The club’s men’s ice hockey team achieves victory at the beginning of the season

Author: Nick Pantages
@nick_pantages22

We are number 1!

Anyone can attest to the sense of pride that washes through their bodies when they see themselves as the best, and that’s exactly what the Springfield College men’s hockey team experienced.

Last week, the Pride was chosen as the best hockey team in the country, which many of the team members were proud of.

Seeing that number one ranking was an eye opener, said the team’s freshman forward Connor Konopka.

Winning and success is nothing new for the Springfield men’s hockey team, which won conference championships in 2017 and 2018, and that success is built on a culture built by many who have come through the program.

We may be a club sport, but we’re focused on winning as many games as we can, junior linebacker Joe Manning said.

This winning mindset has helped the team succeed on the ice and is the foundation of the culture the Pride has built. The foundation of this hard-working culture is strengthened during training.

[During practice] the competition starts to heat up, especially when forwards start going against defenders, Konopka said. It carries over into games because guys just want to win.

According to Manning, the hardworking nature of the team is essential.

Wasn’t the flashiest team. He always had to be the team that beat people 100% of the game to win, he said.

The camaraderie between team members off the ice also helps the Pride develop the chemistry needed to become an elite team.

“We always try to do things together, whether it’s just hanging out, bowling or just having fun,” Manning said.

The relaxed nature of the team helps many players get used to the team quickly, something Konopka noticed when he joined.

You don’t know the difference between a freshman and a senior. Everyone is the same, Konopka said.

Despite a smooth ride so far, Springfield hit turbulence last weekend. After being voted #1, the Pride lost back-to-back games, likely knocking them out of that top spot. However, the positive nature of the team doesn’t make any of them doubt that they won’t get past it.

As a team, we just have to flip the script and move forward,” Manning said.

The way the Pride are going to wash away the bitter taste of defeat is to do what they do no matter the situation, get back to work.

We just have to tighten up the little things, try new things and move forward, Konopka said. Good teams forget this.

Despite the unwanted sting the losses dealt the Pride, they continue to work to get back to No. 1, and Manning and crew know they can get back to that position.

“We had the No. 1 seed and after this weekend it probably won’t be, but we can’t let that get us down,” Manning said. If we put our heads down and work together as a team, we will do well.

The Prides’ first chance to bounce back includes a trip to Maine to take on St. Thomas on Dec. 11 to close out the first half of the season.

Photo: Club Men’s ice hockey team

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