What You Don’t Know About FGCU Freshman Goalie Tyler Tracy

As a hockey puck comes from the point off a slap shot, it should land inside the net. But Tyler Tracy reaches up with his gloved hand and robs the opposing team from its goal against Florida Gulf Coast University. He’s quick on his skates and takes to the butterfly position to keep the puck from reaching the goal by protecting both sides of the net and being able to jump up to snatch the high shots out of the air.

Tracy is a freshman goaltender for the FGCU men’s D2 ice hockey team and the one of the most recent recruits. Tracy is a Naples native, and the impression is that Florida doesn’t develop hockey players. Watching Tracy in the crease brings up the question: How did such a young goalkeeper manage to gain the experience that he demonstrates?

Tracy has been playing hockey for as long as he can remember. He began his journey with junior hockey as a teenager. During his sophomore year of high school, he joined a traveling league to play in Chicago every week. Tracy went to school four days a week and then traveled to the Windy City to play hockey all weekend.

Tracy missed about a quarter of that year of high school, and according to him, one of the only ways he was able to accomplish that was with very understanding teachers. They knew he was working for a brighter future and a hockey career in college, so they were willing to help him. He would get his school work from his teachers and basically work on his own to maintain his grades.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

After the year of traveling from Naples to Chicago every week, Tracy was given another opportunity—one much bigger that would offer him an amazing future to grow and develop as a hockey player. His got an opportunity to move to Maine and play for a junior hockey team in the Northeast. In exchange, Tracy would get a private prep school education and the chance to become a better player and build a future in hockey. Tracy moved to Maine when he was 16 and lived with a host family, Greg and Danielle Mooers. As difficult as it was for Tracy to leave home at such a young age, his own parents and his host family made it a fairly easy transition.

“When Tyler arrived, we couldn’t believe how mature and well-rounded he was at the young age of 16. He was polite and courteous and immediately blended right in with our family. Tyler’s move into our home seemed effortless,” Danielle Mooers said. “Everyone got to know one another, and he quickly became our fourth son and a big brother to our other three children.

“I don’t think that having Tyler with us caused any of us to make any big dayto- day changes. But rather it made us all appreciate the family time and dinners we had together as often as we could. Everyone was always so busy that to get to sit down and enjoy a meal together and talk about our days was something we all enjoyed,” Mooers said. “We got to learn about our differences and similarities. We got to laugh and crack jokes. Having Tyler live with us just made our family a little bigger.”

“Leaving home, I left my little brother so being up there I still had someone to look over and someone to look up to me,” Tracy said. “I was able to set an example for them and be a good role model. There were differences in moving to Maine. I skimped on laundry a bit. Sometimes I’d wait until one of my parents came up to visit so they’d help me do it all. The weather was absolutely different, and I loved it for the first two years. Then the third year, I actually had to shovel the snow myself. So when my Jeep was snowed in, I had to put the gloves and boots on and get dirty doing it myself.”

“I absolutely not would have had the same opportunities. I don’t regret any of it. It helped me grow as a player and as a person. I left home at an early age and it forced me to grow up and mature,” Tracy said. “Staying in Florida I wouldn’t have been able to develop into the player I am today. In Maine, hockey is like religion. I would wake up, go to school and couldn’t wait to get out of school and onto the ice. Everyday you’re jumping and excited about getting onto the ice to play. In order to live that life, you have to love this game like I do.”

MISSING HOME

Jill Tracy, Tyler’s mother, knew that letting her son leave home was diffi cult but easier to deal with because they met his host family in advance and she knew that Tyler was mature and focused. She missed her child, but she knew that the opportunity was going to be a life-changing experience for him and they would do whatever they had to in order to make the situation work for their family.

“Living two years without him home,” Jill said. “I think we supported the airlines too much. We traveled a lot to go see him.” The hockey schedule was intense, and Tracy didn’t often get to come home to Naples to visit his family. He usually only made it down for major holidays. His parents would go visit him to watch him play in the juniors’ league and check up on his standings at school. When he lived in Florida, he maintained high grades, even while missing a quarter of his sophomore year. He didn’t know what he was walking into when he went to private school in Maine.

“The difference kicked my ass,” Tracy said. “They put me in all the upper-level classes that they offered. My grades didn’t suffer, but I had to work twice as hard to maintain what I did in my sophomore year in Florida.”

JUNIOR HOCKEY DAYS

As for hockey, Tracy was the rookie on the team and was handed the typical rookie duties.

“We had to get the pucks out for practice, fill water bottles, moving the nets after practice for the Zambonis and other team duties,” Tracy said. “It wasn’t anything crazy like walking over hot flames or broken glass. The rookies knew their duties, and we had to do them. We had to earn our keep.” He claims that he’s always been the more introverted type of person. He tended to stay quiet and keep to himself, but there was one person who helped Tracy come out of his shell a little more. Mike Herlihy, now a defenseman on FGCU’s ice hockey team, is originally from Maine and was a veteran on the Portland Junior Pirates when Tracy moved to play with the team. Herlihy was a mentor to Tracy, but they didn’t always stay out of trouble.

“He did some things I would try to stay away from, but kids that age, we’re all going to do stupid stuff,” Tracy said. “I tried to keep my nose clean, but anywhere there’s fun to be had, we knew where to find it.”

“We went to dinner at Applebee’s and the rookies had to dress up in underwear and revealing female clothing,” Herlihy said. “We all got kicked out halfway through our meal for getting too rowdy and customers being horrified of the outfits.” Tracy said that he went to Maine to play hockey and gain an education, but that hockey was his main focus. There wasn’t much time to socialize. He had a rigid schedule between school and hockey. When he had a break, he spent time with friends and met girls, as most 16-year-old boys do. Tracy learned at an early age about responsibility. He learned to keep himself up on his schoolwork, training for hockey, budgeting money, cooking and cleaning for himself. Many teenagers stay home with their parents until they go to college; Tracy got a jump start on friends he has now who are freshmen away from home for the first time.

