UNC hockey team dominates UCCS

Fresh off last week's 6-1 exhibition victory against the Junior Outlaws, the UNC club ice hockey team was certainly headed in the right direction for their season opener Friday night against the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs club team.

With the Ice Haus bleachers packed, the Bears came out in a scoring mood and won thier first non-exhibition game of the season, 11-1.

After senior forward Winston Pappas put the Bears up 1-0 at 15:05 in the first period, sophomore forward Brooks Hazelton scored just 12 seconds later and the Bears never looked back.

However, the Bears' 11 goals weren't the only impressive statistic of the night.

Perhaps the truest testament to the Bears' play on Friday night was that the Mountain Lions could only muster 12 shots on goal, while the Bears were able to get 60 on net.

"We played both ends of the ice defensively, especially in the second and third periods," said Bears coach Al Brown. "For the first game of the season, I'm really happy about how we played both responsibilities well." 

Playing well would be an understatement when referring to Hazelton's performance in the victory. The sophomore transfer from Bemidji State in Minnesota pulled off a hat trick, and then some. He finished the game with four goals and an assist, leading the team with five points for the night.           

However, Hazelton said he wasn't about to take all the credit.

"I give a lot of credit to my line mates. We've been playing really well together," said Hazelton, who also said he appreciates the fan support at the games. "The atmosphere at the Ice Haus has been incredible. It's nothing like I expected for a club team." 

According to Brown, Hazelton isn't the only first-year Bear who's made an immediate contribution to the team.

"We've had three other rookies who have really added to our team," Hazelton said, referring to forward Travis Hitt, defenseman Tommy Thompson, and center Ryan Meyer.           

Thompson said keeping the momentum going into the Bears' game against Colorado State at 9 p.m. on Friday at the Ice Haus is important, but said his team can't afford to rest on their laurels.

"We have to come out and not be cocky after our first two wins," Thompson said. "We know that the team they have has been good in the past couple of years, and we have to just play our game."