U of T’s men’s hockey team might notice the stands a little fuller than usual this season. Apart from the CBC reality series ‘Making the Cut’ and the option of watching youngsters duke it out in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL), we are currently living in a hockey-starved city. Who knew you could miss Don Cherry so much?

With no end in sight for the NHL lock-out, Toronto-area fans could start making weekly pilgrimages to Varsity Arena in order to satiate their appetites. The Blues are gunning for their fifth straight OUA mid-east division title and are hoping to earn a berth at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Championships. If they succeed in accomplishing the latter, it will be the team’s first trip to the national final since 1993.

Players were unavailable for comment, but head coach Darren Lowe willingly provided feedback, opinions, and expectations for his team. Lowe will be relying heavily on his returning players, as the team this year is a real mix of newcomers and the more experienced.

“We will have to do a tremendous amount of teaching in order to attain our goals,” said Lowe. “Our inexperience on defence is a concern. We have some athletes that are going to be very reliable players but are still learning the ropes. Our most experienced defenceman has only two years of experience playing at this level.”

Lowe said that no big changes are being made in terms of training regimes, but adds that there have been fewer class-scheduling conflicts than in the past, meaning greater attendance at practices.

That the coaching staff and players work very hard is not surprising, and the recent results seem to speak for themselves. The Blues, with a 3-1 record so far, currently sit atop the OUA mid-east standings. They blanked the Guelph Gryphons 5-0 in their season opener and since then have notched up wins over Brock and York.

In the game against York, veteran right-winger Mike Nason scored two goals and had one assist. Nason leads the OUA scoring race so far with four goals and seven points in three games.

Lowe also cited team captain and former OUA all-star Ian Malcolm as one player to keep an eye on this year. Malcolm, a fourth-year student, had one goal and an assist in the team’s victory over York.

Other players to look out for include goalie Ryan Grinnell, who was sidelined for a two-game suspension but is now back in the net; left-winger Simon Barg; and top defenceman Andrew Smale, who possesses good skating ability and size.

It remains to be seen whether or not the Blues can carry this early momentum into the playoff season. But with a strong support network from team staff already in place and the likelihood that the Blues will garner a few more fans in light of the NHL dispute, the future looks bright.

The team will see action Saturday night at Varsity Arena. The Ottawa Gee Gees will be in town for a game at 7:30 against the boys in blue.