Category | Sports

KSU ice hockey club prepping for 09–10 season

Published on July 21, 2009 by Lucas Bigham

The KSU ice hockey club is gearing up for their upcoming season, which kicks off Sept. 18 at 10 p.m. at the Town Center Ice Forum against the University of Georgia.

“We’re hoping for a sellout [1,235 tickets],” said assistant coach Bill Morrison. “We’ve upgraded our talent level at least another 25%.”

The Owls experienced a strong season with big wins against Miami of Ohio and University of Maryland Baltimore County last year. These key victories and several others allowed the Owls to make it to the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Nationals for the second time in three years. Their talent and sportsmanship has enabled them to be accepted into the elite top 16 teams in ACHA Division II.

“The program is changing, but I think we’re maintaining that elite position and that’s a word we would like to keep in our program,” Morrison said.

The Owls will play a total of 21 home games this upcoming season. They will face rivals Florida Gulf Coast and Liberty University, two teams KSU has struggled against in the past.  They will also host Temple University, which is perhaps the team’s strongest opponent this season.

KSU will also hit the road to St. Louis on Oct. 9-11 for the ACHA Division II showcase where they will meet Colorado and Penn State, two very strong clubs.

“We have 21 home games and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t win every single one of them,” said club president Dylan Morrison. “I don’t think there is any reason why we can’t make another run for the national championship.”

Most of the same familiar faces will be returning this season like veterans Jerry Holden, Chris Koutnik and Ricky Lirette. However, the team is excited to be welcoming rookies Tucker Green and Jake Garrison who are both natural goal scorers.

“Tucker Green is going to be a really strong, young asset to our scoring punch,” said Dylan Morrison. “He also likes to finish the checks and give fans something to cheer about.”

The club president believes that the biggest asset to the team this upcoming season is starting goaltender Ben Powers.

“I would bank on Ben Powers our goaltender to have a phenomenal year,” Dylan said. “He’s probably number one on our team I would say.”

The Owls coaching staff led by Ken Honeyman and the rest of the team are very excited for this upcoming season where they’re hoping to bring a National Championship to KSU.

“There’s nothing better than playing in front of our rowdy, wild fans cheering us on,” Dylan said. “If you have never been to a KSU ice hockey game you’re missing out.”