By Anthony Sambrotto @asambrotto95
The St. Bonaventure men’s club hockey team knows the only way to have a more enjoyable season than last years is to win.
The Bonnies got off to exactly the start they wanted last Friday, with a 5-4 win over the Binghamton Bearcats at the William O. Smith Recreation Center in Olean. The Bonnies had four different players tally a goal and were able to thwart the comeback efforts of the Bearcats late.
For a team that only notched three wins all of last season, getting off to a positive start is key. “We made a lot of mistakes, in all honesty,” assistant coach Jordan Farnham said.
“But to be able to come out with a good, solid team win really sets the tone for the season.”
The Bonnies also got strong play from sophomore netminder Alex Feyche on Friday. Feyche, a Pittsburgh native, returns to the net with a much more positive outlook this year.
“We have a lot more kids and a lot more talent this year,” Feyche said. “We also have a lot more healthy scratches, so it is competitive to get into the lineup and that makes the lineup more talented.”
Not only does Bonaventure return their starting goalie from last season, it also has many of its top scorers back.
Both Farnham and Feyche said that having sophomore forwards Tyler Gokey, Colin Coppola and Mike Mendola back up front and having a year of experience under their belts is going to be key.
The Bonnies do not play again until October 17, when they travel to Cornell. The team returns home on October 30 for an 8:30 puck drop at the Smith Center.
“It’s always nice to play in front of a large and loud home crowd; it definitely helps,” said Farnham, who is in his first season as coach after playing as a defenseman last year. “The key to get them is to keep winning. If we win people will be interested in the team.”
“We didn’t win enough last year,” Feyche said. “The team didn’t play terrible, but I just want to win.”
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