Eagles End Season on A-Sun Tiebreaker

After taking a 10-5 win over the Lipscomb Bisons earlier in the day, the Florida Gulf Coast University baseball team couldn’t hold on to its momentum and dropped the tie-breaker game against Lipscomb, 11-4.

“I told them all after the game that out of all the championships I’ve won at any level during my career, this one is the most special,” head coach Dave Tollett said in a previous statement about the Eagles’ 2014 A-Sun Regular Season Championship. “We were not expected to do the things that we did this season. No one thought after losing seven guys to the draft that this team could go as far as it did and win a conference championship. They were a very unique bunch. They improved more than any team I’ve ever had. I’m extremely proud of every single one of them and a loss here today can’t take away all that they accomplished as a group.”

The Eagles started the game keeping the trend of putting up the first runs of the game thanks to a hit ground out from Colton Bottomley to bring home Jake Noll in the first, but the Eagles couldn’t keep the lead. The Bisons responded in the bottom of the second with five runs, three from Drew Adams’ double to left field.

The Eagles finally cut the Bisons’ lead down to two in the top of fourth inning. A fly out to left field from FGCU catcher Blake Berger and a single from Gage Morey brought in two more runs to cut the deficit to a 5-3 game.

An ugly fifth inning for the Eagles would result in four more runs for Lipscomb, three of which, were unearned, to secure a 9-3 lead. Lipscomb maintained that advantage and added one more tally in the eighth inning off Zack Tillery, who had moved to the mound from third base in the fifth.

The Green and Blue got another run back from the Bisons in the bottom of the eighth, cutting the deficit to 9-4.

It didn’t take long for Lipscomb to answer promptly when the Bisons plated the final tally of the game in the top of the ninth. The Eagles were unable to get more runs on the board during the bottom of the inning, resulting in the 11-4 loss.

The Atlantic Sun Championship game is Sunday May 25 at 1 p.m. between Lipscomb and Kennesaw State University.

Like Tollett said, the Eagles baseball team wasn’t expected to get as far as they did this season. They have the support of the fans, forever. They won’t be heading to the national tournament this year, but remain number one in the hearts of Eagles’ fans.

http://eaglenews.org/sports/eagles-end-season-sun-tiebreaker/

Redemption: English Leads Eagles to Victory Over JU

The No. 1-seeded Florida Gulf Coast University baseball team shut out Jacksonville University 3-0 Friday night to avoid elimination in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship.

The Eagles will face Lipscomb on Saturday May 24 at 1:15 p.m. The biggest story of the evening was the magnificent play by FGCU pitcher Jack English with his complete-game shutout.

“Jack English’s performance was one of the best we’ve had when we needed to have it,” said head coach Dave Tollett. “He earned a complete-game shutout. Because we’re in the loser bracket, we couldn’t have drawn it up any better for us. It was an outstanding performance in a time when this team needed that. We didn’t need to use four or five guys having to play a double-header tomorrow.”

English didn’t allow a hit until the seventh inning. He pitched himself into and out of tight situations throughout the game. His only two hits allowed during the evening both careened off FGCU defenders. He did run into some trouble with a walk and two hit batters during the first two innings. Then again in the fourth with two consecutive walks. But after 136 pitches, including 85 strikes, English finished his first career complete game with the shutout.

“We have all of our bullpen. We didn’t use any of our guys today,” English said. “Everyone has to come back ready to win, and we’re ready to do that. We have to stay relaxed, and keep doing what we’ve been doing. We need to stay focused, and be mentally prepared to play a double-header.”

Michael Suchy came into a sticky situation during the first inning with two outs already on the board. He sent a single up the middle, and Rivera finished the play driving Suchy home off a 0-1 offering up the right-center gap. FGCU took the lead 1-0. The Eagles played smart defensively throughout the game with the next opportunity coming during the fifth inning.

A-Sun Freshman of the Year Jake Noll was on deck when Alex Diaz was walked. Noll came to the plate and doubled earning himself a RBI as Diaz crossed the plate for the second run of the game.

During the sixth, Gage Morey knocked a long single into the middle. Zack Tillery stalled coming around third base, but the throw was up the line, giving Tillery the chance to tally the third run.

“We need to come out tomorrow and play consistent. I think the pressure is off of us right now,” Tollett said. “I don’t think Lipscomb wants to go into the loser bracket and have to play a must-win. We got our must-win game out of the way here. If we win game one, we have to turn around and do it again in five hours. I know that tonight we were pretty hung over. We were still feeling sorry for ourselves. We’re just playing one game at a time and trying to get to Sunday. I’ve got a lot of respect for those guys in the clubhouse.”

Saturday’s game against Lipscomb can lead to a double-header. If FGCU defeats Lipscomb they will meet again at either 5 p.m. or 8:15 p.m. Kennesaw State will face Stetson at 10 a.m., and a win from KSU will result in a 5 p.m. game for FGCU. However, with a win from Stetson, the Hatters will play KSU again pushing the Eagles’ game back to 8:15 p.m.

http://eaglenews.org/sports/redemption-english-leads-eagles-victory-ju/

FGCU Drops Day Two of Tournament, Set to Play JU

The Florida Gulf Coast University baseball team dropped an early lead over Lipscomb in the second round of the 2014 Atlantic Sun Baseball Championship on Thursday night, falling 5-4. FGCU squares off with Jacksonville on Friday, May 23 at 7 p.m. The Eagles must win against the JU Dolphins or will be eliminated from the tournament. Should the Eagles advance past JU, they would have to hand Lipscomb two losses on Saturday to advance to the Championship game on Sunday.

Brady Anderson pitched through his 7.2 innings, allowing eight hits and striking out three against just one walk. It was after that second out of the eighth that Anderson ran into some trouble and gave up three runs before Nick Deckert came in as relief.

Nick Rivera was the only FGCU hitter to register multiple hits, including a two-RBI double in the first that scored the game’s first runs. He would also score twice. Andrew Valencia collected the only other RBI with a fly in the eighth.

“This game was a very uncharacteristic of us,” head coach Dave Tollett said in a previous statement. “It’s a tough situation we’re in now. We are going to have to have some help from our pitching but we are also going to need to hit better than we did tonight.”

