New York, NY -- Seventeen wins, one loss and one tie. Number one in the Metropolitan Collegiate Hockey Conference (MCHC). Ranked third in the American Collegiate Hockey Association's (ACHA) Northeast region, and heading to the ACHA Division II National Tournament.
This is a short list of the NYU ice hockey club team's accomplisments. Yet no one knows they exist. Despite the accomplishments, the team still has trouble finding attention. Ask the average student walking around Washington Square Park about it and you'll get a puzzled look and shrugging shoulders in return. Oh well. Could it be any worse?
"I've been with the team a long time and I've seen a lot," said assistant coach Elizabeth Miller. "Believe me, it could be a lot worse."
Miller has been with the team just about since its inception, about a decade ago, and has seen the team evolve from a late-night activity to a national contender. As part general manager and part mother, it is up to her to make sure the club runs efficiently. She may not play the game, but the work she has put in is reflected in the team's sparkling record.
In the beginning, the club hockey team consisted of amateurs and college kids learning the game. Practices were an afterthought, and if they actually occurred, they resembled pickup games. Game day rituals consisted of blue NYU vans blazing through the Midtown Tunnel or down the Garden State Parkway for an 11:30 p.m. game, with stops made at fast food joints five minutes before the puck was dropped. The kids enjoyed life and had fun just playing the game.
Unfortunately, the competition used this to their advantage. NYU earned the reputation as a "soft" team that could be intimidated. Staten Island's Wagner College, NYU's most hated foe, made it a point to beat the Violets both on the scoreboard and on the ice. The team won some games but weren't winning enough. As any athlete knows, it's no fun when you're not winning.
This is what current head coach Steven Hetherman inherited four years ago. A former Connecticut high school hockey star, Hetherman brought discipline and hard work to the squard. During his tenure, Hetherman and Miller took a rag-tag group of friends and turned it into a recognized club ice hockey competitor. The team's only loss this year was to the University of Rochester, a Division I squad. As for their rivals from Wagner, the Violets defeated the Seahawks 8-0 last month.
"The kids on the team when I first came here never really played at a high level of competition," Hetherman said. "What they could learn, however, was that to compete every night, you need a sound work ethic. Discipline, hard work, and to be responsible defensively will give you a good chance to win.
Under his tutelage, each player understood they were responsible for each other. If a player was targeted by the opposition, it was up to his teammates to protect him. By playing and thinking as a team, the Violets finished the past three seasons around the .500 mark, and looked for MCHC playoff contention.
But while the team was winning, it wasn't winning enough. After a first-round loss to County College of Morris in the MCHC championships last year and losing seven players to graduation, things had to change.
This year, the old jerseys that have been with the team since the beginning were thrown out in favor of white hockey sweaters with dark purple trim. Hetherman vigorously recruited high school hockey and junior players from all over North America. They held tryouts and actually had to cut players because too many showed up. And players are now required to dress in collared shirts and ties on road trips.
Changes also reflect the evolution of the roster, from open hockey "stufs" to state and nationally ranked competitors. Freshman defenseman Vinnie Bruce came out of the Taft School, a prep school ranked nationally in high school hockey. Sophomore forwards Dan Perry and Todd Portadin and freshman goaltender Zach Ciperski were recognized New Jersey All-Stars from the Delbarton School, Christian Brothers Academy, and Don Bosco Prep, respectively. The diamond in the rough is sophomore goaltender Chad Ehrenkranz. A transfer from Quinnipiac College, Ehrenkranz brings the most impressive track record to the team. He was in net for the Omaha Lancers, a junior "A" team from the United States Hockey League. (USHL).
In 1997, the Lancers captured the prestigious Clark Cup by defeating the Des Moines Buccaneers in the junior A National Tournament. Adding up players like these equals 17-1-1.
On Thursday at 8:30 p.m., the team heads to Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers for a 70 minute practice. Donning different colored sweaters, various members glide around the rink talking of classes, girls, and how the NHL teams are doing. Then, the piercing sound of Hetherman's whistle sends the skaters up to top speed. His voice demanding the team to work harder is drowned out by the consistent sound of skates cutting across the ice. After some stop-and-start drills, the players lower their heads in fatigue. Underneath the metal cages that protects their eyes and face, some may question why their coach skates them hard the night before a Friday away game. After all, shouldn't they be taking it easy?
Then, retired New York Ranger and six-time Stanley Cup champion Glenn ANderson shows up to informally skate with the team. Coming from a local men's hockey league game, Anderson still has some energy left in him. After he skates throught all the players, undresses Ehrenkranz with a fake slap shot and slips the puck in the net on the glove side, half the player's jaws drop. To be in the company of a champion is thrilling, but it also serves as a firm reminder of how far the program has to go.
Hetherman looks on and smiles. The lessons are being learned. Seventeen, one and one. Vans have been replaced by buses, the jokes have disappeared, and respect has emerged. Could it be any worse?
"Well, we still have to pay for our own hockey sticks," Ehrenkranz said.