By Skye Tulio
Sports Assignment Editor
After going 1-1 last weekend, the hockey team hosts Oswego tonight at 8:30 and will travel to Syracuse for tomorrow’s 2 p.m. game.
The Bonnies (2-1) defeated the Oswego Lakers both times they faced them last season (8-2, 7-5). Senior Josh Popsie said the Bonnies are focusing on one game at time, regardless of past wins.
“Every year it’s different,” Popsie said. “People take us lightly because of how we’ve done in the past and we’ve been progressing over the years, getting better and better. You never know how many freshmen they’re coming in with. You never know if they’ve gotten a transfer, so you just have to come prepared.”
Popsie said the Bonnies’ freshmen talent have been producing solidly for the team thus far and will serve as a challenge for opposing teams.
“You have someone like Derrick (Jester) who’s a freshman on the second line and has been contributing constantly,” Popsie said. “He’s helped to finish off these first two shootout games; teams don’t know about him and what he brings to the table.”
The goalie also said the first line of junior captain Michael Iulianello, junior Sean Perhacs and senior Thomas Meka is a strong force for the team.
“When we played Oswego last year, Sean (Perhacs) wasn’t here, so he’s a big returning addition,” Popsie said. “It’s kind of like all these factors finally coming together with Iggy (Iulianello), Perhacs and Meka playing together on the first line. Our second line is made up of two sophomores, Jordan Ashman and Eric Hostetter, and a freshman (Jester). We’re a pretty young team.”
Last season against Syracuse, the Bonnies fell to the Orange in two games, 6-4, 7-6.
Senior forward Adam Siebert said he’s pretty confident with the team’s ability to take on Syracuse tomorrow afternoon.
“We gave them (Syracuse) a good fight last year,” Siebert said. “The guys we’ve picked up this year are really coming to play and showing they can play at this level.”
Popsie said the Bonnies are expecting the nationally ranked Orange (2-1) to be just as consistently dominant on the ice this season.
“Syracuse is one of the best teams in our league every year,” Popsie said.
Last Friday in front of a packed house at the William O. Recreation Center in Olean, the Bonnies captured their second shootout win of the season.
“It makes a huge difference coming out to a rink full of fans than coming out to just our parents,” Popsie said “We have our die-hard fans that come to every single game, but when there’s a packed rink it just gives us that extra kick.”
Scoring for the Bonnies against the Bearcats, Siebert with two goals, and Perhacs and sophomore forward Robert Maust with one goal each.
“The fan support is definitely key,” Siebert said. “It was great to see and I think since it was a really exciting game, it definitely drew the crowd’s attention and hopefully they’ll be more people at the home games from now on.”
The team is providing another free bus for the game tonight that will pick students up at the Rathskeller starting at 7:30 p.m. Admission to the game is $1.
In its first game against UB (3-0) last Saturday, Perhacs scored the Bonnies lone goal against the Bulls in the first period assisted by junior defenseman Mike Felter and Meka. The Bulls scored two of their nine goals in the first, taking advantage of five Bonaventure penalties in the second.
The Bulls scored four goals on the Bonnies net in the second and three in the third.
Siebert said the game served as an eye-opener to the Bonnies after the hype of Friday’s win.
“We just need to not get ahead of ourselves,” Siebert said. “After the big home win on Friday, going into UB thinking we had it and losing was a definite wake up call for us. We needed that and it’s good that we got it early on in the season.”