Jake Noll saw his 18-game hit streak end on Thursday night. Heled off the game with a walk for the Eagles and was followed by Colton Bottomley who walked as well. With the runners on second and third with one out following a passed ball, Rivera doubled down the left-field line to drive in the first two runs of the ball game and give FGCU a 2-0 lead. Two batters later in a first and third situation now a second passed ball would allow Rivera to score and give the Eagles an early 3-0 lead.

Anderson didn’t run into trouble against Lipscomb until the fourth inning. Drew Adams singled up the middle and Tyson Ashcraft followed suit with a hard-hit ball back through the middle as well to put runners on first and third with nobody out. Anderson picked up a big strikeout for the first out of the frame but gave up a sacrifice fly for the second allowing the runner to score from third, putting Lipscomb on the board.

The Eagles had the bases loaded in the fifth but were unable to push a run across. An FGCU error resulted in a run in the top of the sixth and Nick Andros got rolling from there despite the 3-2 deficit. Hunter Brothers struggled on the mound for Lipscomb, walking six batters over four innings. Andros showed the complete opposite as the southpaw struck out eight batters over five innings to secure the victory for the Bisons.

Lipscomb picked up three runs off Anderson in the eighth, turning things over to the FGCU lineup in the bottom half with a 5-3 deficit to work with. Rivera led off the bottom of the eighth with a single through the left side and Zack Tillery followed with a walk. A bunt moved both runners into scoring position for the senior catcher Valencia who lifted a sac fly to right to make it 5-4. That was all the Eagles would get in the eight.

Deckert kept the Bisons at bay in the ninth and in the bottom half, Alex Diaz led off with a bunt single and Noll sacrificed Diaz to second but that was as far as he would go. Andros was able to avoid further incident to secure the 5-4 victory. FGCU has lost three of the last four meetings with the Bisons.

http://eaglenews.org/sports/fgcu-drops-day-two-tournament/

No. 1 FGCU Takes on No. 8 UNF in First Round of A-Sun Tournament

The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles baseball team claimed its fourth Atlantic Sun regular season title in program history after taking down Lipscomb, in Nashville followed by a loss by Mercer on Friday night.

The Eagles, who were predicted to finish third in the coach’s preseason polls, went 19-7 in conference play this season after losing seven key players in the MLB draft last summer.

This marks the fifth regular season title FGCU Athletics has collected this season, starting with women’s soccer (7-0-2, A-Sun), followed by men’s soccer (6-1-1, A-Sun), men’s basketball (14-4, A-Sun) and women’s basketball (17-1, A-Sun).

The Eagles will take the No. 1 seed in the A-Sun tournament starting Wednesday, May 21 at 5 p.m. when they take on No. 8 North Florida.

The Eagles have had the advantage over UNF during the 2014 season. FGCU has dominated the play over UNF including two sweeps in three of the series played between the teams. The Eagles have not lost a series to UNF. Though North Florida was predicted as one of the two teams that would finish ahead of the Eagles, they ended up at No. 8 seed.

The A-Sun tournament will be held at Swanson Stadium from May 21-25. Tickets are available at $6 for adults and FGCU students get in free.

http://eaglenews.org/sports/1-fgcu-takes-8-unf-first-round-sun-tournament/

D3 Ice Hockey Team Begins March for National Title

The Florida Gulf Coast University hockey team has been working hard in preparation for the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s National Tournament hosted by Florida Atlantic University in Coral Springs. The tournament began March 11 with FGCU playing its first game against the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown at 6:30 on Tuesday, winning 5-2.

FGCU is ranked as the No. 1 seed in its pool for the tournament and will face three teams in pool play for three days to determine whether the team will move forward to the semifinals and then finals on March 14 and 15. The teams in FGCU’s pool are Colorado State University (No. 2 in the Pacific region), Hope College (No. 3 in the North region) and University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown (No. 4 in the Atlantic region).

FGCU ended the regular season as the top seed in the South region, clinching an automatic berth to the national tournament, with a record of 19-6. The Eagles’ starting goalies Ryan Lynch and Tyler Toyota have impressive records heading into the tournament. Lynch finished the season 6-2 with a 2.08 GAA. Toyota finished the season 7-0 with a 1.36 GAA. FGCU’s third keeper, Kyle Torres, is 2-2 for the season with a 3.25 GAA. Brett Sutton was the Eagles’ point leader for the season, ending with 35 points total from 23 goals and 12 assists. The team’s captain Mike Piatek holds second place with 28 points for the season from 13 goals and 15 assists.

“We are getting in as many practices as we can the last couple of weeks. The biggest problem at nationals is we’re mostly playing against teams we haven’t played against during the year, which makes preparation very tough for games,” Piatek said. “We practice our systems. During games we hope that the systems we have been practicing will pay off against teams. If not, that’s when coaches are a huge part and need to make changes during the game. The way we have been practicing and the mentality in the locker is amazing right now.

“I’m really excited for next week. I fully believe we can win the first national championship for FGCU’s D3 program. There is a wide variety of guys on our team — from seniors who have been to nationals before to freshman who have never been to nationals. We have the leadership throughout all to bring together a win,” Piatek added.

FGCU began play at 6:30 p.m. March 11 against Pitt-Johnstown. This first game of pool play ended 5-2 in favor of the Eagles. The Icecats’ regular season ended with a record of 25-5, including two shootout losses. Then they beat Penn State University-Altoona and Bryn Athyn College in the regional tournament to win their way into the nationals. Pitt-Johnstown’s starting goalie, Dave Dunkleberger, is 14-6 with a 3.45 GAA. The Icecats’ second keeper, Tyler Mains, is 11-1 with a 4.29 GAA. The top point-holders for Pitt, Eugene Mack and Troy Schall, each have 86 points from the regular season and the regional tournament. However, they also have 70 and 67 penalty minutes — demonstrating that the team may lack discipline when needed. This is something that the Eagles capitalized on when they got an opportunity for a powerplay.

“Other than having our normal practices that we have had all season long, we have added a few extra skates, which have really helped bring the intensity out from all the boys,” said FGCU forward Eric Mabie. “We expect every team we play in Coral Springs to be a highly skilled and talented team. Getting to nationals isn’t easy. Each and every team we will face along the way will bring something different that we haven’t seen before this year. It’s up to us to be prepared for these games and be ready to go. I have full confidence that we will be ready once the puck drops in the first game.”

