willGUERIN " Over the past few y e a r s the Hope College Men' s Ice Hockey team has become more awesome and wicked t h a n ever imagined possible. This past season, with the addition of another great rookie class, we logged a n excellent record and developed strong friendships t h a t will last long a f t e r our hockey careers do. The SO 10-8011 season was a success. Add it to the list," said Will Guerin ( ' 1 1 ) . photo by public relations
photo by public relations
photo by public relation
goal after second in the nation by brett kopinski ('11) Although it was another heartbreaking finale to an otherwise amazing season, the National Tournament was one of the most memorable experiences of many of the players' careers at Hope. The team's focus was to take each game one at a time. That was their first game was against Florida Atlantic and a win was crucial. That win proved the team' s mindset and gave them confidence going into the next game against Robert Morris. Robert Morris' goalie stood on his head and the Dutchmen could not put the cat in the hat. They suffered a loss. It was a blow to the team morale having lost the second game of the tournament. However, in roundrobin play, unlike single-elimination, a team could lose a game and still advance depending on the other games. Colorado was a surprise to say the least. Under the impression that they were going to be the same team Hope played last year but better, the team went into that game with a little too much confidence. They stomped them last year in
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Florida, so they thought they would repeat that performance. It was hard to believe they went down 3-1, but what was even more difficult to believe was how the team rallied to eventually win in overtime. It was rare to have underclassmen step up and make an impact during such important games as these, but Riley Hoernschemeyer ('14) and Caleb Digison ('14) played phenomenally. When Digison ended that game in overtime, they knew they still had a shot. Hope then had the upper hand going into the semi-finals, having played and beaten Central Florida in the fall. After handling a 5-S win, their victory put them into the national championship game against College of the Canyons. They had already played and lost to College of the Canyons, so the team was looking forward to some payback. The game however, did not result in that payback. Every player, coach, and fan would have loved to win, but they did not hang their heads about 2nd place.
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