It's safe to say the 2013/14 B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League season was one of frustration for the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack and head coach Don Schulz.
The WolfPack experienced a the full spectrum of emotions and results as they wound up fourth in the BCIHL in the regular season with a record of 9-14-0-1.
"The first half was one of success and was history-making," said Schulz as he reflected on his third season behind the bench. "We were the first B.C. team to win the SAIT Icebreaker tournament in Calgary and were two points out of first going into the break."
"I really liked the team we recruited, hockey wise. We were a force to be reckoned with. We had speed, grit and skill with a work ethic to match; we practiced really hard so we could sustain a high-tempo pressure game for 60 minutes. It was looking very promising."
But 2014 brought with it a different story.
"I heard rumblings of academic troubles and we interviewed each player to see how their schooling was going," Schulz explained. "What was told to us was not always what was actually happening. After the break, I found that we had no less than five players ineligible. I recruited accordingly to fill some holes."
"We started out winning two of our first three games, including a hard-earned win in Burnaby against SFU. We were still looking good, not deep but the new players were filling in nicely. Then, we had the rug pulled out finding out three weeks into the campaign that two players and later a third were also ineligible. We reported it to the league immediately and had four points stripped from our total and never really recovered."
The WolfPack wound up losing their last 10 starts but still made the playoffs, bowing out to eventual league champion Selkirk College.
Schulz says the loss of the players made coaching a challenging experience.
"It was hard for everyone to handle and at times frustrating," he explains. "Of course, the injury bug reared its head in the second half as well. I went from having five healthy scratches in the first half to not having enough players to fill a line up."
Often, the WolfPack had only five defensemen and nine healthy forwards.
"When you take into account the number of players we lost academically and add the injuries: there were times in the second half that we had the equivalent of 12 players being out of the line up."
Schulz had a lot of praise for the players who did keep their grades up and were able to play.
"There are not enough complementary superlatives that I can say about those players. I emphasized not to focus on what was lost in our room but to celebrate what was left. They were survivors and were a band of brothers, coming together like never before. They didn’t lose their spirit and came together in the playoffs. They took Selkirk to overtime in the first game of the playoffs and challenged them in the second. They battled right ot the end."
Looking at his roster, the coach said there were a couple of big surprises.
"Alex Smith was one for sure. He had modest totals in junior and quite honestly, we almost missed the boat recruiting him. He turned out to be our leading hitter, got some special team time and was a regular in the line-up. Smitty has excellent speed and work ethic, moreover he doesn’t back down from anybody. He has more offensive upside that he gives himself credit for."
Schulz also singled out Steven Pantazopoulos.
"In the first half, it was hard for Steve to get into the line-up, mainly because of his foot speed. When he first came into camp he was a little over 220 pounds. He worked extremely hard throughout the first term and over the Christmas break."
"He is now down to 205 and looking lean and mean. His foot speed is still an opportunity but it’s like night and day as to what it was when he first arrived. He has an excellent attitude, leadership attributes and is a quality young man. He had his jersey retired by his old junior team (North Okanagan Knights of KIJHL), which is indicative of Steve's character."
The WolfPack went with three goaltenders this season, and looking ahead to 2014/15 that position is still up for grabs.
"Chris Solecki emerged as our number one at the end of the season," Schulz says. "In the playoffs, he showed some semblance of his potential. As to the position for next year, Mark Menicucci might have something to say about that that. Both these guys work extremely hard in practice and are both determined to be 'the guy'. Either way, I would say our goaltending future is looking bright."
Schulz and assistant coach Kevin Johnston, who both will return next season, will be doing a lot of recruiting over the coming months.
"We have just finished our exit interviews so we have a good handle on what is needed for next season. I can also say we have a good core returning. With what we showed in the playoffs, if we can fill with the right pieces of the puzzle we should be very successful. Kevin and I are confident that we can."
As a final look back at this season: "I would be remiss in not thanking our staff. Kevin Johnston is the best assistant coach anyone could have and I don't know what I would do without him. Andrew Fisher has the potential to be an awesome coach and certainly made his presence felt when he could make it."
"Jeremy Salamandyk is the best equipment manager around and does a yeoman's worth of work and he wears his heart on his sleeve. Steve Blundell has developed into an awesome general manager and does so much work behind the scenes its hard to fathom how he manages it. All are volunteers."
"I would also like to thank Ken Olynyk and Camilla Dahl for their assistance from the athletic department. We had to seek Ken's advice at times and want to thank him personally for his support."
Schulz adds: "Once again, I want to acknowledge Chris Hans who officially retired as the team's GM. Chis and his family are owed a wealth of gratitude. There would be no hockey at TRU without Chris; he along with Andre Larouche and Mitch Zulinick made it happen. This program was like a second full-time job and did Chris ever put in the hours not only representing this program but the league as well."
"I would have loved to bring home a championship in his last year. The cards dealt were not in our favor. He will always be a WolfPack hockey guy and deserves a wealth of respect and gratitude. Like our graduating players, Chris is ready for the next phase of his life. Hopefully he can elude injury on the golf course."
VICTORIA
SIMON FRASER
LOGAN LAKE
VANCOUVER ISLAN.
OKANAGAN