At 4:30 p.m. March 12, the Eagles will face the Hope College Flying Dutchmen. Hope College ended the regular season 20-3, with all three of their losses coming in overtime or a shootout. Hope College beat Michigan State and Grand Valley in the regional tournament to secure its spot at nationals. The Flying Dutchmen’s starting goalie, Andrew Cook, is 16-5 with a 2.01 GAA. Their second keeper, Eric Lipon, is 1-1 with a 1.32 GAA. The Flying Dutchmen’s top point-holders are similar to those at FGCU, ending the season with points in the 30s. However, unlike Pitt, the top guys have lower penalty minutes. They appear well-disciplined, and FGCU will need to be cautious in taking penalties against the team.

“We’ve been on the ice 3-4 times a week, working different systems to prepare for what each one of these teams will bring,” said FGCU forward Nick Mucerino. “Our chemistry is great. We have four solid lines and great backups, just in case an injury happens. We have good players ready to go. We all want this, we know what it’s going to take, and we’re all ready to put the work in.”

In the final game of pool play, the Eagles will face the Colorado State University Rams at 4 p.m. March 13. The Rams also clinched an automatic berth to the national tournament with their season ending 27-8. CSU’s starting goalie, Nicholas Church, is 17-8 with a 2.5 GAA. Their second keeper, Vince Case, is 4-0 with a 1.97 GAA. The Rams top scorer, Jake Christofferson, has 56 points for the season with 30 goals and 26 assists. The Rams also have low numbers in comparison to Pitt for penalty minutes.

One of the biggest challenges for the Eagles is going to be keeping their composure and staying disciplined on the ice. Giving the other teams an extra-man advantage is going to be crucial in the tournament. They will need to remain wary about retaliation and capitalize on any powerplay advantage they get against the teams they will face. The Eagles will only be facing teams they haven’t played during the regular season until the possibility of playing the University of Miami, the University of Central Florida or Oakland University in the championship game.

“The boys have been getting together a couple days a week. They’re running, hill-climbing, running the stairs, things like that. They’re getting mentally prepared also and trying to focus on what needs to be done on the ice,” said head coach Josh Onyschuk. “We’ve been scouting the teams we’re going to face, so we have an idea of what to expect. We know the first team we face is pretty good. We’re the No. 1 seed against the No. 4, but they’re a top-notch team right out of the gate. Then we play Hope, which is probably one of the top teams in the country — skating and being well-disciplined. Then Colorado, our third game, is a different style of play—top hard-hitting. So we’ve been talking to the boys about what to expect… It’s obviously hard to play against teams we haven’t played before. But with our skating ability and the way we can take away time and space, we’re in a good spot.”

FGCU fans can come watch the D3 Eagles in the tournament on the east coast. A link for the 2014 ACHA Division III National Tournament is listed at the bottom of this article. The site lists the entire schedule for the tournament, the results of the regional tournament and a list of hotel options near the arena with contact information and prices. Admission prices are not listed. Please contact the Panther’s IceDen at 954-341-9956 for information about single game tickets, full day passes and entire tournament passes. For those who can’t travel to watch the “Freezing Eagles” live, the website listed allows fans to watch the live web feed of the games through fasthockey.com. The Link is: achahockey.org/page.php?page_id=59563

http://eaglenews.org/sports/hockey/d3-ice-hockey-team-begins-march-national-title/

Senior Forward Ready for March’s Massachusetts’ Nationals

Ryan McAleese Reflects on his Childhood, Travel Hockey and FGCU

Ryan McAleese is looking forward to ending his senior year on a high note with another American Collegiate Hockey Association’s Nation Tournament run for Florida Gulf Coast University.

The team played its final game Feb. 8 against the Wagner College Warriors. The D2 ice hockey club now has until March 20 to prepare for the national tournament in Marlborough, Mass. McAleese is overly excited about the opportunity to be on the team with potentially the best chance in the nation to win the championship. If the Eagles make it through the final game, this will be McAleese’s second national title playing for the FGCU ice hockey team.

“Winning the championship is definitely one of the most exciting things that ever happened to me,” McAleese said. “Seeing the rink that packed—person-to-person, standing three-people deep behind the glass, the stands full. There are videos of it on YouTube, counting down the final minute. It brings tears to the guys’ eyes when we think about it and it’s something we try to drive into the new guys on the team — the importance of it, how serious it is and try to prepare for the upcoming nationals because you don’t understand until you’re there.”

McAleese began playing hockey at a young age.

“My dad got me into skates as soon as I was able to wear a size that fit me. We actually had skate blades that just wrapped around your tennis shoes if we were too small to fit into skates.” McAleese said. “Like most Canadians, we had a rink in our backyard. That’s where I learned to fine tune my skills.”

McAleese began playing organized travel hockey at age 8 and his passion for the sport grew from there.

“I remember being 8 or 9 years old finding a bucket and filling it with as much heavy stuff as I could,” McAleese said. “I would be lifting it at 2 in the morning trying to get stronger. I wanted to get better, and that’s when I knew that I wanted to be a hockey player.”

In Canada, they never had to travel very far to find a team to play. The difference McAleese experienced was when he left Canada for the States when he was 12 years old.

When he moved to Nashville for his father’s job, he played high school hockey at a private school (Battle Ground Academy BGA) on a full-ride scholarship. At 14 years old, as a freshman playing against foes up to age 18, he led the league by 20 points — which had never been done before. After two years, he moved to Atlanta to be on a travel team.

McAleese had great influences in his life coaching him and guiding him to be the best player he could be on the ice, and the best person he could be off the ice.

“My dad was a major influence in my life. My grandpa tried on a pair of skates for the first time and broke his ankle; he never tried hockey again,” McAleese said. “My dad was a natural-born hockey player on his own. He played in the OHL for the Kitchener Rangers. He was a senior ‘A’ after he had done that, which is kind of like glorified men’s league. It’s for better than regular men’s league players. He couldn’t wait to have a boy. He had a girl first, then me. He had me in a jersey as soon as I was born.”

McAleese said that his sister is almost as passionate about hockey as he is. Even though she never played hockey, she played several other sports. Aside from family, McAleese had other influences that helped him develop his hockey career.

