UMass Boston’s men’s hockey team has played six matches so far, out of which their scrimmage against Nichols College Saturday, Oct. 6, was their only win, ending in a 6-2 victory.
The heat from the scrimmage win did not last long for the Beacons. The next series of five matches ended in losses. But the fact is, they went up against a few of the top teams early in the season and still managed to compete, and that can’t be dismissed.
They went up against No. 6 Curry College, Friday, Nov. 1, which resulted in a 0-2 loss. This was the Beacons’ only scoreless match. They soon picked up their pace on the offensive front, putting some goals up on the scoreboard.
The Beacons played four New England Hockey Conference matches, including Curry, along with No. 16 Salve Regina and No. 1 Hobart College. The team is still hopeful about the turnout of the season.
Captain and senior Kolye Bankauskas stated, “I just want to lead to the best of my ability and get the best out of every one of our guys, and obviously win. I want to leave this program in a better place than it was when I came in. I believe this season will be much better, even though we had a slow start,” he said, adding that the team was “starting the first three weekends without wins, so we can only go up from here.”
Head Coach Peter Belisle said, “I think we are pretty good, you gotta remember that we just played the number one two-time defending national champion twice, then we played the number 18 in the country — it was one nothing game. But I am still pleased with our team, even though our record doesn’t look good. We are pulling some positives from them, especially for the upcoming matches. We know we need the results now, and that’s what we are striving for.”
Under Coach Belisle’s leadership, the team hopes to make progress and unleash their potential. The Beacons know their shortcomings and are working hard toward a single goal — stacking up wins.
The team has a lot of returners, and the 15 freshmen recruited last season have better integrated into the team chemistry, making the group stronger together than they were last season. Said Bankauskas, “We have a lot of veterans, so we have a lot of older guys on our team, and then we brought in fifteen freshmen last year who are a little older now, so we have a lot of experience on the team.”
Senior goalkeeper Tyler Bost added, “We got a really good group. We have a great culture and players who excels after college in life and in hockey. I think we are going to have a really big turnout.”
The Beacons are still at the start of their season, there are still a lot of games left for them to turn the trajectory of the season. The team has a lot of potential that, combined with Belisle’s determination and commitment, promises great things.