OFF TO COLLEGE

After Tracy graduated from high school, he stayed in Maine for an extra year playing for the juniors’ team in what he refers to as a “gap year.” During this time, he started getting scouted by colleges around the nation. Long Island University and FGCU were two of the colleges that looked at Tracy. “We had no idea that he was being scouted. It was a surprise for us,” Jill Tracy said. “He turned down a lot of club hockey opportunities at a lot of different colleges. He was holding out for that perfect spot, and he found it. It brought him back home.”

Tracy is not a typical 19-year-old freshman. He’s more mature, responsible and focused. He works, plays hockey for FGCU and for another club men’s league at Germain Arena and attends classes, majoring in finance. Watching him play is more than exciting. Seeing the opponent wind up for a slap shot during a power play, when FGCU is short a man on the ice, is usually a tense moment. With Tracy in the net, fans are at ease. He’ll almost always make the save. Tracy’s current record with the team is 7-0. He holds a 1.83 goals against average making, 250 saves out of the 264 shots against him. He plays with a level of skill that he wouldn’t have gained without the experience he had playing for the Portland Junior Pirates.

“If he hadn’t gone to Maine, he absolutely would not be the same player he is today,” Jill Tracy said. “The level of play in the Northeast is so intense. He learned at an early age, so since he’s come back here, he has an advantage because of training with some of the goalie coaches there, who were ex-NHL coaches.”

His friends and family are happy to have him home. Even though he’s moved back to his parents’ house, he continues to maintain the responsibilities he learned years ago. “I don’t feel as independent as I did when I was up there. They did a great job keeping me in line, but now I always have help when I need it because of the support from my parents.” Tracy said. “It’s great being back home, but I can’t eat as much ice cream as I used to because they’ll yell at me. I am juggling school, hockey and my job at a local bank, but my parents are focused on making sure that I’m happy and that I enjoy what I’m doing. And I am happy. I think any time you have success in life, being happy comes with it.”

TEAM CAMARADERIE

Now Tracy is one of the starting goalies for FGCU. The hockey players are a team on and off the ice. The team camaraderie is strong and Tracy is always a part of it. This season, the team has its own locker room at Germain Arena. They’ve been building it for three years and now that it is finished, the team spends more time together. They stay late and show up early to games and practices so they have the opportunity to spend more time together. They go out together after every Saturday night game, and Tracy always attends the events in which the team participates together. “He has a weird sense of humor sometimes,” said Tracy’s teammate, forward Kevin Zipkin. “I don’t know if it’s dry, but everyone has a normal sense of humor except the goalies. All goalies are weird on every team.”

They spend a lot of time together and he’s brought a dynamic to the team that isn’t seen often. According to Zipkin, Tracy is very mature for his age, a stronger player because of his experience, speaks up often, is hard working and has been a huge contributor to the team. “Even before men’s league, when everyone is hanging out and having fun, he’ll be bouncing balls against the wall for his hand-eye coordination,” Zipkin said. “He doesn’t treat any game differently; it’s always just as serious.”

Tracy doesn’t believe he would have the same opportunities today if he hadn’t gone to play in Portland at such a young age. “I don’t regret any of it. I left home at an early age and it forced me to mature. In Maine, hockey is like religion. I would wake up, go to school and couldn’t wait to get out of school and onto the ice. Every day you’re jumping and excited about getting onto the ice to play. In order to live that life, you have to love this game like I do.”

http://eaglenews.org/sports/hockey/dont-know-fgcus-freshman-goalie-tyler-tracy/

FGCU Hockey Loses First Game to Central Michigan

Coming off the first loss of the season during week seven, the Florida Gulf Coast University men’s hockey team will be back at Germain Arena at 8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday against the Missouri Tigers. The Missouri Tigers come to southwest Florida with a record of 2-6. The top scorer for the Tigers has a total of 10 points compared with FGCU’s top-scorer, Dan Echeverri, with 46 points. Game tickets cost $5 each and FGCU students get in free with their Eagle ID cards. The upcoming weekend should be an interesting test to see how the Eagles respond to last weekend’s 6-2 loss to the Central Michigan University Chippewas.

Just as the team and coaches predicted last week, CMU came to town to play hard. There were constantly bodies on the ice and hits against the glass. The Chippewas are known to be a strong, hard-hitting team and it showed last weekend. They held a record of 7-2-2 and were ranked seventh in the D2 Central division.

On Saturday night, the FGCU men’s ice hockey team tasted the agony of defeat in their 14^th game of the season. As expected after CMU lost to FGCU on Friday, the Chippewas came onto the ice hungry for revenge on Saturday. The Chippewas brought a totally different game because of their strong motivation. They played faster against the Eagles from the drop of the first puck. They capitalized on hard hits, time on attack and the lack of discipline from FGCU.

During the second minute of the first period, CMU player Kent Burnett put the first goal in the net behind FGCU’s starting goaltender Mike Reed. Reed held a record of 1.67 goals against before the loss on Saturday. Despite FGCU’s 12 attempted shits in the first period, the Eagles couldn’t get behind CMU starting goaltender Jake DeWalt. Bernett’s goal remained the single point on the board for the period.

The second period began with another goal from the opposing team. During the fourth minute, CMU’s Steve Basinski gave the Chippewas a 2-0 lead over the Eagles with a power play opportunity stemming from two penalties on the Eagles. The advantage of two extra men on the ice immediately opened up for the CMU goal. Two minutes later, a fire lit under the Eagles and Echeverri, with an assist from Anthony Yezek, put FGCU on the board bringing the deficit back to a one-score game. With just under three minutes left in the second period, CMU player Ricky Jones scored giving the two-goal lead back to the Chippewas to end the second period.

During the third period, the scoreboard began to eat them alive with anger and frustration written all over the ice. During the 13^th minute of the period, the Eagles sent the Chippewas onto the power play once again. With 10 seconds left on the extra-man advantage, CMU player Matt Cinader put in a fourth goal against FGCU. Just over two minutes later on a double-minor penalty against the Eagles, Cinader grabbed another power-play goal, bringing the score up 5-1. Only 40 seconds later, CMU player Vince Provenzano added the sixth goal to the board for the Chippewas on the second part of the double-minor penalty. To end the third period Carlo DiPiazza scored an unassisted goal with just over three minutes left in the game. The final score ended 6-2 in favor of CMU. The Eagles out shot the Chippewas 41-37, but they also picked up 42 penalty minutes while CMU only gained 14.

