Season Preview One year has made a huge difference for the York University Lions men’s hockey team and expectations have changed significantly thanks to a worst-to-first turnaround one season ago. Last year the Lions had something to prove after a last-place finish in the OUA West the previous season. Rookie head coach Chris Dennis took over the helm of the program in the off-season and the results were immediate: the Lions won six of their first eight games and earned points in 10 of their first 11 en route to a firstplace finish in the OUA West Division standings and five weeks in the CIS national rankings. However, the season ended sooner than expected with a game-three loss to the Toronto Varsity Blues in the first round of the playoffs and this year’s team is using that disappointment as motivation to stay at the top and position themselves for a deep post-season run. The Lions lost some veteran experience in the off-season but return eight of their top 10 scorers, including OUA West all-stars Derek Sheppard and Trevor Petersen, who were first and second, respectively, in team scoring and both ranked among the OUA’s top 20. Peterson leads an offensive attack that also includes third-year forward Greg Milner, while Sheppard anchors a blueline alongside veterans Tyler Mort and Shayne Rover. The biggest change will be between the pipes, where a new starter will emerge after the graduation of OUA West all-star goaltender Chris Perugini. The battle will be between incoming rookies Mack Shields and Alex Fotinos, who each bring four years of major junior experience from the Canadian Hockey League, and returning back-up Mitch Maraschiello.
“The players decided they wanted to be a team that was difficult to play against. They wanted to learn our system and embrace it, and it was all their effort and dedication to the team that was the reason for the turnaround. The season didn’t end the way we wanted, in a best two-out-of-three anything can happen and we found that out. We played well enough to win and it didn’t go our way. We learned a lot from that and I think we will be better because of it.” – Chris Dennis, Head Coach