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Coach's Corner - John Bosch - July 2005 |
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With summer upon us, and another recruiting season almost in the books,
it’s just about time to start looking ahead toward the start of the
2005-2006 season. It’s with great pride that we start our tenth season
of competition in the ACHA. Before we get into the specifics of the new
exciting schedule that finds the Billikens on home ice 19 times and dips
back into some old rivalries for the tenth anniversary season. How about
if we turn back the clock for a few moments? Wow, ten years ago, what
was happening ten years ago with SLU Hockey? Well, right about this time
ten years ago, I was gathering as many players as possible that were
already enrolled at SLU and just getting the word out around St. Louis
to as many of the “good players” around town that could handle the
course work and schedule that we would play. My core players then
started with the “Big Seven” our Captain, Chris Benigno (Forward, CBC
Prep HS), Assistant Captain, Matt Jost (Forward, CBC Prep HS), Assistant
Captain, Brendan Moore (Forward, DeSmet Prep HS), Jeff Bennet (Forward,
CBC Prep HS), Chris Coulter (Forward, Chaminade Prep HS), Bill Zerega
(Defense Vianney Prep HS) and Jasson Price (St. Louis Blues Junior B).
These players provided the first “heartbeat” of Saint Louis University
Hockey as we know it today. It was because of their competitiveness that
the team was founded and why I personally continued to develop the team
over these past ten years. In any good organization you need leaders,
these seven players, night in and night out competed hard and led by
example. I am proud to have been associated with these gentlemen in
hockey but also honored just to get to know them at all. From time to
time, and not often enough, we still see each other and when we do the
first question from each of them is “How’s the team looking this season,
Coach?”. After all these seasons, they still want to know, and quite
honestly if it were up to them, they would be lacing up their skates
again just to try and compete in one more game for SLU. These players
had a passion for the game and today have a passion for their team. But
they also had a supporting cast around them. Players that were equally
important in helping the team during our first season.
Nows about as good as time as any to throw a trivia question out there.
Who did the Billikens play in their first ever home game at the U.S. Ice
Sports Complex on October 11, 1996? I’ll give you the answer a bit
later.
The rest of the original roster was comprised of the following members;
Alex Graham (Goaltender, Vianney Prep HS), Player Rep - Jon Wofford
(Goaltender, DeSmet Jesuit Prep HS), Chris Smith (Forward, Fort Zummwalt
HS), Eddie Moiser (Forward, Fox HS), Jason Clark (Forward, Granite City
HS), Mike Good (Defense, Hazelwood Central), Rich Kling (Forward, DeSmet
Jesuit Prep HS), Brian McGraw (Defense, DeSmet Jesuit Prep HS), Lee Hale
(Defense, Lindbergh HS), Tim Watkins (Forward), Vince Ko (Forward,
Parkway Central HS) Dale Rossan (Forward, CBC Prep HS), Pete Odman
(Defense, Webster Groves HS), Vince Marino (Forward, St. Louis
University Prep HS), Joe Caspermeyer (Forward) and Tom Hill (Forward).
In total, 23 men hit the ice that first season for SLU.
Time for another trivia question. But before I give you the question,
here’s the answer to the last question above, University of Illinois. So
here’s another question, what was the Billikens win loss record for
their first season? Hmmm….
Well, all in all, it was a very rewarding experience bringing the
original team together and now, just like in the beginning the players
stay very close with each other. I have attended graduations, and then
it seems frequently weddings of our players where one of the other
players are standing up as the Best Man. I guess that just about says it
all. When the best man in your wedding has played on the ice with you,
lived in cramped quarters for the entire season on road trips, taken
long bus trips, etc… you get pretty tight as life long friends and
that’s the byproduct of our efforts putting the SLU Billikens on the
ice.
OK, the record in season one, 11-15-0. Not so bad for a group of players
that came together through some luck, coincidence and planning. I could
go on with other trivia questions but I digress.
With regard to the 10th Anniversary schedule, we have mixed in a few
teams that SLU has not faced in years that were on the very first
schedule. The University of Missouri – Columbia (Mizzou) visits Saint
Louis on Friday October 7, 2005 and Saturday October 8, 2005. The DePaul
University team visits the Billikens late in the season on Friday,
February 3, 2006 and Saturday February 4, 2006. And we are currently in
negotiation with the St. Louis Blues Alumni team to play us in a mid
August, 2005 game to benefit a youth player in the Kirkwood
organization. All three of the teams mentioned above appeared on the
first schedule for the Billikens ten years ago and for “old time sake”
and a great cause we look forward to meeting them in competition again
in the 2005-2006 season.
Again, it’s with great pride and dedication that we put together our
teams for the 2005-2006 campaigns at the Division 1 and Division 2
level. We invite you out to all of our functions this coming season as
we celebrate “A Decade of Hockey Excellence”. Why not get a foursome
together for our Annual Golf Outing on Sunday September 18, 2005 at the
newly redesigned, Forest Park Golf Course, or attend the Annual Blue and
White Games on Saturday evening September 17, 2005 when the D1 Bills
face off against the SLU Billiken Alumni Players at 6:30 p.m. followed
by the D2 teams game against Western Illinois University. If you can’t
get there for these events and want to help the team maybe placing an ad
in the 10th Anniversary Game Night Program or as a Banner Ad on our
website would be appropriate. Please see the fund raising section of our
website www.sluhockey.com for all the details. |
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