“It started in the first two shifts. They came with a lot of energy. They’re a big team and very talented. They were embarrassed last night losing to a team from Florida, like all northern teams are,” said head coach Bob Brinkworth. “They get upset about it, and they out fought us for the puck from that very first shift. We responded well to it. It was a 2-1 hockey game and then our discipline broke down with misconduct penalties, talking to the referee and you just can’t do that against good teams. They had one power play after another in that third period. It ends up a 6-2 hockey game and mainly because of the lack of discipline on our side. We’ve been working on the discipline since the beginning and with tonight being such a bad breakdown on that; we’re going back to square one. We’re going to be making sure everybody’s accountable because it really hurts the team when you’re two men short like we were after taking that second penalty.”

Reed, FGCU goalkeeper, had yet to let more than two goals in the net behind him. But he has a lot to say about the first loss of the season. With the Eagles flying high in their undefeated position, the taste of defeat can be humbling.

“As painful as that was, that is the best thing that could have happened to this team,” Reed said. “As odd as this may sound, we needed that. Now we know we can’t simply pretend anymore. It takes work and dedication to be a championship team. Skill is never a necessity in that equation, and I think we’ve forgotten that. How we come back from this and go forward, as a team and individually, will determine if FGCU hockey is a team of kids who just play hockey or a team of hockey players. I already know we’re the latter; we just have to start proving it. At Monday’s practice, there probably shouldn’t be a puck on the ice.”

According to FGCU forward Kevin Zipkin, Monday’s practice was completely abnormal because of the way the team played on Saturday night. They skated “suicides” for 42 minutes because that was how many penalty minutes they came away with on Saturday. “Suicides” are a face-paced skating drill where the players skate from the goal line to the blue line and back, to the red line and back, then to the far blue line and back. Forty-two minutes of such intense skating was used by Brinkworth to teach discipline.

On Friday night, the Eagles came away with a win and the continuing of the undefeated streak may have played a role in their being more complacent and less disciplined on Saturday night. The first period started with a high tempo and both teams made multiple attempts to bury the puck. The Eagles out shot the Chippewas 14-10 in the first period, but it wasn’t until the 16^th minute of play that FGCU managed to get the first goal on the board. Lee Khan made a pass to Bryan Valancy, who slapped the shot right behind CMU’s starting goaltender Tyler Everlove. It wasn’t even 30 seconds later when that same line made another play to bring the score up 2-0 for FGCU. Logan Garst got the puck to DiPiazza. Valancy corralled the pass from DiPiazza and scored his second goal of the night.

“I have to credit my line mates for getting me the puck and getting the shots on net,” Valancy said. “This goalie wasn’t very strong; we just needed to shoot the puck.”

As soon as the line change came off the bench, and exactly one minute after Valancy’s first goal, Ryan McAleese added to the Eagles’ lead. Zipkin and Myles Neunecker both earned assists on the goal that brought FGCU up 3-0 to end the first period.

It was during the sixth minute of the second period that CMU player Max Wanko was able to get one behind FGCU starting goaltender Tyler Tracy. However, the Eagles didn’t let the goal deter their momentum. Only two minutes after the Chippewas got on the board, DiPiazza added his second point of the night with another goal for the Eagles, bringing them up 4-1. Valancy added a third point to his tally for the night, and Colton Bailey also earned an assist on DiPiazza’s power-play goal.

“I think the key to every game is we have to come out and match their intensity, and that’s exactly what we did,” DiPiazza said. “We’re a hard-working team. We’ll match anyone’s intensity, and if we do that we have a really good chance of winning any game. Saturday night we have to come out the same way with a strong first period by putting some goals on the board early and keep working through it.”

The Eagles came into the third period with the mentality to continue taking it to CMU instead of playing it safe. During the 12^th minute their power paid off. Garst earned his second point of the night when he received a pass from Echeverri and put up the final goal for the Eagles. With seven minutes left to play in the game, CMU player Cinader got another goal behind Tracy. That goal brought the game to its final score of 5-2 with the Green and Blue on top. FGCU out shot their opponent 49-34 and earned six penalty minutes while CMU gained eight.

“We have to come out every game and match the other team’s intensity,” Garst said. “We wanted to get up first, and we did that tonight by getting a couple quick goals in the first. We have to come out starting strong, getting after it and laying bodies down.”

Tracy made a total of 32 saves for the entire game as the starting goalie for FGCU.

“It was a good team win. We got back to getting our quick starts like we normally do,” Tracy said. “I think they put some pressure on us to start the game, and they got everybody going, including me. Then the boys got rolling, and we took it over from there. Saturday night we’re going to have to be on our toes. They’re going to come out hard and strong like they did tonight. They’ll definitely want to pin us up against the corner tomorrow, so we have to come out ready to go and match the intensity like we did today.”

The key word coming out of every player’s mouth Friday night was “intensity.” With the lack of intensity they brought on Saturday night against CMU, the Eagles have a lot to work on and more to bring their game back to the standards that they started the season under with multiple goals, fast play and team chemistry.

http://eaglenews.org/sports/hockey/fgcu-hockey-loses-first-game-central-michigan/

Waldorf College Steals a Point from FGCU in the Weekend Series

The Florida Gulf Coast University men’s ice hockey team hosted the Waldorf College Warriors on Friday, Nov. 8 and Saturday, Nov. 9 at Germain Arena. When the Warriors came to Germain Arena, they held a record of 9-5-2. After their weekend in Fort Myers, they walked away with a record of 9-6-3. The Eagles still remain undefeated, and Saturday’s game brought the Eagles’ record to 11-0-1.

For the second consecutive weekend, the Eagles made changes to their lineup. Anthony Yezek returned Friday night after recovering from an injury he sustained during practice before the season began. In Yeznek’s first game on the ice, he proved that even after five weeks of not playing with his undefeated team, he was more than ready to keep the guys winning. He played as though he hadn’t missed a beat, let alone five weeks of competitive hockey. Yezek was a key element in FGCU’s most challenging series yet.

During the first period, Waldorf had 16 shots against the Eagles’ 10. But the Eagles managed to get on the board first for the 10th time in 11 games this season. Just over two minutes into play, the Eagles put their first shot past Warriors’ starting goaltender Mike Nelson. Dan Echeverri earned the sole goal during the first period with Colton Bailey and Yezek assisting.

