October 17, 2005
SCHL Season Opener - Event Recap!
Opening weekend has come and gone for SCHL's 2005-2006 season. I want to start
by thanking all the players and participants present this weekend for a seamless
start to what promises to be a very exciting season. Thank you to the folks at
Hat Trick for making SCHL feel very welcomed and at home (some of the players
even plopped down in the seating area and turned it into a makeshift living room
to watch their schools duke it out in football). It was nice to see everyone in
Denton, and we would especially like to welcome those of you who are kicking off
their first season with the Southwest Collegiate Hockey League!
We saw many intense and exciting games this weekend as 4 Division 1 and 4 Division 2 teams competed...and quite a few surprises, as well.
The Longhorns finished 3-0 this weekend with wins over University of North Texas, University of Texas at Arlington, and Texas Tech University. UNT finished 2-1 and looked like a completely different team from last year. They have clearly beefed up their defense, and it seems to bode well for the team. UTA struggled to integrate their veteran talent with some new players to the league, and I think we were all surprised to see Mr. McGee in net (though he did well, I must say). The Mavericks finished 1-2 with a victory over TTU. Tech finished the weekend 0-3, but if they can harness the rhythm and teamwork displayed in the first and second periods of their games (which usually stay neck-in-neck) and carry that through to the end, they could very well make a major statement this season.
Texas A&M Commerce came out on top of the Division 2 match-ups, finishing with 2 victories and a tie (versus ACU). They have kept most of the same players from last season, and their history together may be very advantageous to them in a year of high turn-over. University of Houston came together well over the course of the weekend to head home with a 2-1 record. Abilene Christian University came out on top over Stephen F. Austin, tied Commerce, and lost to UH. SFA finished 0-3.
Overall, it was an interesting weekend as more teams seem to be evenly matched (ability-wise) than may have been in the past; some of the traditionally dominant teams we have seen are suffering the inevitability of college hockey: every few years a wave of players graduate and move on, leaving huge gaps and/or opportunity in the teams that remain. After all, in a season that kicks off with UNT coming out over UTA, one can never be certain about how things will play out as the season continues (with no offense to either team, of course).
Good luck to all in the upcoming weekends, and please keep up the cooperation and respect y'all showed our officials and staff this weekend.
-- Natalie Cottrell
Director of League Operations
- Southwest Collegiate Hockey League -
www.schl.org
We saw many intense and exciting games this weekend as 4 Division 1 and 4 Division 2 teams competed...and quite a few surprises, as well.
The Longhorns finished 3-0 this weekend with wins over University of North Texas, University of Texas at Arlington, and Texas Tech University. UNT finished 2-1 and looked like a completely different team from last year. They have clearly beefed up their defense, and it seems to bode well for the team. UTA struggled to integrate their veteran talent with some new players to the league, and I think we were all surprised to see Mr. McGee in net (though he did well, I must say). The Mavericks finished 1-2 with a victory over TTU. Tech finished the weekend 0-3, but if they can harness the rhythm and teamwork displayed in the first and second periods of their games (which usually stay neck-in-neck) and carry that through to the end, they could very well make a major statement this season.
Texas A&M Commerce came out on top of the Division 2 match-ups, finishing with 2 victories and a tie (versus ACU). They have kept most of the same players from last season, and their history together may be very advantageous to them in a year of high turn-over. University of Houston came together well over the course of the weekend to head home with a 2-1 record. Abilene Christian University came out on top over Stephen F. Austin, tied Commerce, and lost to UH. SFA finished 0-3.
Overall, it was an interesting weekend as more teams seem to be evenly matched (ability-wise) than may have been in the past; some of the traditionally dominant teams we have seen are suffering the inevitability of college hockey: every few years a wave of players graduate and move on, leaving huge gaps and/or opportunity in the teams that remain. After all, in a season that kicks off with UNT coming out over UTA, one can never be certain about how things will play out as the season continues (with no offense to either team, of course).
Good luck to all in the upcoming weekends, and please keep up the cooperation and respect y'all showed our officials and staff this weekend.
-- Natalie Cottrell
Director of League Operations
- Southwest Collegiate Hockey League -
www.schl.org