The Varsity Blues men’s hockey team is preparing for its upcoming season. After falling to the McGill Redmen in the quarter-finals of last season’s playoffs, the coaching staff have brought in five rookies that will hopefully give the team an edge. The returning players have regained their confidence since the postseason, training on and off the ice to prepare for their upcoming games.
Brendan Sherrard, who has captained the team for the past two seasons, is confident in the new players. He believes that the team will be even better than last year’s. After losing key veterans both on defence and on the front end, the Blues recruited Brent McGrail and Kyle Paige for their speed and scoring ability up front. Tyler Turcotte, Zack Fenwick, and Matt Walters have been added to the defence roster for their size and skill. Leading point scorers Joe Rand, Eddie Snetsinger, Byron Elliot, and Sherrard will play an important role in the team’s goal to make it to the nationals in Thunder Bay this spring.
Although Sherrard expresses great confidence in the team, he believes that their main focus this year should be five-on-five scoring. “Last year we relied on our power play more than any of us would have liked, so this year we need to put up better numbers—even strength,” said Sherrard.
The team is excited to travel to New York State, where they will face Clarkson University and St. Lawrence University in exhibition matches before their regular season begins on Oct. 9 at the University of Ottawa. Sherrard expects that the team’s greatest challenges this year will be the teams from the Far East.
“McGill, Concordia, UQTR, Ottawa, and Carleton always give us a tough game, and since we play these teams the most they are our toughest competition,” said Sherrard.
The first home game will take place at Varsity Arena on Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. The U of T hockey fan-base has not been large in the past, but with the new additions to the team, more people may be drawn to support the Blues. “Judging from what’s been going on in camp, we have four lines with eight defencemen who can all play, and when they’re on the ice they are all dangerous,” said Sherrard. “We have a lot of depth that I don’t think most teams have, which is why we’re all excited to get the season started.”
