The 2018-2019 St. Lawrence Hockey team has endured a turbulent season which has left much to the imagination. However, not all hope is lost for this deeply rooted team. The future of the team is bright with many of its young stars already starting to shine.
Out of the 28 players on the SLU roster, only seven are juniors or seniors. This is an surprisingly low amount of upperclassmen for a division one hockey team. As any sports fan will tell you, experience is key, and in a team sport like hockey this is magnified.
Teammates who have played together for three or four years have an instant advantage over players who are still learning how to play with one another. When you play with your teammates for years you develop chemistry, an attribute that does not appear on a stat line but cannot be undervalued. Chemistry allows you to know what your teammate will do before he does it. This creates crisp stick to stick passing and opens up a wide range of plays that a new team will not have access to.
All hope is not lost for the St. Lawrence Saints, as the young bloods on the team are showing why they deserve to play Division -I hockey.
The first-years and sophomores have came into their own for the Saints, with five of the top six point scorers on the team being underclassmen. Members of the hockey team have expressed their love for the team and how excited they are about the future of the team.
Eddie Pavlini is a sophomore on the team and is the only player with a 100% shooting percentage for the season, scoring two goals on two shots. He expressed his love for his teammates and the team’s chances despite their record, saying, “Even though we’re young, we have a lot of potential and I believe we can make a deep run in the playoffs this year.” This optimism for the future of the team as well as hope for this season is spread throughout the locker room.
One of the highlights of this season was when this team accomplished what last year’s team could not by beating Clarkson at Appleton. The Saints had a dominant performance with a 4-2 win over the hated Golden Knights.
When asked about this win, Pavilini said, “The Clarkson win was awesome. One of the best atmospheres I’ve ever played in front of.” This is coming from a team who has had the opportunity to play at the T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas, showing just how powerful the energy of Appleton Arena can be.
The advantage of playing in front of your home crowd is another factor of the game that does not go in the stat sheet but has immense importance. The support of your fans, not only when the game is going well but when it is tough, drives the team to be better.
The St. Lawrence hockey team has an immensely bright future ahead of itself with a limitless ceiling.
For now, they need our support to finish this season in style. With one last home weekend, March 1-2, the Saints need the full support of the students. Support the team as they face Cornell and Colgate this weekend and support them as they look to contend in the future.