Oftentimes college football and basketball teams will schedule some cupcake non-conference opponents to serve as a "warm-up" for their league schedule.
The UB men's club hockey team seems to have gone with the opposite approach.
The Ice Bulls went 0-3-1 on the road against some of the stiffest Division-I club hockey competition in the country the past two weeks. They begin league play looking for their first win this weekend when they open their home schedule against the Rochester Yellowjackets Friday and the St. Bonaventure Bonnies Saturday. Both games start at 7:35 p.m. and will be played at the Amherst Pepsi Center across from UB's North campus.
Buffalo started their season Oct. 4 with an 8-1 defeat at the hands of Eastern Michigan. The next night they suffered a heartbreaking 6-4 loss to Michigan-Dearborn. Last weekend the team earned a 3-3 tie with West Virginia then lost the back end of the weekend doubleheader 4-1.
Cupcake teams serve to build confidence, but playing with the big dogs is another way to accomplish the same goal.
"Our first four games were against our toughest competition all year. We came out with a lot of confidence, because in the past we haven't really even been able to play with teams," said UB Head Coach Mike Mannix. Mannix is in his first full season after taking over for former coach Richard Brooks. Brooks resigned in mid-season last year after he was caught playing an ineligible player.
The Ice Bulls roster is a well-balanced one. There are six freshmen, four sophomores, eight juniors, and five seniors. Only one of those seniors, however, will be manning the blue line at defense.
"We have strong goal tending and strong forwards, and we have a lot of young defensemen," team captain Sean Moskal said. "They have a little to learn still."
The coach is not the only thing that is different for UB. Buffalo switched leagues this year from the Central States Collegiate Hockey League (CSCHL) to the Eastern Collegiate Hockey League (ECHL). Both conferences are part of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) which governs several levels of college club hockey in the United States.
The change in leagues is a step down for the club. CSCHL teams receive more funding and consistently compete for the ACHA national championship. Buffalo went 2-14 in the CSCHL last season, finishing in last place. Six CSCHL teams made the national tournament last season while none from the ECHL reached the event. UB played in the ECHL before switching leagues two seasons ago. The team has won three ECHL championships in their history, the last coming in 1998-99.
"It's a lot easier . I would be shocked if we didn't do well in the playoffs, based on how we performed last year against the teams that are in this league," Moskal said.
Rochester looks to be the tougher of the two teams for this weekend's home opener. The Yellowjackets finished fourth in the league last year with an 8-6-0 record. They have a similar record of success as UB, winning the league championship three times in their history. Only Mercyhurst has won the league more often than UB or Rochester (four times).
"They are very good defensively, especially stopping teams coming into their zone," Mannix said. "The key is being able to get the puck past their first line of defense and set up some offense."
St. Bonaventure took a giant leap back last season in ECHL play. After finishing sixth in the league in 2000-01 with a 3-8-1 record, the team went winless last year. The Bonnies managed to accumulate just one point during a 0-13-1 campaign in 2001-02, landing them at the bottom of the league of eight.
So how does Mannix feel about the Ice Bulls' upcoming game against St. Bonaventure?
"We should be able to beat up on them pretty good," Mannix said bluntly.
All UB home games are free to students with I.D. Tickets cost $3 for the general public.
