Men take the ice early this year

The Norwich men's hockey team will be starting its 2011-12 season earlier than past years; the first exhibition game is Oct 23 at Dartmouth in the Thompson Arena at 4 p.m.

A 12-year Interlock schedule agreement between the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (NESCAC) came to a close at the end of last season, according to the Norwich athletics website.

"(The men's hockey) team was very excited to hear the news about starting the 2011-12 season early," said Shane Gorman, 20, a sophomore communications major from Trumbull, Conn. "Instead of waiting two months before we skate, we only have to wait one month and getting back on the ice sooner will help us get in shape."

"We will not be facing any more (NESCAC) teams due to the switch of leagues," Gorman said. "In the new league we will be facing all (ECAC) East opponents twice, one home and away."

Many the Cadets say they are thrilled the season is starting earlier.

"Having a longer holiday break means we can have more time to spend with our family and friends," said Emmond Bell, 24, a senior communications major from Ottawa, Ontario. "Last year we only had seven days off and this year we get a two to three weeks break off."

The early start is beneficial for the Cadets. "We love hockey and that's what we want to do," said Owen Carpino, a 23-year-old senior English/Spanish major from Nashua, N.H. "The earlier we can get on the ice and get the team chemistry going the better for us."

The team has been getting in shape, working out with Coach Jeff Kruger.

"We lift three times a week with a mixture of polymetric, weight training and conditioning," Carpino said, "and we scrimmage once a week in Montpelier, against ourselves."

Heading into the early season the Cadets are "looking forward to making a run at the national championship," Bell said. "Having that senior leadership and experience of (winning a) previous national championship and knowing what it takes will help us accomplish that goal."

This exhibition game will be the Cadets first big match of the season, and may be the most challenging.

"The biggest challenge we're going to have is speed," Head Men's Hockey Coach Mike McShane said. "In general, Division I teams are all great skating schools but we can skate with them; it's just having the confidence and focus to get in there and do the job."

McShane set up this game for the Cadets because he knew it would be a challenge keeping up with Division I speed, but he also is aware that his team is "fast enough and is capable of coming away with a victory."

As the first game approaches, "We will need to continue our hard work in practice," said Frank Gatien, 22, a sophomore physical education major from Montreal, Que. "And we need to pick our game speed up because some of the opposing teams will be a little quicker than what we are used to."

The team is looking fit and prepared for the start of the season. "We're ready to go, everybody is healthy and there are no injuries," said Colin Mulvey, 20, a civil engineering major from Worcester, Mass. "And everybody is in a good frame of mind heading into this season."

After two exhibition games, Norwich will host its annual Maroon and Gold "ice breaker" game on Nov. 4, followed by the Alumni Game on Nov. 5.