By Gavin Lindhal
Sports Assignment Editor
In sports, there are few positions as physically and mentally demanding as that of an ice hockey goalie. Game in and game out, goalies are expected to contort their bodies, diving and spinning to stop discs of vulcanized rubber traveling at speeds up to a 100 mph from entering the goal.
Freshmen Alex Feyche knows this as well as anyone. As the Bonnies’ starting club hockey goalie, his teammates look to him to make the saves to keep them in the game. While not alone in his effort of defense, the responsibilities of being goalie make for a unique and heavy pressure for the Pittsburgh native. However, it has its rewards.
“I felt some pressure at first for sure [being a freshmen starter]. When I’m not playing so well and not giving the boys a good chance to win, it can be pretty rough,” Feyche said. “The positives definitely outweigh the negatives, though. When a game is going my way, there is nothing better. Now that the season is well under way, I’m really just having fun with it. There are some other freshman stepping up big too; even our leading scorer right now, Colin Coppola, is a freshman.”
The give-and-take relationship with the position is nothing new, however, for Feyche, who has been playing for most of his life.
“I just loved to watch [hockey] and had some friends that played. I started [playing hockey] in third grade when I was eight or nine years old, and I have played continuously since. Once I got into it, I just fell in love with the game,” Feyche said. “I started as a goalie when I was 11. I just thought it would be cool to try, and I loved it. I think it’s cool that it is one of the only positions in sports where I can pretty much win or lose a game on my own on any given night. I like the pressure.”
Hopefully, Feyche’s appetite for pressure keeps up. The Bonnies finished their first half of the semester with a record of 1-9-0. Worse yet, the Bonnies have been outscored by an average of nearly four goals a game.
The team will look to have a more memorable second half to its season following the break. Unfortunately for the Bonnies, only three of their remaining 10 games will be played on home ice.
The first chance at turning their season around will come tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 24, on the road against Syracuse University. The Bonnies will face the Orange at the Tennity Ice Skating Pavillion at 6:30 p.m. Following that game, the Bonnies will immediately head for their second game of the weekend. They will play Ithaca College at the Alumni Arena at SUNY Cortland at 9:15 a.m.
It will be a tough weekend for the Bonnies and their pressure-welcoming net minder. With a fresh semester, hopefully the Bonnies can come home with at least one win in their hands.
