By Greg Monahan
For gvsuhockey.com

Published on: February 10, 2010       Comment      Email This Post      Print This Post

LAKERS INSIDER

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Allendale, MI — There’s a saying in sports that, in order to win a championship, teams have to get hot at the right time. Boasting a 9-1-0 record in their last 10 games and outscoring opponents in those games 68-12, the Grand Valley State University women’s hockey team is absolutely on fire.

After starting the season with a 7-6-0 record, the Lakers, who welcomed six new players to their team this season, struggled to play as a unit. Since then, the team has come together and the scores on the ice have reflected their play as a team.

“(Our success) has come from how we interact with each other,” said freshman forward Shelby Kucharski. “We’re all friends and all of us get along, and the team has really bonded. I think our friendships have been built up since the start and we trust each other more on the ice, so we’ve really come together and started to mold together and play together as a team.”

Having lost just one game since the new year, when the team traveled to Virginia for four games in three days, head hockey coach Cory Whitaker says the team’s success has come from playing together and playing a system.

“In the last month or two, we’ve played great hockey,” said Whitaker. “The game is a pretty simple game when everybody is on the same page and going in the same direction. The girls have taken what the coaches taught and worked on their first semester, and really implemented our system almost to perfection. Especially our work on the defensive side, the girls create turnovers and then take advantage of those offensively when given those chances.”

With just two regular season games remaining, the fourth-ranked Lakers are in position to make the national tournament for the second straight year in just their third year as a program. Junior forward Lynn Loechli says in order for the team to succeed in the American College Hockey Association national tournament, it will be a matter of continuing their solid play.

“I don’t know if there’s anything to fix, it’s more of keeping up everything we’ve been doing,” she said. “It’s key for all of us to keep on working hard and doing what we’re supposed to do both off the ice and on, and we’ll be in great shape to have a successful last month of the season.”
When the tournament starts in early March, Coach Whitaker said one of his biggest concerns will be keeping the players’ emotions in check in what may be the biggest games some of the women have ever played in.

“If we don’t look at it as such a big stage and get overwhelmed with that, then take a step back and focus on winning every shift, we’ll be okay,” he said. “If we’re able to focus on the smaller picture and we’re able to do it to our potential, then I think the big picture of being able to compete for a national championship is right in front of these girls. They’ve worked their tails off all season, we’ve pushed them hard and they’ve responded to the challenge, and they’ve earned everything that’s been given to them.”
The Lakers are off until next weekend when they will play their final two regular season games against the University of Michigan at GVSU’s home rink, Walker Ice and Fitness Center. Faceoff on Friday will be at 9 p.m., followed by a 1 p.m. matinee the following day.