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Brady Griffin blocks a shot attempt during a February 2019 game.
Ice Bears have high hopes for 20th season STEPHEN TERRILL Sports Editor @Stevethe2nd The Missouri State club hockey team is looking to return to the postseason after missing the national tournament last season. The Ice Bears play in Division I of the American Collegiate Hockey Association. The ACHA has over 400 teams across three men’s divisions and two women’s divisions. Last season the team placed 30th out of 70 Division I teams. The two seasons prior the Ice Bears made it to the national tournament, which takes only the top 18 teams. Head coach Jeremy Law said the team is looking to make a return to top 10 form. A resurgence will have to be done through a combination of new and familiar faces, including last season’s top forward line of senior center Josh Bell, junior winger Hunter Cooley and senior winger Alex Rubin. The three combined for 100 points last season. Senior defensemen Brian Schumacher and Sam Hiserodt are back for a fifth year and will likely be the top defensive pairing. Senior goaltender Brady Griffin is also returning for a fifth year. In net he is joined by senior goaltender Bailey Stephens. The pair have split goalie duties the past two seasons. “I’m excited with our fifth-year commitments,” Law said. “These guys have been here a long time,
and they know how I like to do things. They’ll be good mentors to the younger guys.” The Ice Bears will have a balanced roster in terms of age thanks to the new faces. There are at least six players in each class, which is a departure from last season’s roster that had 13 seniors on it. The age balance is going to have a big effect in the defensive third of the ice. “We have a lot more defensive depth this year,” Law said. “We were short-handed all of last year, and that’s no knock on the guys. We were just short on numbers. This year we have 10 committed defensemen that all have experience at a high level. My gut tells me that we’re going to be good on the back end.” The Ice Bears will need defensive depth as the Western Collegiate Hockey League, which the Ice Bears are a part of, is expanding to 10 teams this year — up from seven. The Ice Bears will be in the east division which includes Oklahoma, Central Oklahoma, Colorado and Colorado State. Both Oklahoma teams have been top-ranked teams in recent years. The west division will have Arizona, Arizona State, and new teams Nevada Las Vegas, Utah and Grand Canyon. Both Arizona teams and UNLV were ranked in the top 20 DI teams last season. Law said he thinks the combination of roster depth and quality opponents to play will allow the team to compete at a high level. “I expect us to definitely be more successful than we were last year,” Law said. “Not to be arrogant or cocky but I fully expect us to be at nationals in Boston come March. Our goal is to always be a top-10 team in the country, and we have the potential to do that.” The Ice Bears plan to open the season at home against Illinois State on Sept. 25, but that could change with the state of COVID-19. The Ice Bears play their home games at Jordan Valley Ice Park at 635 E Trafficway St in downtown Springfield, which is a 15-minute walk from campus.