“It’s good to be back. I felt like I jumped right back into it,” Yezek said. “I came back from an injury toward the end of last season also and played with Echeverri and Bailey. We ended up being pretty successful during the end of last year. It’s good to be back with the boys.”

It was during the second period when the Eagles lost their focus the most. Just under the eight-minute mark, Warriors’ player Josh Bevers put the first goal behind FGCU’s goaltender Tyler Tracy. FGCU’s offense matched Waldorf with 13 shots on goal for the period. However, it was the Warriors’ keeper who blocked every attempt, including a penalty shot from Echeverri. But the Eagles confronted a completely different situation for the first time this season when they allowed the Warriors to gain the lead. During the 17th minute, Waldorf’s Lane Sanderson knocked the second goal of the period past Tracy. The Warriors led the Eagles 2-1 going into the second intermission.

“We came out kind of fl at today, and it ended up biting us because they got ahead,” said Tracy, who made 35 saves. “We need to come out with more energy and zip to our game tomorrow.”

The frustration was painted on the face of every FGCU player when they came off the ice at the end of the second. But it was the third period that brought the Green and Blue back with the motivation to stay undefeated. During the fourth minute of the period, Yezek added to his tally for the night when he scored his first goal of the season to tie the game. Both Echeverri and Bailey earned assists on the goal, and the motivation remained with FGCU for the rest of the period. A little more than three minutes later, Echeverri slapped his second goal of the night past Nelson and brought the Eagles up 3-2 over the Warriors. Once again, Bailey and Yezek assisted on the goal.

“It was a tough game tonight. We got a little frustrated. During the whole second period I don’t know what we were doing,” Echeverri said. “We had a good meeting in between periods and came back with one thing in mind; we had to win.”

Since the start of the Eagles’ season, FGCU hockey has had an average of about eight players earning at least one point in every game. Friday, the Eagles only had three players earn points. The Waldorf Warriors outshot the FGCU Eagles 37-32 with each team gaining six penalty minutes.

“Waldorf College came in and outworked us for almost 60 minutes,” said assistant coach Mike Lendino. “We have a young team, and we take things for granted sometimes. We had some of the senior leaders step up in the third period and get two big goals to tip us over the edge. Everybody has to work hard. We can’t rely on some of the veterans to win the game for us every time.”

On Saturday Nov. 9, the second game of the weekend series unfolded. The Eagles brought a different game to the rink than they had on Friday. During Friday’s game, the coaches and team agreed that they weren’t playing their best hockey. The same couldn’t be said for Saturday, with the Eagles outworking the Warriors for 60 minutes of play.

During the first period, it was the opponent who managed to get on the board first. Warriors’ player Jordan Van Son got the first goal past FGCU starting goaltender Mike Reed during the third minute of play. The Green and Blue came out with strong offense, outshooting the Warriors 13-8 in the first period. Ryan McAleese was able to knock one past starting Waldorf keeper Mike Nelson during the seventh minute of the period and tie the game for FGCU. Kristian Avellanet and Kurt Williams both earned assists on the goal. Both teams played incredible defense, but with three minutes left in the period, Josh Bevers of the Warriors got a second goal against the Eagles. The teams went into the first intermission with the Eagles trailing 2-1.

“We faced an uphill battle when they got ahead of us first,” McAleese said. “We worked hard all week in practice. We played really well this game, and there’s nothing anyone can take away from us there. Unfortunately, the scoreboard didn’t reflect our efforts, but we’re still undefeated.”

The second period brought multiple shots and hard hits with FGCU outshooting the Warriors 12-7, but not a single shot ended up behind either keeper. When the third period started, FGCU came out with exceptional determination, but for 43 minutes after Bevers’ goal, the scoreboard reflected the same 2-1 deficit for FGCU. With 25 seconds left in the game, the Eagles pulled out Reed, leaving the net empty to bring an additional player on the ice against Waldorf. As the seconds counted down, it was Bryan Valancy, assisted by Logan Garst and Echeverri, who tied the game, ensuring the Eagles wouldn’t face their first loss of the season.

“I have to give credit where credit is due, and their goalie was good,” Valancy said. “Pucks weren’t bouncing our way. We worked a lot harder this game than we did on Friday. This week we have to keep our intensity up, because Central Michigan is going to be a tough test. It’s going to be just like this weekend.”

The teams went into a five-minute overtime period where the Eagles doubled the Warriors in shots, but the game ended in a tie. FGCU remains undefeated but its record now is 11-0-1, and it was disheartening for the team to tie after how hard it played on Saturday. One key element to this weekend’s series was the lack of opportunity for FGCU to take advantage of the power play. On Saturday, each team only collected four penalty minutes. The Eagles have a strategic and commanding power play that allows them to get goals on the board more often than not. However, that opportunity wasn’t really available for FGCU in this series. The Green and Blue outshot their opponent 46- 22. Reed made a total of 20 saves between regulation play and overtime Saturday.

“Facing Central Michigan next weekend is going to be an even more difficult battle than what we confronted in this series,” McAleese said. “So we have to step it up and do some things different. It’s always a good rivalry when they come down. I know they’re not going to take us lightly, so we have to stay prepared.”

FGCU faces the Central Michigan Chippewas on Friday, Nov. 15 and Saturday, Nov. 16 at 8:30 p.m. on Germain Arena’s Blue rink. Game tickets cost $5 each, and FGCU students get in free with their Eagle ID cards.

http://eaglenews.org/sports/intramurals/waldorf-college-steals-point-fgcu-weekend-series/

FGCU Hockey Extinguishes Liberty Flames

The Florida Gulf Coast University men’s hockey team faced the Liberty University Flames on Friday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Oct. 26. During this game, FGCU held “Friends and Family Weekend” with Partners for Breast Cancer Care, Inc., with all fundraising efforts going to the non-profit organization.

When Liberty came to Florida to face the Eagles, they held a record of 11-1 and proved on the ice that they were the most challenging team FGCU faced thus far. On Friday night, Liberty demonstrated that they were determined to exhaust the Eagles on the ice. They matched FGCU in shots, with 11 each during the first period. But it was the Green and Blue who would get on the board first. Dan Echeverri scored the sole goal for the first period against Flames’ starting goaltender Cary Byron, bringing the Eagles up 1-0 over the Flames.