“When I first moved to Nashville and played a couple super teams with the combined states, we had some really good influences, especially with coaches,” McAleese continued. “We’re talking about the roots of hockey. Bernie ‘Boom-Boom’ Geoffrion from Montreal invented the slap shot. His son was an older dad and had a kid on the team; he coached us. We had Jay More, who was a former NHL player. We had Uwe Krupp, who scored the overtime winning goal to win the Stanley Cup for Colorado. These were our coaches, along with my dad. They really drove it into our heads about how serious the sport can be, what it takes to win. They didn’t let us slack off and helped us to learn the ins and outs as much as we wanted to.”

McAleese had some memorable moments playing for AAA travel hockey when he was a teenager, besides meeting and being coached by NHL greats.

“When I was 16, I was named captain and led the first team to ever go to the national championships at our program,” McAleese said. “We didn’t make it to the finishing line, but nobody from our program had ever gone to the south regionals so I consider that a great accomplishment.”

After that junior year of high school he attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Coral Springs for two months during his senior year. A scout from Michigan had been watching him since his junior year.

“He (the scout) asked all summer before my senior year for me to come play for them, which is why two months into my senior year I chose to move to Michigan And finish school there,” McAleese said. “In the same city of finishing high school at Sault Sainte Marie, I played Tier II Junior A hockey for the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.”

He attended Lake Superior State University before transferring to FGCU in 2011. McAleese knew somebody who attended FGCU, and he knew about the success of the hockey program in Southwest Florida.

“I contacted (head coach Bob) Brinkworth before I came down and told him I wanted to be a major impact on the team,” McAleese said. “He told me, ‘It doesn’t take a letter to be a leader.’ So although I’ve never been a captain or alternate captain, I’ve always been a role leader. I try to make sure the guys stay out of trouble when I can — the level-headed guy on the team.”

McAleese came to FGCU as a management major, and he is considering a double major in marketing. He has two years of eligibility remaining with FGCU ice hockey club after having two season-ending injuries in two of his years at FGCU. With the first one, he blew out his knee and had to have ACL surgery; he only got to play for two months that season. Shortly after returning the next season, he injured his shoulder and only got to play in the last few games of the schedule. Theoretically, if McAleese decided to stay at FGCU an additional year for a double major, he will most likely be spending another year with the ice hockey team. McAleese wants to move into his career, but he has considered playing on a professional level somewhere.

“A couple years ago, I went over to play for the North American United team in Europe,” McAleese said. “I don’t think about going to Europe and playing pro that much, but it isn’t something I’ve completely ruled out. I have an uncle who lives in Australia. He wants me to come play pro over there for the Australian Hockey League.”

McAleese remains undecided about what his intentions for his career and school are. He did say that depending on how the team does at nationals this year will help him determine where he wants to end his college hockey career. The championship team of 2011-12 had more character and role players.

“I try to let the new guys know that they don’t need to be afraid and can be as much a role player as the guys who’ve been on the team for years,” McAleese said. “This year we have four lines that can all put the puck away. We need to focus on defense and keeping the puck out of the net. Being at the national championship level, there’s no time for mistakes. It’s make it or break it, and the goalies we have this year can go the distance. Our goalies are tough mentally in the net and I think they can handle playing at the championship level.

“A lot of the guys think because we’ve dominated this year that nationals is going to be a breeze,” McAleese continued. “Even though ASU is out, we still have to face teams like Grand Valley, and you never know what to expect. Getting the auto-bid to nationals was a relief, but at the same time having this much time off can hurt us if we let it. Anything can happen.”

McAleese believes the team has gotten progressively better throughout the season. Everyone has come into his own groove with his lines.

“I like playing on my line with Dan Echeverri and Mike Chemello,” McAleese said. “We call ourselves the ‘Visa line’ because we all had visas at one point. We get along well. We can read each other well. I feel like every single line knows their role and we’re able to accomplish it.”

McAleese will tell anybody that his four years at FGCU have been some of his best years. He’s enjoyed playing for the team. He thinks the off-ice training, scrimmages and practices are what’s going to keep the team ready for nationals, as long as it keeps its focus on the end goal — the national championship. His final words revolved around his own superstitions, even though he doesn’t consider himself to be one of the superstitious guys on the team.

“There’s a certain way I tape my stick and get dressed, but I don’t get into my own head,” McAleese said. “I know it’s a game and I take it seriously. As long as I feel prepared off the ice, I feel like I can do anything I need to do on the ice. Dinner is one of my superstitions. I have to eat at Outback or Olive Garden before the game.”

http://eaglenews.org/sports/hockey/senior-forward-ready-marchs-massachusetts-nationals/

 

Eagles Hockey Team Shipping Up to Boston for Nationals

Every player has one goal in mind for the Florida Gulf Coast University ice hockey team — winning the national championship. After a record-breaking weekend against Wagner College during which FGCU outscored Wagner 26-1 in the series, the Eagles have clinched an automatic bid to the tournament in Marlborough, Mass. Not only has FGCU clinched the tournament berth, but the Eagles have earned all 11 votes from the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s ranking committee for the No. 1 spot in the Southeast region.

The Eagles have had a record season. With a younger team, comprised of many new recruits, only three of the current D2 hockey players played on the team who won the national championship in 2012.

After Saturday night’s final game of the season, senior forward Kevin Zipkin said, “We’re just having a lot of fun on the ice. We’re all really excited about nationals at this point. These five weeks are going to make us or break us, but hopefully, everybody keeps their mindset on the championship, and playing five more games together.”

Saturday night brought more records in a single game than FGCU has set all season long. For the first time this season, FGCU had three players — Logan Garst, Ryan McAleese and Dillon Duprey — score four goals each. The team’s captain, Dan Echeverri, scored his 100th point.

The Eagles also had a season-high 16-1 win over the Wagner Seahawks. FGCU went onto the ice with power, speed, agility and fortitude. The Eagles showed unstoppable elements in the final game of the season that proved this is a championship-bound team. They wrapped all of their hard work into one incredible game. It was a match that showed every area where the Eagles have strength going into the national tournament. They capitalized on their power play; they showed discipline on the penalty kill; they played the defensive zone strong; the offense showed depth and scoring-power with 14 different players having a point in the game. The Eagles finished the regular season 26-2-1.

