By Mike Specht
Staff Writer
After back-to-back losses to Niagara over the weekend, the men’s hockey team (7-10) is set to face SUNY Cortland (6-12) tomorrow. The puck drops at 1 p.m. at Alumni Ice Arena in Cortland. The Bonnies will need a victory in order to secure a playoff spot.
The Bonnies last played Cortland Jan. 19th, winning 5-4. Taylor Rosenberg netted the winning goal with seconds left in regulation. Senior Tom Meka believes the Bonnies have what it takes to defeat Cortland again.
“We dominated most of the game against Cortland,” Meka said. “We just need to do our best and take care of business. Cortland should be a team that we are able to beat.”
Freshman forward Mike Griffin stressed that the team needs to stick with its familiar game plan in order to pull out a win.
“We need to stick to our strategy of dumping and chasing, and a lot of shots on net,” Griffin said. “If we do all that and skate hard, we can come out with a victory.”
Last Friday night the Bonnies lost 14-3, and were shut out by the Purple Eagles 14-0 the following day in their home-and-home series with Niagara. Friday’s goals were scored by freshman Jake Piegay, sophmore Eric Hostetter and junior Mike Iulianello with assists from freshman Nate Parker and junior Sean Perhacs.
The Bonnies were overwhelmed Friday from the opening faceoff. Niagara scored six times in the first five minutes. So far this season, the Purple Eagles have scored 158 goals, while allowing only 71.
Although he conceded Niagara was the better team, Griffin pointed to some positive individual performances that were muddled by the final scores.
“Popsie played against a good team,” Griffin said. “Even after all those goals, he shouldn’t hold his head down. He’s a good goalie and will do fine in our last two games.”
The Bonnies were without defenseman and co-captain Rosenberg, who sat out with a concussion. It is still unclear if he will suit up Saturday.
“Taylor’s the anchor of our defense, we really missed him those two games,” Griffin said. “On the other hand, Mike Felter fared well in filling in for Taylor.”
While the Bonnies make the push for the playoffs the next two games, they will rely on the leadership and scoring ability of Tom Meka. The lone senior on the squad, Meka joined the team last year.
Having skated since he was five, Meka was involved with hockey all throughout high school. He played for St. Joe’s Collegiate Academy in Buffalo for four seasons, but was hesitant to join the Bonnies his first year on campus.
“My brother was a senior here when I was a freshman — he played for three years,” Meka said. “I was going to play if he played his last year, but it didn’t turn out that way.”
Meka was friends with former captain, Josh Piegay, and always asked him how the team was holding up. After hearing about spots that opened up on the team due to injuries and other circumstances, he joined the team in time for the 2012 spring semester.
Having not played competitive hockey since high school, Meka said he was nervous in his first game for the Bonnies.
“My first game was against Binghamton,” Meka said. “I was really nervous about getting hit and doing my part in the game. It felt great to get back to playing hockey, though.”
Meka has been productive for the team since his arrival last spring. This year, he’s on the first line with Iulianello and Perhacs. He is second on the team with 20 point in 16 games played. In the game against SUNY Oswego Oct. 26, Meka scored a hat trick in the 8-6 victory. He calls this his best on-ice memory at St. Bonaventure.
“Even though he’s only been here a year and a half, he’s a big asset for our team,” junior Josh Popsie said. “He’s one of our more dependent scorers for sure.”
A journalism and mass communication major, Meka has had experience interning with the Buffalo Sabres and hopes to land a similar job once he graduates.
“I work on Kevin Sylvester’s radio show with the Sabres. Hopefully that could turn into a career in the future,” Meka said.
After commencement in May, Meka say he’ll miss the atmosphere of St. Bonaventure along with those he’s met along the way.
“I’ve known Bonaventure since I was little, with my parents and older siblings going here. It’s great to be here, with my teammates and friends; it will be really hard for me to leave.”
While Meka prepares for the last few games of his career at Bonaventure, his play over the season has put the Bonnies in an optimistic mindset heading into critical matchups.
“I think we’ll end up making the playoffs,” Griffin said.