The second period began with more rapid-fire shots, rough hitting, players crashing into boards and excellent defense by both teams. For 15 minutes of play in the second period, the score remained at 1-0 until Liberty player Brad Docksteader knocked one past FGCU starting goaltender Mike Reed to tie the game. The Eagles quickly countered during the 14th minute of play when Echeverri scored his second goal for the night, bringing the momentum right back to the Green and Blue. Less than a minute later, Logan Garst scored a third goal for the Eagles to add to his tally of two assists for the evening.

“We have to come out hard every time. No game is any different,” Garst said. “We
were a little sloppy at times and need to improve on that but overall played well
together as the team we are.”

Liberty player John Cotton squeezed in a buzzer-beater to end the period 3-2 with FGCU still on top. The Eagles outshot the Flames 13-10 during the second period. The keepers managed to protect the net for the first 15 minutes of the third period until Bryan Valancy scored one for FGCU, bringing them up 4-2 over the Flames. The two-goal lead didn’t last long when Liberty countered only 20 seconds later. Flames’ player Jordan Barstead put in a third goal against the FGCU keeper, and within minutes the teams took a time-out to strategize. With only 44 seconds left on the clock, Liberty pulled their goaltender, leaving the net empty to bring on an extra player against the Eagles in hopes of tying the game. Before they could even get a shot off, Echeverri slapped a shot down the ice into the empty net, giving him his third goal of the night and his third hat trick of the season. Carlo DiPiazza added two assists to his tally tonight. Echeverri added an assist to his night, and Nick Schilson gained one assist. Final score for the game ended 5-3
in favor of FGCU. The Eagles outshot their opponent 37-33 and earned four penalty minutes while the Flames gained eight.

“They won a lot of battles early in the game,” FGCU assistant coach Mike Lendino said. “The turning point came in the middle of the second period, around the eight minute mark and got the momentum moving more there. Mike Reed made all the saves he needed to make to keep us in this game. We fought through it; we didn’t have our best effort as a team but we had certain guys who worked harder and were probably some of the ones responsible for pulling out our victory. I think they got some of their nerves out tonight. This is a big match-up in our region. We know what’s on the line from
the rankings position.”

On Saturday night, the Flames came into Germain Arena looking for a serious rematch after Friday’s loss to the Eagles. Within the first minute, Liberty player Devon Docksteader got the first goal on the board. For the first time in the season, the Eagles didn’t have the first goal of the game. When the Eagles got a chance to tie the game, the goal came at the hands of DiPiazza with assists from Echeverri and Kurt Williams.

“I think the team chemistry came very fast for us, and it seemed so natural. We’re
working so well together so far, and I hope it just keeps getting better for us,” Williams
said. “Each week we’re getting closer. Thursday night we went out and had a team
dinner and saw a movie. The team bonding we’re building off the ice only makes us a
better team on the ice.”

After the tie, the turning point came for the Green and Blue. During the 13th minute of the period, Jack Emmer got a pass from Valancy and scored another goal for the Eagles, giving Valancy his first point of the night. Only two minutes later, Echeverri scored a shorthanded goal in what would be another huge night for the captain. When the second period started, the momentum laid solely with FGCU. The guys on this team weren’t only playing for the team, the organization and the university; they were playing for something bigger. This weekend was about the people who came out and supported them, win or lose, as well as their friends and family. They were playing for a great cause, and the jerseys they would be playing in all night were coming right off their backs and going into the hands of their fans. They came to play, and they came to win. With the Eagles on their nearly unstoppable power play, Echeverri scored another goal during the second minute of play with assists from DiPiazza and Nick Schilson. During the sixth minute of the period, Valancy gave the Green and Blue their fifth goal on the board. DiPazza added his third point for the night and Kristian Avellanet earned an assist on Valancy’s goal also.

“Our forwards were back-checking more than they were Friday night, and our
defensemen were staying home instead of pinching,” Valancy said. “It’s a whole team
contribution. I think we have a lot ahead of us this season.”

With the Flames down by four goals, they pulled out starting goaltender Nick Devine and brought in Byron to replace him. Only three minutes after bringing in the fresh goalie, Echeverri’s stick caught fire again, and he scored his third goal of the night with an assist from Valancy. That goal gave Echeverri his fourth hat trick in eight games.

“Right now we’re trying to go undefeated all the way to Nationals, and we’re going to surprise everybody. I just can’t wait until we get there,” Echeverri said. “Everybody
is doing their jobs no matter what and that’s what keeps us winning.”

Things started to turn around for theFlames when in the next eight minutes players Eric Burke and Paul Ingles managed to get two goals on the board for Liberty. But with only 17 seconds left in the period, Echeverri made a pass to Garst, who shot one in the back of the Flames’ net. Echeverri now has 35 points and is on par to get over 100 this season. At the end of the second intermission, the silent auction came to a close. All of the bids had been received and winners would be rewarded with their favorite players’ jerseys at the end of the game. The fans had to wait for their jerseys during a long 20 minutes of play in the third period with incredible defense by both teams, with neither keeper allowing a single goal in the net.

“It’s the team as a whole, not just defense. Our forwards play defense as well,” said Mike Gutowitz, Eagles’ defenseman. “We have strong players like Garst when there was a three on none Friday night, and he comes and back-checks to save a goal
that could’ve changed the whole game. We knew they were going to be a better team than what we’ve faced before. So we just had to work hard to keep the goal out of the back of the net. There’s a lot of skill on this team. We’re dealing with a few injuries and still staying strong.”

The final score ended 7-3 in favor of FGCU. The Eagles and the Flames tied each other in shots with 39 each. The Green and Blue racked up a total of 38 penalty minutes with Liberty only earning 24. Overall, the weekend was not only a great win for the team but also a win for the organization and a win for breast cancer awareness. The Eagles packed Germain Arena’s Blue rink to the max with 550 fans on both Friday and Saturday nights.