“We’re looking great going to nationals, I think,” senior forward Anthony Yezek said. “We’re doing the right things, concentrating on the right things. These last five weeks are going to be good for us. I think everybody is going to be ready to play by the time we get there. I’m really looking forward to it as a senior and a leader. We have so much depth on this team, it’s ridiculous.

“One guy who plays for Wagner played with us in Philly last year for the All-Star tournament,” Yezek continued. “He said something tonight about the team’s depth and how every line can score. It’s great to hear it from other teams. It’s a huge compliment for us, even though we see it; it’s great to know everyone else can also. This team has so much talent and work ethic.”

The Eagles have strived for this opportunity. They have worked hard and gave gotten progressively better as the season continued. The team has grown closer both on and off the ice. It shows. The intensity that the team has demonstrated on the ice in the last few weekends of the season shows that this is a team that is planning on going every inch of distance that it takes to win a national title. For the three seniors, they’re ecstatic about the possibility of earning a second championship for the team. The new guys are just as excited about the possibility of beginning their careers at FGCU with a national title. The argument that the team is faced with now is rest versus rust. Is having five weeks off without competitive play against teams they’re unfamiliar with going to make or break the guys?

“We need to figure out what we’re going to do for those weeks to stay fresh and on our game,” said assistant coach Mike Lendino. “We’ll probably have some Blue versus Green games, some of the veterans might come back to play in those, me being one of them. It’s really hard to have five weeks off between our last game and the first game of the national tournament, so we’re going to do some creative things to keep everybody fresh.”

The FGCU D2 hockey team leaves for the national tournament on March 20 before its first game of pool play on March 21. Until the tournament, Eagle News plans to keep you posted with player profiles and the teams’ expectations of heading to the tournament. The D3 Eagles have also possibly secured the berth to the national tournament. The ACHA has not released the final ranking period for the end of the season. However, during the last ranking period, FGCU D3 was in second place, giving them an auto-bid. Since that ranking period, the Eagles have only lost one game. They have definitely secured a spot going to the regional tournament. Things are looking up for the D3 Eagles calculating their own chances for being the first or second seed with an automatic berth to the national tournament in Coral Springs on March 11.

http://eaglenews.org/sports/hockey/eagles-hockey-team-shipping-boston-nationals/

Senior Forward Anthony Yezek Confidant This is the Year

Alternate Captain Plays Around the World, Battles Injury and Comes Back to Help Lead Team Strive for a Ring

Anthony Yezek can count the times he’s come close to a championship title, but he hasn’t tasted it, yet. The senior alternate captain for Florida Gulf Coast University’s ice hockey team has had an interesting season and hopes to end it with a ring.

“This is the most talented team I’ve ever played on. The depth we have is incredible—all four lines can score,” Yezek said. “Our defense is solid. Our goaltending is solid. I’ve never played with two goalies who could alternate games, and everyone’s confident that both are going to do as well as the other. I think we have a great shot this year.”

GROWING UP IN HOCKEY

Yezek was born and raised in Peoria, Ill. He started skating when his father would take him to open skates starting at 2 years old. He joined the Mini-Mites organized hockey league at 4 years old, and began playing travel hockey only two years later. Yezek strayed a bit from the path that most college hockey players take when he quit playing after middle school because he wanted to have a normal life in high school. It only lasted about a year and a half before he returned to the sport. His high school team came close to a championship title but got eliminated in the second game of the finals.

“You need those rough time to make the wins that much sweeter and cherish them a little more. You work a little harder than people who haven’t been that close,” Yezek said.

JUNIOR DAYS

After high school, Yezek took another year off before going back to hockey. The coach of his hometown team, the Peoria Mustangs, asked him to skate with the team to see if he was interested in playing again.

“There’s something about a hockey team—the camaraderie. I walked in the locker room the first day of practice, and when I left, I had 20 new best friends. It’s special. That’s why I love the sport so much.”

He played in juniors for two years. His second year is when he met his second biggest
influence in the game. He said his dad was his first influence. His father got him started playing and was very involved in the sport while Yezek was growing up. He was an assistant coach for his teams as a kid and was always at the games. He doesn’t think that his father had much help from anybody who really knew the sport when he was growing up, so he was adamant about being a big part of Yezek’s hockey career. Then during his second year of juniors, the coach of the Peoria Mustangs was another huge influence in his life.

“Jean-Guy Trudel, he played a few games in the NHL but played mostly in Europe for the Swiss league. He just knows so much about the game. I learned more about hockey in one year than the 20 years I’ve been playing,” Yezek said. “He taught me a lot about work ethic, also. There’s always someone out there who’s working harder than you, so you have to give your all and get better every day. It’s really eye opening to look back on that
now. My first year of juniors, we were a terrible team. We were 8-35. The next
year he came in, and we were 33-10. We completely turned around.”

Ending up at FGCU by accident that year the team went to the championships but lost. After juniors he ended up at FGCU unintentionally. His family used to come to Southwest Florida for vacation every year for spring break while Yezek was growing up. They would rent a condo and stay on Sanibel Island. When his parents decided to buy a second house, they chose Fort Myers. When they realized that there was a college nearby, his parents told him that it would be easy for him to go to college and live in the house they were buying in Southwest Florida. He came to visit in spring 2011 and said he fell in love with the campus.

“It looked like a vacation. I knew I could play hockey here but didn’t know they had such a great program,” Yezek said. “I thought I would come down here and be one of the best players. The first guy I saw was Mike Lendino. I saw him out there skating, and he does magical things with the puck. He’s so creative. It’s amazing to watch. After I saw him, all
I could do was think, ‘I hope I make the team.’”

Yezek played for the D3 ice hockey team at FGCU his first year, which is the same year that the D2 team won the National Championship. He said he watched the championship and was so proud of the team. He was happy for the guys who won, and he wished that he was out there with them. That’s when he decided he would win a National Title before graduating. D2 All-Star Tournament Yezek’s second year at FGCU he played for the D2 team but was out with an injury for the majority of the season. He had broken his hand and had to have surgery. Yezek only returned for the last few weeks of the season. However, he was selected along with Dan Echeverri and Kevin Zipkin to play in the D2 All-Star Tournament in Philadelphia.

