Ice Hockey spring recruit game a success

Adam Baker/The Captain's Log

The Christopher Newport University Ice Hockey team held a scrimmage where current players and possible recruits were split up into two teams, with a mixture of both on either side. The first period was played three-on-three, with the teams playing for one-minute intervals. The second period was played four-on-four, and during the third period they played a regular five-on-five game.

Senior forward Bryce Evason, sophomore forward Ryan Dove and junior forward Mark Dungan led the Captains with a goal each, and senior defenseman Tate Dietrich added a goal off of a pass from senior defenseman Jon Dalziel.

The Captains are looking to come back strong after a season that was marred with injuries and inconsistent play. Evason, Dove, and sophomore forward Andrew Wickliffe all missed substantial amounts of time after suffering injuries during the fall season. Dove is still not 100 percent healed, as he said, “I found out I tore my ACL too, and may have to get surgery on it in the next few weeks.” If he must have surgery, Dove will have a tough summer, as he will have to rehabilitate his ACL before the fall season begins. When asked if he will be healthy enough to play next season, Dove responded, “I absolutely hope so.”

The team also faces the loss of Head Coach Tom Quigley, as he retired in mid-March. Quigley leaves the Captains as the winningest coach in CNU Ice Hockey history, and as BRHC Coach of the Year for the 2007-2008 season. Dalton Stoltz, an assistant coach for the team for the last two seasons, replaces Quigley as head coach. Stoltz played goalie for Division I Liberty, and coached them after he graduated. Stoltz states that one of the team’s main goals is, “to exceed expectations in everything we do,” and to have, “discipline on and off the ice. We are going to talk a lot more about desire and passion for the game, along with determination.”

The recruits proved to be tough on the ice, as facing off against current players on the team can be a daunting challenge. Stoltz stated about the new recruits, “We have a couple guys from the midget AA Richmond Royals team who just won a national championship. And some guys from good midget teams in Northern Virginia.”

Evason is one of the senior captains of the team, and will be leading the younger players coming out of high school.

“Everybody looked really good. The new recruits are high-skilled, and really fast, which is good because they will bring some speed to our team,” said Evason after the game.

The team will have to integrate the new players, along with the players that were injured, in order to have a successful 2011-2012 season. “Guys from last year are really excited to get it going,” said Evason.

Posted by Darryl Fetz on Apr 13 2011. Filed under Hockey, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.