“The friends and family are great supporters of the University and now of the Partners of Breast Cancer Care. It was a lot of work,” said General Manager Richard Snizek. “The volunteers we had really pulled together. We had a good time doing it, and the guys enjoyed it too. We brought in a lot of money, well over $1,000 tonight, so ‘Friends and Family Weekend’ was a great success.”

FGCU will face the Southern New Hampshire Penmen at 8:30 p.m. on Friday on Germain Arena’s Blue rink. Game tickets cost $5 each and FGCU students can enter free with their Eagle ID cards.

http://eaglenews.org/sports/hockey/fgcu-hockey-extinguishes-liberty-flames/

FGCU Ice Hockey Holds Fundraiser with Partners for Breast Cancer Care, Inc.

For the entire month of October the Florida Gulf Coast University men’s D2 and D3 ice hockey teams have been sporting pink jerseys on the ice.  When I think about hockey, I think about hard hits, slap shots, fights and a manly game. So seeing a bunch of rough hockey players skating around in pink jerseys didn’t fit the picture, but the pink jerseys were all in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. Oct. 25 and Oct. 26 was known as “Friends and Family Weekend,” where the major fundraising events took place. They handed out pink paper helmets, collected donations and held a silent auction where each player’s pink jersey was bid on and awarded to their fans. The weekend event proved to be successful raising well over $1,000 in the jersey auction. Those funds and more that were collected in donations are still being calculated and will be given to the Partners for Breast Cancer Care, Inc., to help people with low incomes receive the necessary screenings for the disease without being troubled by medical costs.

Click on the image “Pucks and Partners for Breast Cancer Care,” to view the entire Storify about the event.

FGCU Hockey Skates Past Northern Illinois

The Florida Gulf Coast University men’s Div. 2 hockey team crushed the Northern Illinois University Huskies in a two-game series on Friday, Oct. 18 and Saturday, Oct. 19 at Germain Arena.

On Friday, the Green and Blue came onto the ice strong with a high-speed offense ,creating immediate scoring opportunities for the team. Inside of the first five minutes of the period, Dan Echeverri scored his first goal of the night. The Huskies’ starting goalie, Alex Hare, managed to hold the Eagles to a single goal until the 17th minute of play when Ryan McAleese added another one to the board for FGCU, ending the period 2-0.

“It’s my fourth year with the team but I’ve been injured the last two seasons,” McAleese said. “So this year it feels good being able to play for my last year with the team. We’re coming together well. We’re looking to go all the way this year.”

Nick Schilson added a goal for the Eagles during the eighth minute of the second period. The next two goals in the second period came inside of eight minutes and both from captain Dan Echeverri, giving him his second hat trick of the season. The period closed out with a score of 5-1 when Huskies’ player, Mark Greenburg, snuck one in past FGCU’s starting goaltender, Mike Reed. Friday night, Reed made a total of 29 saves for the Eagles.

“If it wasn’t for our goaltender, we would have probably been behind after the first period. Mike Reed was absolutely spectacular,” head coach Bob Brinkworth said. “Once we started scoring some goals, things opened up. The defense improves every game. They create time and opportunities for the forwards to break out. They (the Huskies) played very well in our end of the ice.”

Only four minutes into the period, Bryan Valancy added the sixth goal against the Huskies. During the 11th minute of the period, Myles Neunecker knocked one past the opponent’s keeper to add to the Eagles’ lead.

“Being a newcomer to this club and listening to the veterans talk about what the team was like last year, the commitment just wasn’t there versus what we look like this year,” Neunecker said. “I love playing with these guys– we’re one of the closest knit teams I’ve played on. We have great chemistry and can only get better from here.”

When Jack Emmer scored during the 12th minute of the period, NIU pulled their starting keeper and brought in a replacement, Johnny Perillo. With three minutes left on the clock, the Eagles went on a power play, and Kevin Zipkin scored the final goal for the night, ending the game 9-1 for the Green and Blue. The Eagles outshot their opponent 46-30 and racked up 27 penalty minutes while the Huskies only earned 20. Coach Brinkworth still worries about the aggression of the team when provoked by their opponent.

“Once you get a team down, you have to play smart,” Brinkworth said. “We didn’t in the second period. There’s no excuse, when you’re up 5-0, to start taking stupid penalties. It’s something we’re going to have to continue to work on because it just can’t continue to happen. I had a serious talk with the team, and they responded with discipline and a great third period.”

On Saturday night, the Eagles expected the Huskies to play much harder, being eager to even things up in a rematch. Starting goaltender for NIU, Nick Bonin, managed to keep the Green and Blue off the board for the first 10 minutes of play until Colton Bailey scored his first goal of the night. Bailey’s second goal for the game came only four minutes later, bringing the Eagles up 2-0 to end the first period.

“The team’s better than we ever expected it to be. Our team is coming together strongly, and we’ve worked hard to get it to that point. We have a lot of good chemistry this year,” Bailey said. “There’s a lot of communication. The lines are gelling together really well even though we’ve lost a lot of guys to injuries. Facing Liberty next weekend is going to be a tough challenge but I think we’re more than ready, and we definitely have the ability to win both games.”

In the last six games, it has been a trend for the Eagles to come out hard and fast during the second period. Logan Garst opened the flood gate when he scored his goal during the third minute of the period. Dan Echeverri scored another goal for FGCU during the sixth minute of play, and Bryan Valancy added a fifth goal to the board only 30 seconds later. The Green and Blue went on a power play immediately after Valancy scored, and it didn’t take long for the Eagles to capitalize on the opportunity. The FGCU power play unit has been a powerful force for the team with roughly a quarter of their goals scored this season being on the power play. Dan Echeverri scored his second goal of the night and 26th point of the season with 12 minutes left in the period.

“I feel great but it’s not about me.” Echeverri said. “It’s about the whole team. I am so impressed with these guys. They keep coming out, keep going and just don’t stop. I’m here to be a leader. The defensive end of the team is incredibly solid. We’re only allowing, on average, one goal a game. Our goalies have been great, and the defense has been doing an amazing job. I could never complain about this team.”

