By Skye Tulio
Assignment Sports Editor
In the wake of the NHL lockout, Bonnies fans can get their hockey fix at the William O. Smith Recreation Center in Olean.
The Bonnies’ club hockey season takes place on Friday and Saturday nights beginning Oct. 19.
Although not quite the Sabres, the Bonnies are sure to please after making history last year, by clinching their first playoff berth ever as the team finished its 2011-2012 season, 9-11-2.
As a member of the Northeast Collegiate Hockey League (NECHL), a division of American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), the fifth-seeded Bonnies lost to fourth-seeded Syracuse in the first round of the NECHL playoffs, 7-4, last February.
It seems now more than ever the anticipation for hockey season is at an all-time high. A combination of the current absence of professional hockey in addition to the Bonnies’ past season success adds fuel to the fire just in time for the 2012-2013 season.
Some of my fondest Bonaventure memories are sitting rink side with a hot chocolate in hand, wrapped tight in a million blankets cheering on the Bonnies. One aspect to be improved this season—fan attendance. After such a spectacular season, the Bonnies deserve a packed rink for home games.
This year, the fans will get a taste of the action earlier than usual as the team will host its first ever Brown and White game tomorrow at 4 p.m. Following in the footsteps of its fellow Bonnies teams and beginning the tradition of inter-squad play, the day will include player introductions and a skills competition in addition to the game.
If you ever wanted to learn how to skate, you’re in luck. Following the game at 6:30 p.m., you can hop on the ice and enjoy a free skate with the Bonnies.
How many other teams you know would teach their fans how to skate immediately after playing a game? Sure, they’ll probably be exhausted, but it seems fan interaction is the number one goal on the team’s mind (after winning, of course.)
Reaching the playoffs was not the first milestone for the Bonnies this season. Then sophomore captain, Michael Iulianello, was selected to participate in the 2012 ACHA Men’s Division I All-Star Game in Cleveland last season. The first player honored from Bonaventure, Iulianello represented the Brown and White, playing among 40 of the top players in the nation.
Losing three strong seniors in Josh Piegay, Charlie Shevlin and Greg Lioy, the Bonnies return 14 players from their playoff team and add nine freshmen to this year’s roster.
Junior forward Iulianello, a vocal leader on and off the ice, returns as a team captain. Named as 2nd Team All-NECHL, Iulianello was the first ever recipient of the Josh R. Esformes award for leading the league in points. Junior defenseman and fellow captain Taylor Rosenberg returns to the ice after being awarded 1st Team All-NECHL at the end of last season.
Junior goalie Josh Popsie finished 5-3, recording 508 saves and a .89 save percentage. Among last year’s 10 freshmen, forward Eric Hostetter led the team with 20 points in 22 games followed by forward Jordan Ashman with 17 points in 18 games.
The team evolved in the past year, putting St. Bonaventure hockey on the map and proving to its division competitors that it’s a force to be reckoned with. Plagued with a number of injuries and academic ineligibilities, the Bonnies first semester started out rocky, but the team fought back in the second semester to silence their critics.
Watch out Bona Nation! The hockey team is back and hungry for more; The Bonnies are just getting started.