“Ech (Dan Echeverri) is such a good hockey player. He makes everyone around him so much better. He sees the ice really well. He can do whatever he wants to and puts the puck where he wants to. It’s really cool to be able to play with someone that talented,” Yezek said. “I remember one shift when we had scored right when we got out there as a line. We stayed out a little longer and scored again. We told coach to leave us out, and we’d score again. We did. We scored a third time on that shift. That was the first time I’ve ever been on a line that scored three goals in one shift.”

Yezek shared his experiences with superstitions that the teammates and friends did while they were in Philadelphia. He claims that superstition is part of the game. Every hockey player has his own quirks, and every locker room has guys who are range from incredibly superstitious to only mildly superstitious.

“Before every game in Philly while we were in the hotel room, Zip, Ech and I would listen to Krewella – ‘Killin’ It,’ eat frozen sour gummy worms and mix our odd concoction of Pedialyte and C4 preworkout, which we would drink before and throughout the game,” Yezek said. “Playing five games in three days is not easy, but we managed to play at a high pace every time we stepped on the ice. Soour strange routine was working for us.
That’s the weird stuff hockey players do on a regular basis.”

SUPERSTITIONS IN THE LOCKER ROOM

This year the FGCU D2 ice hockey team has its own locker room at Germain Arena. Every player on the team will agree that the locker room has helped the team in tremendous ways. Yezek believes that the camaraderie on the team is stronger because of the locker room. The guys spend more time together because of it, and being a healthier team off the ice makes for a stronger team on the ice. As the FGCU ice hockey staff writer, I’ve
stood in the hallway waiting for interviews after 24 games. For 22 out of the 24 games,
the team has won and always plays the song, “The Way” by Ariana Grande and
Mac Miller.

“It was one of our very first practices of the year, and I have a big SUV. We had all gotten there really early because it was our first time being in the locker room, so everybody was pumped about being there. We were two hours early for practice,” Yezek said. “We decided to put nine or so people in my car and ran over to the gas station to get snacks. I have this CD in my car, and it has a bunch of different tunes on it. The Ariana Grande song came on and everybody started singing it. So we said, ‘Maybe this should be our win song this year.’ We adopted it and now it’s the first song we play when we get into the locker room. Then after that it’s just some classic hockey jams. It’s actually on my
phone. I put the playlist together. It’s just a bunch of good songs to celebrate a win
with. Having that locker room has really brought the team together.”

Yezek also talked about the way the team behaves in the locker room. Some guys will stay for only 10 minutes and then head home, while others stay for an hour or two. He says that all the guys have different things they do before a game to get into their routine. Tyler Tracy, one of FGCU’s starting goalies, will warm up his hands by bouncing balls against the wall. The team also stretches together this year, which they haven’t done in previous years. Yezek believes that it gives the team time together to stay loose while keeping their focus on the game they’re about to face. Yezek has his own ways to get into the game.

“Before the game, I like to make sure my equipment is good—tape my sticks and have some snacks. I’ll eat about four or five hours before the game then won’t eat again until we get in the locker room,” Yezek said. “I have some superstitions. The way I tape my shinguards and my elbowguards is the same every time so I feel comfortable. So nothing is out of place, and I feel the same going onto the ice every time.”

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS

Yezek also shared his most memorable moments in hockey. He said the only championship he’s ever won was when he played for the elite team when he was 10 years old. He also went to play for the North America United team over the summer. They played in Germany and Slovenia.

“Europe was one of the most memorable. It was such a blast. Despite my Bohemian last name, I’m actually mostly German,” Yezek said. “Getting to go experience the culture in Germany and play hockey there was amazing. I do better on European ice. My strength is speed. The ice is bigger, and I think I play better on it.” Yezek does claim that some of his
most memorable moments came this season with the team he plays with now. This year, he was chosen as an alternate captain.

“I was the first alternate chosen. Ech had been named captain, and Lendino told him that he could choose his alternates. I was kind of shocked by it. Dan called me out of the locker room during one of the first practices and brought me into the hall with coach to tell me that he wanted me to be one of his alternate captains. I think a lot of it had to do with me sticking with it last year when we had such a tough season,” Yezek said. “Ech and I never gave up, no matter how bad the season got. Those last few games, I was just excited to be playing and a lot of the others had already given up on the season. I think
that shows a lot about Ech and what he decides to surround himself with. He’s a very loyal person and I think because I showed him that loyalty back last year, he
decided to reward me with being a leader next to him this year.

“It is an honor to be one of the alternate captains. I wish everyone else had a letter on, too. I think this team is full of leaders. I look up to the new guys. If Tracy’s having a really good game that fires me up. If Duper, Schilson, Garst, Valancy, all of the guys…when they’re playing well or they lay a big hit, it pumps me up too. I wish I could put a letter on everyone’s chest, but it is an honor to be looked up to like that,” Yezek said.

During a practice in September 2013, Yezek slid across the ice and into the boards. He hit the boards with his left shoulder. He sustained an injury that kept him out for the first five weeks of the season. He thought that he was going to be out for possibly the entire season. During week six against the Waldorf College Warriors, Yezek returned to the ice.

“It was such a special weekend. My parents were here. I was really out of shape. My cardio wasn’t where everyone else’s was. It was so good to be back that I was running off of purely adrenaline,” Yezek said. “It was great just being in the dressing room, putting on gear, getting ready to go against 20 other guys who have weapons in their hands and blades on their feet. It felt so good to be back.”

Yezek played a major role in his first game back. He ended up with three points on that Friday night, Nov. 8., two assists and a beautiful goal. Since then, he has avoided injury and maintained his role on the team as an alternate captain. Yezek considers himself a middle-of-the road leader. Echeverri mainly leads by example on the ice. Zipkin is a very vocal leader, always talking to the team about what they’re doing right and what needs
improvement. Yezek claims he speaks up when the team needs a vocal leader but tries to lead on the ice as much as possible with his energy and style of play. In the middle of January, the team went to Virginia for a three-game road trip. One of his most memorable moments from this season was the bus trip home from Virginia when the team knew that they had secured a berth to nationals.

