Cool Cats show ability to play with best

By Aaron Smith

It took a two-time reigning national champion to cool off the UK men’s hockey team.

The Cool Cats (8-1) lost the first game of their season after building an eight-game winning streak. UK fell to two-time defending national champion Davenport 10-6 in their third matchup in the ACHA Division II National Showcase. Multiple players deemed the Davenport game the most important match of the year, but UK was unable to pull off the upset.

“We fell down 5-0 in the first period, and it was up to the players to decide how the rest of the game was going to go,” UK head coach Rob Docherty said. “They chose to buckle down and play with pride, and it showed a lot of character.”

Even with the Cats’ loss to Davenport, the team had a successful tournament. UK beat Missouri 8-5 on Friday behind a hat trick by junior forward Taylor Vit, then followed that up with a last-minute comeback 5-4 win against Robert Morris in overtime on Saturday.

The Cats’ performance in the showcase proved they belong on the ice against any opponent, no matter their pedigree, said senior forward Nick Skuraton. Even if that opponent happens to be the back-to-back national champions.

“We know we can compete with the top teams (in the nation),” Skuraton said. “And we’ve taken the next step. We are one of the top teams now.”

“It was a great team-building tournament,” Docherty said. “We needed to show we can play with the top teams, the big boys, and we did that. We are a team to be reckoned with.”

If the showcase was a measuring stick for UK, then the Cats proved they are legitimate players on the national scene.

“We’re good enough to compete for the championship the way we’re playing right now,” said UK general manager Ian Ward. “But there’s still a lot of hockey left to go, and we have to keep improving. But anything is possible.”

The Cats are no strangers to success. UK consistently ranks near the top of their division, and two years ago made the year-end, 16-team national tournament. The team currently sits atop the Southeast Division (one of four divisions that comprise the ACHA Division II league), and the players feel they have that something extra going for them.

“We’ve always had all the talent in the world in previous years,” Skuraton said. “This year, our chemistry is really where it needs to be.”

Junior defender Andrew Serres echoed that sentiment.

“Everything just seems to be better,” he said. “Our speed, our passing, it all just seems to be clicking right now. And our chemistry has been a huge factor this year.”

While chemistry can play a role in racking up victories, it still takes talent. Senior forward Tony Valerino leads the nation with 15 goals through the Cats’ first eight games. His performance keys an offense that is averaging 8.9 goals per game.

UK knows its own success means opposing teams will bring their best against them.

“We like having a bull’s-eye on our backs,” Valerino said. “It’s a challenge that we embrace, and we’ve been able to rise to the occasion so far this year.”

“We know we have to earn every win and play a full 60 minutes every time out on the ice,” Docherty said. “We know nothing will be given to us, but we’ll be ready.”