The BYU hockey team looks to answer the questions left after last year by beginning on the road against in-state rival Weber State on Saturday.
Last year the Cougars dropped all four meetings with the Wildcats but have kept their training camp focused on this season and beyond.
“This year is going to be a big year,” coach Jeremy Weiss said. “I think it’s time that we remember, relearn and re-teach what it feels like to win. What it means to be excellent.”
The Cougars have dedicated the last two weeks of training camp to working out the kinks that brought on the struggles of last season. One point of concern was the goalie. This year the Cougars have added stability at the position with the return of Caleb Thomas, who came in to man the net at the end of last season.
“(Caleb) came a long way last year, and he’s worked really hard over the summer,” Weiss said. “He’s looking quite good this year.”
Team captain Tanner Billingsley was also pleased with the improvements he saw in the team during training camp.
“We’ve developed a lot of chemistry as a team,” Billingsley said. “Knowing where the other guy’s going to be, knowing what the other guy’s thinking and what he’s going to do. That’s going to be a key in the game on Saturday.”
The Cougars have really stressed this chemistry and discipline within their system over the last two weeks. Weiss said individual talent will not be the strength of their team, but playing in and being creative within the parameters of the system will be. This has given the Cougars added confidence in their ability to compete with a veteran Wildcat lineup.
“We’ve got a lot of respect for Weber State’s team,” Billingsley said. “They’re a good team with good players. What I expect is that if we stick to our system, if we do what we need to do, then we’ll compete with them and we’ll come away with a victory.”
The puck drops at 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Weber County Ice Sheet.