“We potentially have seven competitive hockey games left. It’s really exciting to know that the ring is only a few games away. It’s so cliché, but every player says it. We need to take it one game at a time, one period at a time and one shift at a time,” Yezek said. “On the way home from Virginia, we figured we had secured some sort of potential national berth. We were singing ‘Shipping Off to Boston’ for about an hour on the bus. We were probably annoying the coaches, but we were just so excited to secure it so early. For the time we have off, we’re going to try to stay in shape with a lot of working out. Not just
skating, but off-ice work-outs as a team so everyone stays in shape and stays focused on what we’re here for and what we’ve worked for.”

FINAL WORDS

Yezek is in the first semester of his senior year at FGCU. He’s majoring in accounting and is considering continuing in grad school here in Dunk City. He just started his internship as a tax intern at a CPA firm in Bonita Springs. Unlike some of his teammates, Yezek believes that his degree will take him further in his future than his hockey career. As
much as he loves the game, he is not highly considering attempting to go pro in Europe. He plans on basking in his career in accounting and will continue to play hockey on men’s league teams. Yezek added his own final comments, some random, some meaningful.

“My favorite food is chicken, but I’ve gotten in this habit now after every Friday game, I have pizza, because after every junior game when we were on the road we ate pizza. I always played better the second day of junior hockey,” Yezek said. “I also really want to thank all of the fans. We have such a cool fan base. It’s great to show up to the rink, and I know it’s one of the toughest places for other teams to play. We always have such a good and loyal crowd out there. We love their support, and I want to thank all the fans. They mean a lot to me.”

http://eaglenews.org/sports/hockey/senior-forward-anthony-yezek-confident-year/

Only Four Home Games Remain for the FGCU Hockey Team at Germain Arena

This weekend the Florida Gulf Coast University ice hockey team will face the Holy Cross Crusaders at 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at Germain Arena’s blue rink. Game tickets cost $5 each, and FGCU students get in free with their Eagle ID cards. The Eagles hold a record of 22-2-1, and they continue to hang onto the No. 1 ranking in their division in the ACHA.

Playing Holy Cross shouldn’t be too difficult a challenge for the guys in Green and Blue. The Crusaders have a record of 10-10. The Eagles won’t underestimate their opponent regardless of their record. FGCU needs to keep its focus on the game and continue working on its discipline. Talking to any of the players, they all know that their biggest challenge is discipline on the ice. Taking penalties, ending up in the box and allowing the opponent an extra-man advantage is their weakness in their play. With so many guys on the ice with such passion for the game and their team, it’s difficult not to get fired up and angry when the opposing team throws a cheap shot on them.

The team knows that retaliation will only result in being penalized and giving the opponent an opportunity to convert on a powerplay. Over the past weekend, the penalty box is what hurt them the most. They beat the Ferris State Bulldogs last weekend in both games of the weekend series. In the first game, the Eagles won 6-2. Then on Saturday night, they played almost 50 minutes of hockey without allowing the opponent to get a point on the board. But their lack of discipline gave the Bulldogs powerplay opportunities to convert to goals. The score was 8-0 going into the last 10 minutes of the game, but the final score ended 8-2.

“We need to be better helping our goalie out on defense. Tracy should have had a shutout and our defense kind of blew it for him,” said defenseman Erik Frits. “Next weekend we need to come ready to do the simple things, like staying disciplined and out of the box.”

With only four more games left in the regular season, this is when the team needs to be as focused as possible. Without a doubt, if this and the final weekend of games results in wins for the Eagles, they will surely secure the No. 1 spot in their division, and head to the National Tournament, bypassing the regionals. The team knows where they need to work hard to reach that goal. They will have about six weeks off between the final game Feb. 8 and the start of nationals March 21.

The team’s captain, Dan Echeverri, knows where the team needs to improve in order to convert the tournament into a title for the team.

“I can’t say we’re doing everything right. Those last ten minutes of the game (Saturday), if it was a 1-0 in nationals, we can’t let that happen,” Echeverri said. “We have to stay out of the box. We have four games left. We’re trying to get the automatic bid to nationals. We don’t want to see this season go to waste. Even though we won, we still have things we need to work on.” It’s hard to imagine that there are only four D2 hockey games left to be played at Germain Arena this season. The season went by quickly. For the team, it’s really unimaginable.

“We only have four games left until the National Tournament. It didn’t really sink in until coach said it Saturday night,” said alternate captain Kevin Zipkin. “It’s my senior year, so technically if everything goes well, I only have nine more games of competitive hockey. We all have to stay for the team and away from the selfish stuff, so we’re winning for everybody.”

From the mouths of the guys in Green and Blue, as long as every player is playing their hardest for the team and staying away from selfishness, all should go according to plan. The fan base is an important part of the game. While the players control the puck on the ice, the crowd controls a portion of the reaction of the opposing team. Fans dressed up in Green and Blue, shouting, chanting and showing their spirit for the school and the sport brings an unspoken aura of inferiority to the opponent.

Come out to the arena and support the FGCU Eagles ice hockey team while they make their way to winning another national title. See you at Germain Arena.

http://eaglenews.org/sports/intramurals/four-home-games-remain-fgcu-hockey-team-germain-arena/

Junior Hockey Captain is Determined to Win Another National Title

A South American native is the last person you would expect to captain a college ice hockey team. Daniel Echeverri, born in Medellin, Columbia, came to South Florida when he was 6 years old. He didn’t immediately become involved in hockey. However, when he did, he became engulfed in his love for the sport and the competition. He began playing roller hockey with his friends in Weston, Fla. He didn’t move into ice hockey until he was 11 years old. His inspiration for playing hockey was the popularity of the sport during his formative years when the Florida Panthers made their debut in the Stanley Cup Championship. “It was really popular around South Florida during that year, and I just decided to pick up playing hockey,” Echeverri said.

YOUNGER YEARS

He started playing in the recreational league before moving into playing with a travel team, the Weston Wildcats. He continued his hockey career into his high school years. He played for the Cypress Bay High School ice team and travel team. He also played for the Junior Panthers and the Golden Wolves. After he graduated from high school, he went to college full-time before taking two years off to play in some junior leagues, including one in Philadelphia for a year, before returning to South Florida. When he came back to Florida, he came to the west coast.

