No time to chill out
Yes, there still is an undefeated team representing SMU athletics. But you have to do a little bit of research to find it. The men’s ice hockey club team defeated Texas A&M 8-7 last Saturday night. The win improved the Mustangs’ record to 4-0 on the season. SMU has also defeated Tulane twice and Texas Tech.
The game began with fast and physical play. Both teams continuously fought for possession of the puck. The Mustangs outplayed the Aggies and ended the first period in command of a 2-1 lead. In the second period the ‘Stangs came out fired up. Alternate captain Robby Holley worked hard to generate offensive opportunities.
“In the center we have to look to produce shots,” Holley said. “If we pass and check hard the shots are going to come and the goals will follow.”
The hard work paid off as the Mustangs pounded the Aggies’ defense and scored five goals in the second period of play. The Ponies didn’t seem to be impressed with the fact that Texas A&M finished second in the Intercollegiate Hockey League last season. SMU dominated on the ice for the entire second period and closed with a 7-3 advantage. The large lead seemed to be more than enough to guarantee victory for the Ponies. Then the tables turned in a hurry at the start of third period. Captain Brent Ozenbaugh thinks some of the players lost focus.
“Our guys had been playing with a bunch of confidence,” Ozenbaugh said. “They gave us a little scare at the end, but I had no doubt that the game would be ours.”
The little scare turned into a tied score at 7-7 with four minutes remaining. The Ponies didn’t let down and fought hard to pull out the victory. SMU once again gained control of the puck and kept the Aggies’ defense on their toes.
All of the hard work paid off with less than a minute remaining. The Mustangs were able to keep up their level of intensity and scored the game winner with 36 seconds left on the clock.
Holley said the Ponies let Texas A&M back into the game.
“We let all of the good luck go to our heads,” he said. “We should have put that game away a long time ago.”
Holley currently leads the team in total points with nine. He has recorded five goals and four assists on the season. The offense is starting to come together and the Mustangs are on a roll.
Head coach Steve La Mere is in his first year coaching the Mustangs and is pleased with the progress of the team.
“I’m very impressed with the way we have played so far this year,” La Mere said. “We came into the season with a lot of individual talent and we are finally starting to play as a team.”
Many SMU players are quick to point out the positive changes. Garett Chisum is a veteran on the team and is impressed with the new style of play.
“We play high-intensity hockey,” Chisum said. “There is a lot of fighting and physical play and there are a bunch of guys on the team with solid talent.”
Chisum believes that this year’s team is ready to play with best.
“There is no question that our talent can match up to any of the teams in this league,” Chisum said. “The bottom line is that we are playing solid hockey right now and it is showing in our record.”
The Ponies take their undefeated record down to Austin this Sunday to face the University of Texas. SMU then plays the most important game of the season when last year’s league champion University of North Texas comes to town Nov. 23. University of North Texas was first in the Inter-Collegiate Hockey League last season and has had solid showings at the national collegiate level.
For more information on game times or the men’s club ice hockey team, go to http://people.smu.edu/hockey/ or e-mail [email protected].
