Hockey taking it one game at a time

With the ACHA D2 Central Regional hockey tournament looming at the end of the month, the DePaul men's club hockey team finds itself with only four games left in the season until they play to go to nationals.

The team improved their record to 22-0-3 after beating Central Michigan at home and University of Illinois on the road. While they are still ranked third in the division, they impressively have scored 26 goals in their last four games, with only 13 against them.

"We play every game our hardest, we work hard every game and we also practice hard," said club president and points leader Bill Allen. Allen has 23 goals and 25 assists in 24 games played.

Last year, the team missed nationals with a loss to Michigan. This year, the team is out to fix the mistake of last year by not looking ahead too far.

"That was a huge disappointment; we are just taking this year one game at a time and not getting ahead of what's in front of us," said Allen. "We have a really good team and for a lot of people, it's our last games at a collegiate level. We really want to win."

Allen also noted that the team's main strengths lie in experience, team chemistry and the team speed. "We make plays on the rush and we always make the other team's defense work hard."

However, Allen also attributes the success of the team to its younger members like freshman center Jack Rezente, who has a goal and an assist in eight games.

"Our coach can rely on the freshmen to get the job done regardless of experience level," Rezente said. "That can be because of our hard work and the great leadership by the seniors."

"The freshman scoring is a huge boost. When you see someone work really hard every day and they score a goal, it is really inspiring for the team," Allen said.

The freshmen account for 26 points (goals and assists) collectively, which Rezente attributes to the offensiveness of the team. The Blue Demons have scored 148 goals overall, in contrast to the 70 scored against.

The last four games of the season and regionals are at North Shore Ice Arena, which is DePaul's home ice 30 minutes away.

"The distance is an adjustment, but when you grow up playing hockey it's not too difficult. We just get used to it," Allen said.

Jack said this is one of the main reasons the team chemistry is so strong and that it turns into a "bonding moment for the team."

Regardless of the tolls of travel, the hockey team has only one overtime loss at North Shore, going 10-0-1 at home. With such a good run going, Rezente wants people to "come out and support the team."