By Dylan Chryst Watkiss
A spring cleaning is underway for the St. Lawrence Men’s hockey team. The recent dismissal of the coaching staff has brought both shock-waves and renewed hopes for the program. The school is actively searching for new leadership to make the team more competitive next season.
A variety of sources were contacted and asked to comment on the recent events, but many declined. St. Lawrence University President, William Fox, did comment, saying that the firings were a necessary change to the hockey program. He said changes like these in college athletics, particularly in D1 sports, are common for program development. The changes are part of a “renewal and refresh the life of the program,” said Fox. “The academic fit of the students — that’s the priority — and the movement in D1 programs is fairly constant. Union made some changes, RPI made recent changes,” he added.
While the change in coaches may have come as a surprise to some, many are now optimistic about the future of the hockey program, including first-year forward, Carson Dimoff. “I think it’s definitely a bright future going forward,” said Dimoff. He also talked about a revival for the team. “They’re doing this to try and spark something new in the school and hopefully it’s for the best.”
Coming off of a disappointing 6-29-2 season, the Saints are hoping the future will bring more success. President Fox believes it will be a quick turn-around for the program and the players. “I’m optimistic, I think we won’t have to wait long for news, the way things go in the college coaching world is it’s usually a pretty fast track,” he said. Carson Gicewicz, Junior forward for the men’s hockey team, said that new coaches will bring a new culture to the team. “I think any time there’s a new coach he brings his own style in,” Gicewicz said. “I’m sure just kind of a natural culture change will happen.”
Dimoff also talked about the pressure players feel to have success within their four years of college. He says that the difference between college and professional hockey is the amount of time players have. “Guys are graduating or aged out and they have to move on and a new wave of players comes in, so you can go from last in the league to first in two years,” Dimoff stated. “You only get four years, so if you have a big class of ten seniors you know you have that much more experience, but then the next year they’re going to graduate and you’re going to lose all that experience and probably the record will show.”
While the players and faculty of St. Lawrence move through theses changes, SLU hockey fans, such as Little Italy restaurant owner Jessika Furnace, are also paying close attention. She acknowledges that the team has not had great results or fan turnouts in past seasons, but she has not lost her optimism. “I hope that something turns around for them,” she said.
President Fox also talked about the philosophy of St. Lawrence athletics in general. “No coach has a gun to her head or his head, as long as the students are having a positive experience, and we’re competitive and our values are at the core” he said. Fox pointed out the renovations being made at Appleton Arena and how hockey as a whole is being revamped. “The moment with Appleton getting this remodeling fits the program and its moment to get a fresh start.”
Emil Zetterquist, a first-year goaltender on the men’s hockey team, agreed that renovations to Appleton Arena and a new coaching staff will revive the program. “We’re getting a new rink and I think the alumni and everybody around the program saw this as chance to get a real fresh start and get some new culture in there,” Zetterquist said. Both Dimoff and Zetterquist also agree that the new coaches will bring new expectations. The two players say they know they have to adapt to the new coaches and prove themselves. “It is a fresh start so when the new coach comes in, everyday is going to be a tryout, but I still think this is going to turn out well for everybody,” said Zetterquist.
###