Rowan Men’s Ice Hockey kicked off another long weekend of hockey with the Division II team playing a pair of games for the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) with Rider University on Friday, Oct. 28. Following their road trip, the Profs hosted Virginia Tech on Saturday, Oct. 29.
From top to bottom, the Profs are starting to fire on all cylinders as they did last season. The difference from last season is that a majority of the returning veterans know the pain of losing and not finishing the season the way they would have liked to. For a lot of guys, this is their last chance to make a run for a trophy.
DII Team: Rider Matchup
The Profs headed to Lawrenceville, NJ for a matchup at Louck’s Ice Arena. This has been a tough tilt for the Profs since they haven’t been able to beat Rider since before the pandemic started.
The Profs have been rolling as of late in ACHA play and continue to win, but they will only play as well as what they put into practice.
“We’ve been harder on the guys,” Head Coach Dan DiMonte said. “During skating and conditioning drills and in between, we are trying to drill home the point that we need to move.”
JT Zangara understands that his coach wants to push this team to be the best that they can be. As a veteran player, his role is to not only be a vocal leader but one that leads by example.
“We learned we have to have more energy on the bench and have to come together more,” Zangara said. “It’s not a one person game have to play as a team. The next couple practices we learned that and started to communicate with our linemates better.”
The team was able to to put what they practiced into game situations in their 3-1 victory over Rider.
“That was a huge boost for the team,” Coach DiMonte said. “We haven’t beaten them since pre-pandemic and we absolutely dominated the game. If it wasn’t for the refs trying to even the game out, the score would have been more than just 3-1.”
The Profs held the lead for the entire game and never let up. Winning these ACHA matchups can help this team continue to build confidence, chemistry and character.
DII Team: Virginia Tech Matchup
This team continued to score goals and fight as they defeated Virginia Tech in overtime 5-4. This was a little preview to…
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