The Saint Anselm men’s ice hockey team was predicted first by the NE10 coaches poll in early October, making this their ninth consecutive first-place ranking in the preseason poll. Coming off their championship season, the Hawks are ready to take the NE10 by storm.
Senior captains Will Christensen and Tommy Schwartz both agree that the Hawks have a target on their backs: “I know a lot of teams in our league will want to beat us even more this season since we’re defending champions, so I think it’s an extra challenge that our team is ready to face this year,” Christensen explained. “We’re looking forward to that and we want that reputation as the team to beat–we just have to play and prove it,” Schwartz said on the upcoming season.
With veterans able to lead the way and new faces eager to show their skill, the upcoming season looks to be an exciting one. The Hawks have opened their season with two non-conference games, falling to Long Island University and Plattsburgh State.
Although the losses were not what the Hawks wanted, freshman goaltender Cam Carrol made a name for himself, making 86 saves in 2 games and earning himself an .896 save percentage; the Hawks move forward with confidence in their new goaltender.
Coming off of two losses, senior captain Tommy Schwartz explained how he stays positive in order to lead the team the best he can: “I always try to remind the guys that we are more capable in our ability to play with anyone when we stay positive with each other. When the negativity kicks in, it doesn’t help anyone, especially the team. We are a strong team together, so it’s good to lighten the mood when things are going well.”
He feels that as a leader, it is his job to bring everyone back up to that positive level when things may not be going right. When speaking with Christensen and Schwartz, they both are incredibly thrilled with the looks of the team this year. Christensen believes that the depth of their team will play a huge role this year. “Our team’s biggest strength this year will be our all-around team depth. We have a lot of returners in all positions, as well as some very talented freshmen who will help out,” Christensen explained.
Christensen noted that he’s excited to help out the younger guys on the team and offer any advice he is able to give. Schwartz added, “Our goal is to be the defending and back-to-back NE10 champions and that is what we are working for right now.”
With the return of some power forwards and strong defenders on the blue line, the captains are excited for the Hawks this season.
The leadership and experience of both Schwartz and Christensen will be very positive attributes to the Hawks this season. Both have shown their leadership on and off the ice for the past three seasons, and both are excited to finish their last season strong.
