BOARDMAN, Ohio (Tuesday, January 8, 2008) - With a month's time elapsed since the last time the Youngstown State Hockey team laced up the skates, the Penguins take to the ice Wednesday night at the Ice Zone in their first game of the second semester.
The team started practice back on January 1 under the impression of going full tilt last Saturday night at the Pittsburgh Panthers, but the game was postponed until Jan. 21. The extra time off, however, allowed the Penguins a few extra days of much-needed rest.
"It was actually a blessing in disguise," Penguins head coach Rocky Russo said. "We still have a couple guys that are at the tail end of some injuries, and to get the opportunity to bump a big league game like that back a couple weeks is big for us."
The Penguins suffered through their toughest start in history during the first semester, going 3-18-2, and are sitting in last place in College Hockey Mid-America. However, with the addition of a few new players, along with the return of some injured veterans, the outlook for the next two months is considerably more positive.
"We brought in some more skill guys that will generate some offense for us," Russo says. "Unfortunately, we lost a couple guys that we were hoping to have for the second semester. Our goaltending is going to be strong here in the second semester though, and having Lee Hlavay back as well is going to be an advantage for the defensive corps."
Goaltenders Gary Biggs and Matt Jacob continue to be bright spots for the Penguins, along with forwards Naaman Moorman and Zak Kusek, each with 23 points on the year.
Youngstown State's first game back will be one of their toughest all season, as they face-off Wednesday night against #9 Kent State. The Golden Flashes have accumulated a 16-7-0 record this season, good for fourth place in the Central States Collegiate Hockey League, and are already 2-0-0 against YSU this season.
"They are a good team - they are an offensively gifted team," says Russo. "(Head coach Jarret Whidden) is a coach out of a different mold. He looks outside of the box with some of the systems that he runs. We have seen them a couple of times already this season, so hopefully we'll be prepared to face those different challenges this week."
Game time Wednesday is slated for 7:15 p.m. at the Ice Zone. The Penguins then host IUP on Friday night at 9:45 p.m., before heading to #24 Duquesne on Saturday afternoon.
The Youngstown State University Hockey Team is based out of the Ice Zone and is sponsored by the B.J. Alan Company - Phantom Fireworks, located in Youngstown, Ohio.
