Going into this series against Lake Superior, even casual observers of Falcon hockey can tell there's something different going on. They may not be able to put a finger on it, or spell it out completely, but there's a feel in the air that hasn't been present in some time.
To me, the only way to describe it is with one word: optimism.
This may seem a strange word to use to describe the situation of a
2-10-2 team who faced the very realistic possibility of the elimination of their program this off-season, but I stand by my point. Yes, the team faced some very scary, very dark moments in the long off-season months, but it is my feeling that the team has even more reason to feel optimistic and hopeful because of that situation.
Some outside the circle of Falcon hockey and its fans have asked me why I'm so excited about a two-win hockey team who lost most of the previous year's stars. I suppose at the root of it is the fact that where we are now, even at 2-10-2, is a heck of a lot better than where it looked like we were heading.
But beyond the feelings of, "We're just happy to be here," are some real reasons for hope.
Last week the Falcons took the #13/14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish to the wire in a pair of weekend contests, losing the
first in the final two seconds and winning the
second in a 1-0 shootout. While the series officially goes down as an overtime loss and a tie in the standings, it means a lot more to the Falcon hockey team and its community of supporters. Prior to the shootout victory, the Falcons had lost 12 straight to the Irish. That's not a blip on the radar. That's the kind of streak that cripples a fan-base. That's the kind of streak that stirs up talk of curses. So, while the Falcons didn't officially win either of the games against the Irish this year, the fact that they pulled off even the smallest of victories in the shootout is certainly cause for celebration.
Furthermore, watching the team on the ice, there is a clearly renewed sense of urgency, energy, determination, and will to win. In the later years of the Scott Paluch era, Falcon teams were often said to have "given up" on games that got away from them early. A 3-1 game in favor of the opponent could easily become 7-1 before all was said and done. This season, things seem to be different.
Take, for example, the second game of the series with the #9 Alaska Nanooks. In the first game of the series, the Falcons fought to a surprising
3-1 victory, their first of the season. Early in
the second game, however, it became clear that a sweep wasn't going to come easy. The Nanooks jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, and the feeling in the arena was that of dread. The fans had seen this movie before, and it didn't end well for the good guys. Instead of giving up, the Falcons fought back and went into the third period trailing 4-2. With only a few minutes remaining in the game,
David Solway put home a goal that cut the Nanooks' lead to one. The arena was electric. The players were energized, and it looked for a moment like the icers might fight back and get the sweep. While the game ended in a 5-3 loss courtesy of an empty net goal, the fighting spirit shown by the Falcons served as even further evidence that change was in the air.
That change could be, and probably is, coming from a number of different sources, but it would be silly to go through this whole article without mentioning the most obvious possibility - Interim Head Coach
Dennis Williams. It is apparent in his press conferences and his general demeanor that Coach Williams is a key part of the recovery and eventual resurgence of this program. While a
player at BGSU, Coach Williams received the Howard Brown Coaches' Award in recognition of his professional attitude on and off the ice, and that professional attitude continues to this day.
Have the results fully materialized on the ice yet? No. This sort of turnaround takes time and patience. The team may continue to struggle in the standings for the rest of the season. They may end up surprising all of the critics and placing well in the CCHA tournament. Either way, a few things are clear: this is a team that wants to not just survive, but thrive, and they have many of the pieces in place to make that a reality.
Hopefully the next few pieces of the puzzle fall into place this weekend against the Lakers. Here's to the first Falcon sweep of the season.
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