After the St. Thomas men’s hockey team returned from a pivotal trip to Bowling Green, Ohio, coach Rico Blasi kept things moving smoothly at a Feb.11 morning practice, “one weekend at a time,” he said.
St. Thomas won one of two games against then third-place Bowling Green State University in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. St. Thomas sits fifth with a 11-9-4 conference record.
“Hard-fought weekend, we’re on the road and that is a tough thing on any sport, any league. All-and-all we had a pretty good weekend,” Blasi said. “Now we have a week off, get a chance to heal up some of our injuries … battling sickness still within our team.”
But throughout the season, the Tommies have already undergone uncertainty.
St. Thomas faced a 5-game winless skid heading into the holiday season and closed out the calendar year 4-10-4 with a loss, at the time, to No. 15 St. Cloud State.
Since then, the Tommies went January almost undefeated (7-1-1). Now, St. Thomas has a realistic chance of leaping Michigan Tech University for fourth place. But a few months ago, it was unlikely.
“We knew that we had what it took, even in that tough stretch … The biggest thing was just sticking together and working for each other and just turning that page with the new year,” senior goaltender Jake Sibell said.
But Blasi said the mindset never changed and that everyone remained focused on the identity and culture of the team.
“We were playing some good hockey, we were just not getting results,” Blasi said while discussing an early season slump.
Yet, arguably the most impressive performance came in defense.
The second game against Bowling Green featured a record-breaking performance. Sibell saved 57 shots — a St. Thomas record — capping a 2-1 victory.
“I was just seeing the puck well,” Sibell said. “Our team was doing a good job of keeping the shots to the outside. I could just tell that they were just going to start floating everything on net.”
By the end of the first period, Sibell had 24 saves and said the team “picked up” on the special performance. Sibell averages 28 saves per game and ranks fourth among CCHA goalies while sharing the net with junior goaltender Aaron Trotter.
“Having fun on the bench helps, but always staying ready in practice, and trying to compete with Trotter and doing everything the right way so when I get the opportunity I’m ready to go,” Sibell said.
St. Thomas men’s hockey timely execution, such as Sibell’s, have captured national attention.
Senior forward Liam Malmquist was nominated for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, which is annually given to the NCAA’s top men’s ice hockey player.
Malmquist also set a St. Thomas record with 32 points –and counting– in January and is top 20 in points at the Division I level.
“He’s got a great work ethic. Super positive. Really demands a lot of himself on a day-to-day basis. I’m just proud of how he handles everything, in the way he approaches the game and practices,” Blasi said.
But Malmquist’s historic season detoured over the last few weeks. He failed to score a point in the last six games prior to the series against Northern Michigan University. Blasi said he is not worried about the cooldown.
“Teams key on him a little bit more. He’s playing well; it’s not a matter of whether he’s gonna score points. (Malmquist) understands his role, what he needs to do,” Blasi said.
The Tommies head into the home-stretch with one series left. They will close out the season hosting Michigan Tech Feb. 28, possibly the last game at St. Thomas Ice Arena if the Tommies fail to secure home advantage for the postseason.
“Be in the moment, the season will be over in a heartbeat. We have to stay focused. We’re not worried about where we’re gonna play in the playoffs. If we are at home, great, if not, we still have to go out and play the games,” Blasi said.
Juan Del Valle can be reached at delv9625@stthomas.edu
