the dailyiowan.com
Over the last five years, the IceHawks have gotten used to opening their season with
a number of key wins. But after promoted from the Silver Division to the Gold this
season, the team has found itself a small fish in a much larger frozen pond.
Traditionally using their size and skill advantages to smoothly glide through the
Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association's Silver Division conference, Iowa's
Division-II club is struggling to adjust to its bigger and better opponents. The
IceHawks began their season Sept. 29-Oct. 1, with two nonconference wins over
Palmer College, but players soon found themselves overpowered by three of their
league's top-ranked teams and were left at the bottom of the conference at 0-6.
The squad is now 2-8 overall.
Still not quite halfway through their season, the IceHawks are adjusting to 11 new
players - seven of whom are freshmen - to fill the holes left by graduating veterans -
and that, coach Kevin Harter said, has contributed to the paucity of wins thus far.
"With incoming freshmen and new guys to the team, you always wonder about the
identity they're going to bring to the team," he said. "The veterans have done a great
job this season, as far as taking the young guys aside and taking them under their
wing."
For the rookies, he said, competing at a higher level has been trial by error -
especially with the new national ruling that allows referees to more assertively call
holding penalties in order to make the game more exciting.
Before, players were permitted to hook onto breakaway opponents in order to propel
themselves forward and break up an attempt on goal.
Still, many of the newcomers have found a niche - namely UI freshman and starting
goaltender Derek Lawson, who took over in the absence of junior Tim Strauch, who
is out until next season with an ACL injury.
Having faced 448 shots and only allowed 60 scores, Lawson has managed to
maintain saves at 86.7 percent.
"Being a freshman and a goaltender is definitely a step up," Lawson said. "In high
school, I faced good shots and good competition, but here, I've been facing 50 to 60
shots a game, and it's a lot faster play."
At 5-9, Lawson is at a slight height disadvantage when protecting the net. To
compensate, he said, he has moved out four inches from the goal, which helps
eliminates the angle scorers have when approaching the net.
UI sophomore and rookie forward Kyle Jacobson has also been one newcomer
leading by example. With a tenacious style of play, Jacobson has established himself
as a leader, and he ranks first on the team in total points, with six assists and seven
goals.
"We're not giving up the season, yet," he said. "We're going to come out here for our
first home Gold game and come out flying."
Winning both of this weekend's conference matchups against Marquette, also 0-6
in-conference, is vital for the IceHawk's. Harter said that in order to pull off a sweep,
the team must use hard work in practice and play 60 minutes with solid determination.
"The game plan is jumping on them right off the bus when they get here to play and
keep it on them all night long," he said. "We'll be at home, so there's no excuse for
road fatigue."
Over the last five years, the IceHawks have gotten used to opening their season with
a number of key wins. But after promoted from the Silver Division to the Gold this
season, the team has found itself a small fish in a much larger frozen pond.
Traditionally using their size and skill advantages to smoothly glide through the
Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association's Silver Division conference, Iowa's
Division-II club is struggling to adjust to its bigger and better opponents. The
IceHawks began their season Sept. 29-Oct. 1, with two nonconference wins over
Palmer College, but players soon found themselves overpowered by three of their
league's top-ranked teams and were left at the bottom of the conference at 0-6.
The squad is now 2-8 overall.
Still not quite halfway through their season, the IceHawks are adjusting to 11 new
players - seven of whom are freshmen - to fill the holes left by graduating veterans -
and that, coach Kevin Harter said, has contributed to the paucity of wins thus far.
"With incoming freshmen and new guys to the team, you always wonder about the
identity they're going to bring to the team," he said. "The veterans have done a great
job this season, as far as taking the young guys aside and taking them under their
wing."
For the rookies, he said, competing at a higher level has been trial by error -
especially with the new national ruling that allows referees to more assertively call
holding penalties in order to make the game more exciting.
Before, players were permitted to hook onto breakaway opponents in order to propel
themselves forward and break up an attempt on goal.
Still, many of the newcomers have found a niche - namely UI freshman and starting
goaltender Derek Lawson, who took over in the absence of junior Tim Strauch, who
is out until next season with an ACL injury.
Having faced 448 shots and only allowed 60 scores, Lawson has managed to
maintain saves at 86.7 percent.
"Being a freshman and a goaltender is definitely a step up," Lawson said. "In high
school, I faced good shots and good competition, but here, I've been facing 50 to 60
shots a game, and it's a lot faster play."
At 5-9, Lawson is at a slight height disadvantage when protecting the net. To
compensate, he said, he has moved out four inches from the goal, which helps
eliminates the angle scorers have when approaching the net.
UI sophomore and rookie forward Kyle Jacobson has also been one newcomer
leading by example. With a tenacious style of play, Jacobson has established himself
as a leader, and he ranks first on the team in total points, with six assists and seven
goals.
"We're not giving up the season, yet," he said. "We're going to come out here for our
first home Gold game and come out flying."
Winning both of this weekend's conference matchups against Marquette, also 0-6
in-conference, is vital for the IceHawk's. Harter said that in order to pull off a sweep,
the team must use hard work in practice and play 60 minutes with solid determination.
"The game plan is jumping on them right off the bus when they get here to play and
keep it on them all night long," he said. "We'll be at home, so there's no excuse for
road fatigue."
