Men’s Hockey: Report card time

By Darren Friesen

If you ask Head Coach Tim Bothwell what he wants for Christmas, his response will probably be consistency. It doesn’t seem like too much to ask for, since he has the 10th-ranked men’s hockey team in the country. However, only time will tell if Bothwell’s Christmas wish will come true.

Performance: C

As the fall semester comes to a close, the University of Calgary men’s hockey team completes their first round of regular season play. It is safe to assume that the Dinos are not happy with their 7-5-2 record, and third place in the CIAU west division.

Effort: C

So what’s behind this inconsistent play? Talent? No. Effort and performance? Yes.

Undisclosed sources attribute this poor first-half performance to what we in the media like to call the "Me, Myself and I" syndrome. Usually this happens only on teams with high-priced payrolls and heavily sought after young talent, but in this instance it seems to be a group of extremely talented students that are more interested in personal stats than team ones.

Talent: A-

It’s clear to fans who go to the games (and there aren’t many) that this year’s team is better than last. This team has a very solid nucleus of great young athletes, combined with strong veteran players, who could very easily make it back to the national championships this year.

Overall: C+

The problem here is that this team doesn’t play as a unit, which makes them inconsistent offensively and defensively. Furthermore, veteran goaltenders Scott Rideout and Tyler Nilssen are going to have to get stronger between the pipes if there is to be an expected turn-around in the second half.

There are definite bright spots for the future, but if something doesn’t change in the second part of the season then the Dinos’ hopes of winning the CIAU tournament will be only fantasy instead of reality.

Food they remind me of: Pizza Hut. Great ingredients, weird results.