By Mike Specht
Staff Writer
In their final game of the season, the hockey team fell again to Ithaca 11-3. Not able to qualify for playoffs this year, the Bonnies finished with a final record of 7-13.
Last Saturday, the Bonnies looked to end their season with one more victory, even if they weren’t going to the playoffs. Ithaca defeated the Bonnies 4-3 on Jan. 25th, and the team looked to get back at their rivals. However, they’ll have to wait until next season for another win.
The team opted to start Nick Gregorio in the net in order to give him game-time experience, while starter Josh Popsie sat the final game out.
Halfway through the first period, Ithaca struck first on an unassisted goal by Wayne Giovinazzo.
The Bonnies quickly responded with a score by sophomore Jordan Ashman, scoring his seventh goal of the season. Before the period was over, Ithaca managed three more goals.
The Brown and White fell into penalty problems in the second period. With five penalties for the team, the defense wore down, conceding two more goals to Ithaca. Junior Mike Felter managed another goal for St. Bonaventure.
With a 6-2 score going into the third period, the Bonnies went on the offensive. Freshman Andrew Chadwick scored five minutes in. However, Ithaca’s offensive power proved too much, as they ended the game and Bonaventure’s with five consecutive goals.
Going into the 2012-13 season, the team looked poised to make another playoff run, having made the playoffs last year for the first time in team history. After winning four of their first five games, the team went 2-7 before going into semester break. After a month-long pause, the Bonnies managed to win two more games, while losing their last four games and falling out of playoff contention.
Junior Co-Captain Mike Iulianello blames lack of offense and momentum as reasons for a tough season.
“The most disappointing part of the season is how we ended it,” Iulianello said. “We were 4-1 at the beginning of the season, and then we couldn’t get anything going really. Our offense really didn’t click like it was supposed to.”
Junior goalie Josh Popsie believed the Bonnies were playing in many pressure situations, not faring well as a result.
“If we want to win games, we have to come out hard and take care of business like in our first few games,” Popsie said. “It’s hard for us to play in must-win situations.”
While the Bonnies look forward to next season, they will retain the majority of their squad, losing only forward Tom Meka to graduation. Even after a “disappointing season,” Iulianello said he is still optimistic for the future of St. Bonaventure hockey.
“Next year, with the kids we’re bringing back, we should improve. The freshmen will get better and fill in Meka’s gap,” Iulianello said. “I would expect to make the playoffs next year and have a .500 record. We want to build a winning culture of hockey here at Bonaventure. ”