“I played for the Junior Everblades here in Southwest, Fla., and decided to stay,” Echeverri said. “Playing in juniors was much different than playing for the ACHA or at the college level. It’s more aggressive. There’s fighting allowed. Guys will just try to go out there and kill somebody. That happens, you get in a fight, and you both go to the box for five minutes. It was a completely different experience. I lived in apartments with the other guys on the team in Philadelphia. It was great meeting different guys from different areas.”

COLLEGE YEARS

Echeverri began Florida Gulf Coast University in spring of 2012 for school and joined the hockey team. That year the FGCU ice hockey team won the National Championship title. Echeverri was a major role player in the team’s win and became captain for the 2012-2013 season of FGCU ice hockey, which is where he’s remained this season. During that season, Echeverri along with Kevin Zipkin and Anthony Yezek went to an ACHA All Star Tournament and became known as the “Sunshine Line.” “It was a lot of fun. It was a good experience to meet other guys around the league from other teams,” Echeverri said. “It’s pretty easy how 20 guys can get together, be close and move on from there. Our team had a great bond, and we were one of the best teams there. It was awesome.”

D2 SELECTS IN EUROPE

Over the previous winter break this school year and hockey season, Echeverri was selected to play on the ACHA D2 Selects team. The team traveled to Europe for 10 days to play hockey in different countries; five games against teams from Slovakia, Germany, Slovenia and Austria. “I’ve never done anything like that. Europe was a great time. It was a lot of fun. We all got along and were all skilled hockey players,” Echeverri said. “We landed in Austria. From there we went to the Czech Republic and stayed there for three days. We stopped in Salzburg for about a day and a half. We were in Munich for two and a half days. We went to play a game in Brataslava. Then we went back to Vienna.”

Even though he said it was a lot of traveling and playing hockey, they did get to expand their trip with a lot of tours, bringing an additional experience to the trip. They experienced not just playing hockey against teams in Europe, but also a cultural learning experience of the places they visited. They played a game, hung out with the boys at night and woke up early for tours, then games at night.

“We did a lot of tours. Munich and Salzberg were unbelievable,” Echeverri said. “We also went to Bled. Bled was just incredible. It was a good time.”

POWERFUL INFLUENCES

Echeverri credits his brother with being one of the most supportive people in his life and his career in hockey. His 29-year-old brother played hockey as a goalie at one point, but he was older when he got into hockey and now he just plays for fun. “My brother has been through everything with me. He drove me to practice,” Echeverri said. “He went to all of my games when I was growing up. Still to this day he supports me and just wants to see me succeed. He’s very successful in his life right now also. I look up to him. He’s my idol.” He says that his parents are also very supportive. He claims that it’s different for them because in Columbia they don’t play hockey. They come from the east coast of Florida every other weekend to watch his games.

“Even though it’s different, they love the fact that they’ve seen me change as an individual and have watched me grow up through the sport,” Echeverri said.

ROADY

The FGCU D2 hockey team traveled to Virginia for their only road trip of the regular season Jan. 15-20. They won two of the three games they played in Virginia. They won against the Liberty Flames in the first game of the series in Lynchburg, but lost in the second game. Then they beat Virginia Tech on Jan. 19 in Roanoke. Even though Echeverri claims to prefer home games, he says that road trips can be a lot of fun and bring the team closer together. “The bus broke down. I was sleeping, and I woke up thinking, ‘This bus ride is really smooth,’” Echeverri said. “I looked out the window, and all I could see was parking lot. We were somewhere outside of Jacksonville.”

Echeverri claims to be a decent vocal leader but is more of an “on-the-ice leader.” If he’s not playing his game right, he goes on the ice and throws a big hit or makes a good pass. He likes to lead by example. He’s also a humble captain who knows when the team is not in line with its best game play. He can reflect on the things that went wrong, evaluate the situation and still see the silver lining. He believes in the team and wants to make sure that they stay disciplined and focused on the end goal of winning another National Championship.

“We didn’t come as prepared as we should have against Liberty in that second game, and that’s what happens. We need to be focusing on games a day prior to the game, not the hour of the game,” Echeverri said. “It was good that we got that loss. It was a wake-up call, and it’s better that it came before nationals. Now we know what it’s like to lose. We also showed great adversity when we were down 6-0 and brought the score up to 6-5. How many teams can do that? It’s a great sign.”

TEAM LEADER

Hockey is Echeverri’s life and one true passion. He uses the ice to help him get through problems and clear his mind. He goes to skate or shoot; the ice is his safe haven. He idolizes players who do incredible things in the game and said that helped him fall in love with the sport. Although he’s majoring in resort and hospitality, hockey is not something he’s willing to give up anytime soon. During his senior year he will continue to play hockey for FGCU, and for as long as he can continue playing, he will. He’s been pretty lucky in not sustaining as many injuries as other players. When he gets on the ice, it’s his domain, and the idea of injury doesn’t cross his mind. He just plays. “I want to see where my hockey career can take me. Maybe play semi-pro in the states or go play pro in Europe,” Echeveri said. “The opportunity for experience is always there, but I will play for as long as I can, and get a career out of what I love to do.”

As the captain, highest scorer and potentially the star player for FGCU, he knows that he often has a target on his back for rivals. He’s mature enough to know that some opponents will go after him because of who he is. But he knows that he isn’t going to retaliate against them and be penalized. He doesn’t want to do anything on the ice to possibly hurt his team, such as going to the box for a penalty and sending the other team on the powerplay. He often draws penalties, giving his team the extra-man advantage. “I tell the new guys who join the team not to look at this as ‘just club hockey.’ I treat it like my livelihood, and I think that the guys who are on the team now have their heads in the same place. It shows based on where we are in the season and the power we’re bringing to the league.”

FGCU has held the number one ranking in the ACHA for the majority of the 2013- 2014 season. Echeverri is a huge contributor to how far the team has come and where they are heading. As long as they hold onto the No. 1 ranking for the next four games, FGCU will get the automatic bid to the National Tournament in Boston in March. The entire team’s focus is on the five games in March that will bring another National Title to FGCU.

“I love hockey,” Echeverri said. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for the game or the team.”

http://eaglenews.org/sports/hockey/junior-hockey-captain-determined-win-another-national-title/