Five minutes into the third period, McAleese added to the Eagles’ tally and the two teams traded shots for anther nine minutes. The Huskies managed to get their lone goal on the board from player Brian Pounds. The Eagles came back only two minutes later and Jack Emmer scored the final goal of the night, ending the game 8-1 for the Green and Blue. FGCU more than doubled NIU in shots, putting up 45 to NIU’s 22. As for penalty minutes, the Eagles gained 10 and the Huskies earned 26. Tyler Tracy was the starting goaltender for FGCU on Saturday and made a total of 21 saves. In all of Tracy’s time on the ice, he’s never allowed more than one goal to get in the net behind him.

“At this point, the coaching staff expects perfection, and I think it shows on our team that we expect perfection of ourselves now also,” Tracy said. “We have to keep going, keep working and never let up. We just have to continue plugging away.”

FGCU faces the Liberty University Flames at 8:30 p.m., on Friday and Saturday on Germain Arena’s Blue rink.

The Eagles will also be having their “Friends and Family” weekend this Friday and Saturday. The Partners for Breast Cancer Care, Inc. have been at every game to collect donations, pass out literature and support the Eagles wearing pink jerseys for breast cancer awareness. This weekend, the Eagles will be giving out pink paper helmets to attendees who make $2 donations to the non-profit organization. Also, they will hold a silent auction for jerseys immediately following the end of Saturday’s game. The FGCU hockey club decided to work with the non-profit over other breast cancer foundations because nearly all of the money PBCC collects goes to help residents in Lee County.

“Supporting breast cancer awareness is great under any circumstances,” said general manager Richard Snizek. “But it’s important to know that our organization is working with a partner that raises money to contribute directly to the residents who need help inside of our own community.”

http://eaglenews.org/sports/hockey/fgcu-hockey-skates-past-northern-illinois/

FGCU Stays Undefeated with Sweep Against Eastern Michigan

The Florida Gulf Coast University men’s D2 hockey team faced the Eastern Michigan University Eagles on Thursday Oct. 10 and Friday Oct. 11, outscoring their opponent 15-3 in winning both game of the series.

In the first period of Thursday’s game, Jack Emmer put the first goal on the board for FGCU during the 12th minute of play. Within two minutes of the first goal, the Eagles momentum kicked into rapid fire. Bryan Valancy added one to the board and 30 seconds later, Ryan McAleese got his first of the night, giving FGCU a 3-0 lead to end the first period.

Only two minutes into the second period, Kurt Williams scored a powerplay goal. The Eagles put up 13 other shots during the period, but EMU’s keeper, Brian Ellis, made every save. The Eagles split the game between goalies Mike Reed and Tyler Tracy. Ten minutes into the period, Reed came off and Tracy went in to give both keepers ice time. Reed made 13 saves and allowed no goals during his 30 minutes on the ice. Tracy made 20 saves and allowed EMU its lone goal in the third. “It’s hard to get a group of guys from such a diverse background and playing experience to have them gel so well like this. I think we’re going to do something special.” Tracy said.

The third period featured five FGCU goals. Captain Dan Echeverri scored his first of the night during the fifth minute. With fans beating on the glass, cheering from the stands and chanting at the opposing team, the Eagles went on a scoring spree for the next six minutes. Nick Schilson earned his goal only a minute and 20 seconds later. Kevin Zipkin added to FGCU’s lead, bringing them up 7-0. EMU’s Zach Willis countered not even a minute later but would give EMU their only point for the night. Dan Echeverri added his second goal of the night during the 10th minute of the period.

EMU pulled their starting goalie and brought in Myles Grix. McAleese scored the final goal for the Eagles and his second of the night less than a minute after EMU changed goalies, closing the game out 9-1 for the Green and Blue. The Eagles outshot EMU 42-34 and only took eight penalty minutes while the opposing team was whistled 30 “The camaraderie is huge. We’re so close both on and off the ice. It shows.

We look like we’ve been playing together a whole year. We’ve played three games,” Zipkin said. “We faced a D1 team who made it to the national championship last year so that says a lot.” Friday night, Zipkin got on the board first for FGCU. The starting goalie for EMU, Grix, held the Eagles off for another five minutes when Logan Garst ripped one past him for his first goal of the night. Eastern Michigan demonstrated it was determined not to have a repeat of Thursday’s game. Anthony Stankeiwicz earned a goal for EMU during the 17th minute of the first period against FGCU starting goalie Tracy. The Green and Blue didn’t let this score from their opponent deter their momentum. Not even 20 seconds later FGCU countered the play with a goal from Emmer to end the first period. “The chemistry is coming along well with the team. We’ve had to deal with a few injuries and have had to shuffle the lines a little bit,” Emmer said. “It’s always good when we can all contribute a lot. We’ve proven a lot and feel good about our next games.” During the fourth minute of play into the second period, Dillon Duprey put in another goal for the Eagles. Garst scored his second goal only three minutes later. Echeverri scored the sixth goal against the starting keeper during the 14th minute of the period. EMU then pulled Grix and brought in Ellis for the remainder of the game. FGCU also played two goalkeepers on Friday. Reed replaced Tracy half way through the second so both keepers could have equal time on the ice. Tracy made 11 saves and Reed made 19.

Tracy and Reed each only had one goal against. EMU’s Zach Willis scored the final goal of the period with 47 seconds left on the clock. The third period play was a big change for the Green and Blue and it really demonstrated how strong the defense is for the Eagles. EMU came out hard during the third, putting up 15 shots to FGCU’s six. Not a single one made it past either FGCU keeper. “We have three returning defensemen. Our new defensemen have definitely proved themselves,” said Lee Khan, starting defenseman. “But it starts with the goalies behind us and everyone communicating with each other. We’re taking them one team at a time and feeling very confident right now.” Also during the third, EMU player Jake Rutkoske was ejected from the game for a major misconduct. The final score ended 6-2 in favor of FGCU.

Friday’s game gave way to two more Eagles tallying their first points of the season; both Zach Capco and Kristian Avellanet earned an assist. Now 19 out of 20 Eagles with any time on the ice have earned at least one point so far in only four games. FGCU outshot EMU 34-32 and earned 16 penalty minutes while EMU picked up 21. The Eagles have scored 36 goals against their opponents’ five and put up an incredible161 shots. “We’ve won these games because of the way we started the games. We’ve had a lot more skating and energy than the other teams we’ve played,” said head coach Bob Brinkworth. “Once we’ve gotten ourselves in a comfortable position that’s when other teams open up.They get frustrated and start running; that’s when the score starts to climb. The first 10 minutes are key in any game and that’s how we’ve been able to win the games we’ve played.”

