Gnarly new Red Ice shirts now on sale

Maybe I'm biased, but that's an awesome shirt. Simple. Bloody. Effective. The team's just started selling these bad boys for $10 on it's merch site, and all proceeds support the team athletically. Fill in your own jock strap joke here ___________________, fill out an order form here, then fill the Simoni bleachers in your badass new shirt whilst you fulfill your bloodlust.

First Game of the Season

September 29, 2008

(A little backdated, but I suppose better late than never.)

The first game of the season was last night, and I was super excited to go! I always love the first game! Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to go to the second, and probably the third, I was ready to get my hockey fix for the week.

Emerson faced off against Bentley, another local area college, at Simoni Rink. I didn’t know what to expect for this game; I heard rumors that the team was back and better than ever, but it had been a long summer… Maybe it would be a little rusty.

The first few minutes of the game were solid. Greg Cohen (2010) played well in net as the rest of the Emerson Lions tried their hardest to defend against Bentley. Perhaps the summer proved to be too much. After a quick two goals, Emerson held off their opponent for the rest of the period, but finally grew tired and another three goals slipped in.

Again, over the next two periods, between a barrage of penalties, powerplays, and attempted shots, Emerson came up short with a final score of 0-16. The Emerson fans were proud nonetheless, and cheered enthusiastically for their fellow Lions as the end of the third period curtailed play. I can’t say that as fans we were surprised—after all, the 06-07 season saw only a few wins, as did 07-08—but we are still hopeful for the rest of the season to come. I blame it on summer rust. Give it a few games, and things will be moving like an oiled machine.

(Picture coming soon! Keep checking back!)

An Introduction of Sorts

My name is Jessica, and I am an Emerson Hockey fan. Yes, an EMERSON Hockey fan. I am a proud member of RED ICE, the Emerson Hockey fan club, and I’m usually at almost all of the game during the course of a season. I’m notorious for taking lots of pictures at said games, wandering around the rink with my camera in hand and my EC Hockey playlist blaring through my headphones.

I am an Emerson Hockey fan.

My fascination with the sport started two years ago thanks to one of my close friends, Lance Ning. Through some way, shape or form, I ended up at Emerson’s first hockey game with a bunch of my floormates—who I still attend games with on a pretty regular basis—and became completely entranced. I’m not a big sports follower. I like the Red Sox, and if I have some free time, I love going to or watch the games on TV. I was never one of those kids in high school who went to the varsity sports games on a regular basis. Hell, before I met Lance, I barely even understood hockey.

I am an Emerson Hockey fan.

I have walked back from UMass Boston in the pouring rain at 12am, praying that I’d make the last T back to campus. I have trekked out to Canton from Boston to see this team play. I have recruited friends countless times in hopes that they too will see how wonderful these boys are. I have shot countless amounts of pictures—it must be somewhere close to 3000 by now—at the games, crossing my fingers that I’ll get at least a few that are absolutely astounding.

I am an Emerson Hockey fan.

I’d be lying if I said that I understood all the rules of this game. I’m not going to claim that in any such way. I go to these games to see people play their hearts out, leave it all out on the ice and give it their best one-two punch. I go to these games because these people have passion, and heart. And although they don’t win every single time, I keep coming back. The way I see it, there’s no reason they don’t deserve every ounce of support in the world. I go to these games sometimes—okay, a lot of the time—for the checking, and the intensity. The players are loyal, dedicated, and admirable.

I am an Emerson Hockey fan.

Summer Retreat Interviews #2: Rookie Defenseman Hunter Lydon

Thanks to the miracle of modern video technology, rookie defenseman Hunter Lydon will now introduce himself to you:



If it weren't for that other modern miracle we know as Facebook, Lydon says he wouldn't have known Emerson had a hockey team:



His first impressions of the team?



Like most hockey players, he was introduced young and the game never left his heart:



Lydon said he's a bit worried about transitioning his roller hockey skills to the ice, as the mindplay is similar but things like stopping and hitting are vastly different. He'd do well to speak to fellow defenseman Justin DeMarco, who also had to trade his wheels for steel.

As far as his style of play is concerned, Hunter fits into the mold of a classic stay-at-home defenseman, and he acknowledges there are a few areas of his game that need improvement:



Is he ready to "make school his number 1 priority and hockey his number 2," as assistant captain Pete Keeling asked of all his teammates recently?



Sounds like a yes to me.

Interesting fact about Hunter: he is not a fan of any NHL team and finds hockey boring to watch on TV. He'd rather be watching a good movie or working on one. A lot of the guys found it hard to believe.

He was probably one of the first to fall asleep during the late night viewing of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em 6. I'll have everyone know I watched it through to the end.

And rewound it.

Next up: a lengthy and thought-provoking interview on hockey and rap with assistant captain Pete Keeling, due sometime next week. I'll be on vacation until then, but if you have something you'd like to contribute to the blog, email me and I'll make sure it goes up.

Summer Retreat Interviews #1: Goalie Zach Wilson '09

This is the first of three interviews I shot at the summer retreat which took place at defenseman Sean Legnini's home in Avalon, NJ at the end of August.

