Hockey ends season by looking forward

Robert Dran
rdran@mscd.edu

Metro hockey closed out the season in a disappointing fashion with a 7-2 loss against Arizona State University on Feb. 6 and a 6-6 tie against Brigham Young University on Feb. 9.

Team captain, forward Turner Bahn, felt the team was overconfident when facing ASU because ASU lost to the University of California - Los Angeles, a team Metro easily beat 9-3 just a few weeks ago.

"We took them too lightly," Bahn said. "At least I finally played my best game of the semester the next game."

Bahn finished with three goals and two assists on the weekend. Forward Ryan Yudez had a goal and an assist in the second game after sitting out two weeks with an injury.

Metro nearly finished their season with a victory but were called on a penalty with less than two minutes remaining in the game. BYU took advantage and scored the tying goal that sent the game into overtime. Metro had their chances in overtime but couldn't capitalize on them and had to settle for a tie.

Despite finishing the season under .500, the 'Runners feel the season was a crucial building block for success next season. Head coach Curtis Duffus has big plans to build on the chemistry the team built this season and expand to better systems.

"The thing that stood out the most to me was our inexperience and youth. Players tend to get a lot better in their second season, so we look forward to getting better," Duffus said.

The team also has plans to play in a summer league to keep themselves fresh for tryouts which will happen during the first half of September. With a season full of injuries and ups and downs, the team plans on building on lessons learned to have a more successful 2009-2010 season.