The FGCU men’s D2 hockey team faces the Northern Illinois Huskies at 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday on Germain Arena’s Blue rink. Game tickets are $5 each and FGCU students are in free with their Eagle ID cards. Also on Saturday, the men’s D3 hockey team has its home opener against the Florida Atlantic University Owls at 6 p.m. on the Blue rink.

http://eaglenews.org/sports/fgcu-hockey-stays-unbeaten-with-sweep-against-eastern-michigan/

FGCU Hockey Scores 21 Goals During Opening Weekend

The Florida Gulf Coast University men’s hockey team opened its season with back-to-back wins against the University of Vermont, winning 8-1 and 13-1.

On Friday, Oct. 4, the Eagles ended the first period with four players scoring for the Green and Blue. Dan Echeverri, Mike Gutowitz, Carlo Dipiazza and Kevin Zipkin all put the opposing net’s twine to the test.

The second period gave the Eagles a fifth goal from Dillon Duprey. The Vermont Cats now went into the third period down 5-0 to the Eagles.

Ryan McAleese added a sixth goal to start the third period and the Cats managed to get their lone goal on the board. Duprey and DiPiazza added to the Eagles’ lead scoring their second goal each. Along with Echeverri, Dipiazza and Duprey came off the ice on Friday night with four points each.

“We’re still getting used to each other,” said Mike Reed, starting goalkeeper for the opening game against Vermont. “Mixing up the lines, I think we’re going to do big things this season. I think we exceeded our expectations.”

Reed made 21 saves on Friday night when the Eagles out-shot the Cats 43-22. The Eagles earned 12 penalty minutes and the Cats had 10. The final score ended 8-1 in favor of FGCU.

“Bob (Brinkworth, head coach) and I came into this season expecting to have a very talented team,” assistant coach Mike Lendino said. “The way that they played in this first game is a testament to the talent and the character of the guys. Usually the first game is a rocky start where you’re working out kinks but we came out and scored four goals in the first. I couldn’t be happier.”

On Saturday, Oct. 5, the Eagles faced the Cats again but this time on the main rink at Germain Arena. Duprey opened the scoring for the Eagles. From then on the opposing net became a shooting gallery for the Green and Blue. DiPiazza and Nick Schilson each added a goal to the Eagles’ score while captain Dan Echeverri added two goals. This was just the start of what would be an amazing night for Echeverri.

“I feel great,” Echeverri said. “We came out harder tonight than we did last night. I feel like we keep getting better and bonding as a team. Hopefully, on Thursday and Friday we’ll come out the same and continue to do that all year.

Echeverri ended up with four assists and in the third period he scored his third goal for the hat trick. While no hats landed on the ice, Echeverri still beamed with pride over his 11-point weekend. Kevin Zipkin and Dillon Duprey also added three points Saturday.

The second period gave Vermont the first chance to get one past starting goalie for FGCU, freshman Tyler Tracy. The Eagles came back quickly with goals from Logan Garst and Erik Frits.

“What a great feeling!” Tracy said. “Tonight the guys did a really great job helping me prepare for my first college start. Great win for everybody. I’m hoping to get a start in one of the games next weekend.”

The start of the third period gave way to Ryan McAleese and Echeverri’s “hat trick” goal. Vermont pulled starting goalie Dakota Woodworth and replaced him with Colin Hilliard. The Cats’ hope for a momentum change didn’t work when Eagles’ players Jack Emmer and Myles Neunecker each scored a goal along with Colton Bailey’s two power-play goals.

Goalkeeper Tyler Tracy made 37 saves for the Green and Blue. The Eagles out-shot Vermont 42-38 and only had 22 penalty minutes while the Cats sustained 30. The game ended 13-1 with the Eagles on top.

“This is a great start for our team,” Duprey said. “We worked really hard and had a lot of chemistry. Next weekend is going to be a bigger test for us and we’ll just have to come out hard like we did in the first period of these games.”

At 8:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, the FGCU Eagles face the Eastern Michigan Eagles at Germain Arena’s Blue rink. Game tickets are $5 and students are in free with their Eagle ID cards.

http://eaglenews.org/sports/intramurals/hockey-scores-21-goals-opening-weekend/

Real Men Wear Pink: FGCU Hockey Supports Breast Cancer Awareness

The Florida Gulf Coast University Men’s D2 and D3 leagues will be “going pink” for the entire month of October in support of breast cancer awareness.

Janet Darnell, executive director of Partners for Breast Cancer Care, Inc., is overjoyed about the season opening on Oct 4.

Darnell spends her days giving back to the program that saved her life 14 years ago.

“I was a single mother, raising two kids, making a very low income with no health insurance. I had never had a mammogram before and finally saved the money to have one done,” Darnell said. “When they told me that they found some tiny lumps and I needed to have a needle biopsy, my first question was, ‘How much will that cost me?’

The price of $4,000 absolutely shocked me. While a nurse walked me out, I told her that I couldn’t afford the procedure. That’s when she referred me to the Partners for Breast Cancer Care.”

Partners for Breast Cancer Care helps people with low incomes who can’t afford health screenings for breast cancer. In the past seven years, the program screened 7,350 men and women. Of those, 103 were diagnosed and referred further treatment. When Darnell qualified for the program and was diagnosed with breast cancer, her post-diagnosis medical expenses were entirely paid.

Darnell isn’t the only one who has had personal experience with the cause that the team is supporting during the month of October.

“I’m very excited about what we’re doing to raise breast cancer awareness,” said Ryan Lynch, senior goalkeeper for the D2 league. “Speaking from personal experience, my mom passed away from breast cancer when I was 4. It’s going to be a great month for a good cause.”

Lynch was between the pipes during the championship game of 2011-12, when the Eagles won the trophy. After winning nationals, the team lost 14 players to graduation and the season of 2012-13 proved to be a rebuilding year for the team. They are now looking forward to making 2013- 14 a much better season than they had last year.

http://eaglenews.org/sports/real-men-wear-pink/