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Zach Wilson will be a senior this year, and this Fall is his last in Boston, as he'll be spending his Spring at the school's L.A. program, hoping to get a leg up on his career in television. Wilson has been with the team the past two seasons, serving as backup goalie to Greg Cohen and sharing the net with Lance Ning last Spring while Cohen was in the Netherlands.

Off the ice, Wilson is very involved in the EVVYs production team, and is the head of the TRF sports production unit, which puts together award-winning multi-camera coverage of many Emerson athletic events, including hockey.

Here's a highlight reel from an Emerson/Berklee game the EVVY's shot and Zach edited together to some music:

I accidentally hit him in the back with a puck at practice one night last season, but he was gracious enough to forgive me for that. We played 18 holes of miniature golf on the Ocean City boardwalk (don't go to Congo Falls Golf -- sure the large gorilla is alluring, but every hole is an unimaginative par 2) and we sat down for an interview the next day over hamburgers.

Here, Zach talks about how the retreat helped build "teamraderie," as he put it:

Teamraderie is especially beneficial should you fall out of a kayak:

Getting down to brass tacks, Zach appraises the team's ability for TV coverage:

...and talks about how games being shown on the Emerson Channel would bring the team more exposure:

He feels the condensed schedule this year will be a challenge for the team:

But a little later, he added: "I think if the younger guys stick to it and really get committed from the beginning it'll be a lot easier because they'll be used to it as opposed to like trying to add stuff to the schedule."

Finally, let's go back in time a bit. To about... 1991, when Wilson appeared on Sesame Street (he comes in around 1:40):

I think I had the same haircut when I was 4 years old, LOL... He told some of the other guys and I that he was in a couple more episodes, too.

If you want to see more of Zach's work off the ice, visit his YouTube page at: http://www.youtube.com/user/ZWilsonFilms

Hockey hits big at org. fair

Spoke to defenseman Sean Legnini this weekend and he was delighted to inform me that many Emersonians stopped by the team's booth at the organization fair (org. fair) last Friday.

More than 100 hockey fans pledged their support by adding their names to the team's e-mail list, and 8 students approached Legnini, Keeling and other members of the team about playing this Fall.

Two of those students are sophomores who were unaware the school even had a hockey team, and the other six are freshmen.

"One of the freshmen played varsity and his team went to the Flyers Cup, which is a tournament for the best high school team in eastern Pennsylvania," Legnini told me. "So he's probably pretty good."

It is unknown at this point how many or which of the 8 will actually play in games. The team's coach and captains will be assessing the new talent in the three practices leading up to next Sunday's season opener against Bentley.

Both captain Gwizdowski and assistant captain Keeling have indicated to me that anyone who shows enthusiasm and commitment will be given the opportunity to play.

Fall 2008 Schedule

Circle November 8th on your calendar (I know I have) as that's when this year's Boylston Cup will be fought for at Walter Brown Arena. The Lions also face some tough opponents this year in club squads from Bentley and Merrimack, both schools that have NCAA hockey programs.

Thu Sept 18: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Tue Sept 23: Practice @ Walter Brown. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Thu Sept 25: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Sun Sept 28: Game vs. Bentley. Simoni. 7:30pm-9:20pm.

Tues Sept 30: Game vs. Merrimack. Simoni. 10:00-11:50pm.

Thu Oct 2: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Sat Oct 4: Game vs. TBA . Simoni. 8:50pm-10:40pm.

Tue Oct 7: Game vs. Berklee. Simoni. 8:00pm-9:50pm.

Thu Oct 9: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Tue Oct 14: Practice @ Walter Brown. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Thu Oct 16: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Sun Oct 19: Away Game @ RISD. 9:30pm. Brown Rink.

Tues Oct 21: Practice @ Walter Brown. 11:00pm-11:50pm

Thu Oct 23: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Fri Oct 24: Away Game @ Berklee. Simoni. 9:00-10:40pm.

Sat Oct 25: Away Game @ Bentley. Waltham, MA. 10:00pm.

Thu Oct. 30: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Sat Nov. 1: Game vs. TBA. Simoni. 8:50pm-10:40pm.

Wed Nov. 5: Game vs. Clark. Simoni. 8:00pm-9:50pm.

Thu Nov 6: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Sat Nov 8: Boylston Cup vs. Berklee. 5:00pm. Walter Brown.

Sun. Nov 9: Away Game @ Clark. 10:00pm-11:50pm.

Thu Nov 13: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Sun Nov 16: Game vs. MCC. Simoni. 7:30pm-9:20pm.

Tue Nov 18: Practice @ Walter Brown. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Thu Nov. 20: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Mon Dec 1: Game vs. Suffolk. Simoni. 8:00-9:50pm.

Tue Dec 2: Game @ MCC. Billerica, MA. 10:20pm-12:00am.

Thu Dec 4: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

According to Pete Keeling, there are a few away dates to be determined with Suffolk, Merrimack, Brandeis and RISD, so I'll update when he gets those scheduled. And I know that I'm not the only alum who'd like to see an alumni vs. current team game added...