Men's hockey starts with win

The Norwich men's hockey team sets itself apart from other division three hockey teams over the years due to a combination of things, according to the team captain.

        "There's a lot of aspects to that, actually," said team captain Chad Anderson, 24, a senior biology major from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. "The program itself, the coaching staff that goes right from athletic training to strength and conditioning to the coaching that you actually get on the ice and it has to do with the recruiting they do."

        "It has a lot to do with the fans and the atmosphere of the school," Anderson said.  "All together along with the facilities we use make this program."

        "What sets us apart is the fact that we as an institution have a great and long tradition here," said athletic director Tony Mariano.  "In talking with several alums over the years, some of their fondest memories were going down to Taylor Arena and watching the hockey games.  I think that has carried over the years and now that we have Kreitzberg Arena people continue with that mentality."

        "We have great support by not only the Norwich community but the Northfield and surrounding communities," Mariano said.   "You put all those things together and it bodes well to have a high quality program."

        All of this support and effort by the team led to them winning the Division III NCAA National Championship last March in Lake Placid, N.Y.

        "It was pretty unbelievable," said assistant team captain Owen Carpino, 22, a junior English and Spanish major from Nashua, N.H.  "It was really amazing and it's really hard to describe how good it felt but hopefully we can do it again this year."

        "It was a pretty good feeling," Anderson said.  "It still, even to this point, hasn't really soaked in yet.  Winning a national championship is few and far between."

        "It was what we were working for," said assistant team captain Shawn Baker, 23, a junior criminal justice major from Mont-Laurier, Quebec. "And winning the way we did, in overtime, 100 minutes, 100 years, it was a magical moment."

        Last season was the 100 year anniversary of hockey at Norwich. The team's record last year was 26-1-4. 

        "Norwich has the best record at home. It's great," Baker said.  "We have great fans, and the building, it's amazing.  The ice is crazy, and now with Doyle Hall, it just makes everything better."

        Doyle Hall opened this year, connecting Kreitzberg Arena to Andrews Hall.

        "When you get to walk into a nice rink like Kreitzberg Arena or see the new brand new Doyle Hall, it definitely makes you feel like you're at a top notch program," Anderson said.

        "I'd say that we have the best rink, probably in the country," Carpino said. "That definitely plays into how well we play here during the year.  We're treated well and as a result the guys respond to that kind of thing."

        "The new facility has helped the program tremendously.  Student athletes these days are obviously looking for a school that they can go and participate at," Mariano said.  "Anytime you can offer them a facility like ours, with a fan base like ours, it just excites those students that much more and their desire to come to a place like that and play in front of big crowds it is just an advantage for us in recruiting."

        Baker said that the coaching staff and the recruiting are what make the team so great.  The good players work hard and have good discipline and ethics.

        Anderson said that character is key for the players on the team.  "A good player is someone that knows their role on a specific team and plays their role," Anderson said.   "You got to be a good person in the dressing room you, got to be good with the guys and good with the coaching staff.  You got to work hard."

        "We have a very good relationship between the guys on the team," Carpino said.  "It's sort of just a family type atmosphere which, in order to be successful, I think you need and we do a good job at that."

        "You need to have good chemistry among each other.  You always will have problems with each other," Anderson said.  "You'll always have good times and bad times no matter what though you always have to get along."

        Along with having a good relationship between the players, Anderson said that their team strength is their speed.  "We're very, very fast," Anderson said.   "We get our offense from a good, solid defense."  

        "Our biggest strength is our scoring," Carpino said.  "We have strong forwards and we have a great core defense coming back."

        Although the scoring is important, Carpino said that the main driving force on the team is that the expectations are always high.  "As a team we seem to get it together when we need to the most," Carpino said.

                "We have a really tough schedule," Baker said.  "It's going to be a real tough season, but it's what we're looking forward to."

                "As our coach always tells us," Anderson said.  "It's a division one program that plays division three, it shows."