Where does West Chester University’s men’s hockey team go from here? Following a humbling 7-3 beating at the hands of Robert Morris University of Pennsylvania, it is painfully apparent that this team is reeling. With less than a month until the Golden Rams’ post-season starts, the team needs to delve deep inside and figure out what is wrong. At this point last season, the team was clicking and hitting its peak en route to an ECHA championship, a top eight seed in the national tournament and a school-record 28 win season. At this point this season, the team has lost twice in its past three games to teams it should not be losing to.
The Golden Rams need to find out what’s ailing the team. Nothing seems to be going right for them. The team is giving up more shots and goals than it has on average in the past. While goaltender Corey Hackney’s goals against average is at a career high, it’s hard to lay all of the blame or even the majority of the blame on the goaltender alone when he’s facing more shots per game than he’s ever seen. It’s not just the shots either. It’s also the quality of the shots. Teams are basically walking into the slot area and getting high percentage shots.
The offense is as top-heavy as ever, with Jim Gehring and Pat Johnson clearly distancing themselves from the fact. Their level of play is as elite as ever, with Gehring notching 82 points after 27 games and Johnson trailing him with 71 points in 27 games. However, more help is needed. Only five forwards on the WCU roster have 20 points or more. While WCU has faced their fair share of elite competition, it is no excuse for the lack of production that the team is currently facing.
As I have said before, this team can compete with anyone in the country. It has consistently defeated top five and top 10 teams this year. It has four wins over teams currently ranked in the top 10. The question isn’t whether the talent is there. Rather, the question is, “why isn’t the talent producing?” The flames of high expectations that were fanned by a solid start to the season for some players have been extinguished by mediocre play as of late.
The Golden Rams have a pair of non-conference games ahead to work out the kinks in their game. Everyone needs to be better. Everyone needs to be held accountable and everyone needs to understand their role. I’m not singling out any one area in particular. The goaltending needs to be better. The defense needs to be better. The offense needs to be better. This team can play with anyone. It will have the chance to prove it in just a few short weeks.
After the non-conference games against Duquesne and Sienna, the Golden Rams will host the Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association’s playoff tournament at IceLine Arena during the weekend of Mar. 6-8. This will be their next real opportunity to show the ACHA that this team is indeed elite. A rubber match with Stony Brook University for the ECHA title is expected from anyone who follows the ECHA.
An ECHA playoff championship would go a long way to propelling the Golden Rams to a top seed in the national tournament which takes place in Gates Mills, OH a week after the ECHA tournament. Can this team fix whatever is ailing it and make a run at the national title?
Matt Chandik is a fourth-year student majoring in Spanish with a minor in Journalism. He can be reached at MC618553@wcupa.edu.