Club hockey team to skate on after scandal

The IU ice hockey team is ready. Ready to make a name for themselves and ready to do something of which few other sports teams at IU are capable: the ability to bring a national championship to Bloomington.\nUnlike some of IU's other teams, national championship is not a buzz word or a hypothetical when used in conjunction with the Hoosiers' hockey program. The two-time Big Ten Tournament champions and seven-time Midwest Collegiate Hockey League champions, who have also appeared in 10 consecutive American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II National Championships, are looking toward this season as an opportunity to right the wrongs that led to last season's fall from grace. \n"(With this program), expectations are always high, but we are looking really strong," junior Jon Laughner said. \nTo help solidify this year's rise back to prominence, player favorite and long-time head coach Rich Holdeman returns to the bench, and the team anticipates a smooth transition to a locker room that will no longer harbor the heated debates and squabbles that plagued last year's squad. \nSophomore Reed Schafer, who led the team in goals scored as a freshman last season, said "bad chemistry will beat great talent every time." Schafer said he believes the lofty goal of a Hoosier national title is attainable.\n"There is no doubt in my mind that we are able to win the title this year," Schafer said. "The defending champs (Oakland University) are in our division, and we tied them last year." \nHaving started full-team, dry-land training Monday morning and holding team skate sessions in Columbus, Ind., beginning Tuesday, it seems evident the talk among players and coaches regarding team chemistry is not just an excuse for last season's woes, but rather an area they are trying vigilantly to improve. \n"Starting this early is huge for the development of team chemistry," Schafer added.\nGiven the talent and depth of this year's team, the aspirations certainly appear to be within reach. Teammates call returning sophomore defenseman Richard Young "a man-child who will deliver the highlight reel hit." Hard-nosed freshman forward Brian Farley is joining the team after being crowned "most hated player in Illinois" his senior year of high school. This distinction is mostly due to his aggressive style and ability to crash the net and produce goals. The Hoosiers will bring back all but three graduating seniors, and with an injection of fresh blood expected to make an immediate impact, this season at Frank Southern Ice Arena promises to be one of the most memorable in the club's 36 year history. \n"It's tough for visiting teams to come in here and play us," Holdeman said. "It's the smallest rink in the league, and we play a very physical, but disciplined, game."\nThe size of the ice surface, as well as the rink's capacity, makes for an intimate setting, with all the intense, high-contact and hard-hitting hockey fans have come to love and expect from the sport. The season opener is just around the corner on Oct. 15, and student ticket prices have been lowered to $2.\n-- Contact staff writer David Resnik at dfaraday@indiana.edu.