Ice Hockey keeps ‘killer instinct’

By Aaron Smith

They don’t just want to win. They want to win big.

The UK club hockey team has sprinted to a 12-1 start, and while the team is happy with the number in the win column, the most important thing is the way they got many of those victories.

“A win is a win, but when we are capable of winning big we have to do it,” UK head coach Rob Docherty said. “We need that killer instinct, that ability to get opponents on their heels.”

The Cool Cats have proven themselves more than capable. An explosive offense allows the team to jump on teams early, build on the lead and continue to pour in goals. UK has scored 109 goals on the season and has beat teams by a margin of four goals or more seven times already.

With UK seeking a high postseason berth, that ability to crush the competition pays off at the end of the season, where success hinges on past performance. Crushing an unranked team by a large margin enhances the team’s reputation in the eyes of the voters. Merely beating a cellar-dweller can damage the notion that UK belongs at the top of the standings.

“What we do in September and October affects what happens in February when the seedings come out,” Docherty said. “Voters look at how you win – good wins, bad losses – and what we do now matters an awful lot in the end.”

That mentality pays dividends on the ice, too. Most of the huge wins have come against teams that sit below them in the standings, but beating the bad teams helps UK keep the mentality needed to defeat the good teams. Satisfaction with simply getting a result against unranked teams can breed bad habits.

“We can’t be content with a win, we need to keep that killer instinct and want to run up the score,” junior goalie Jim Borgaard said. “I love to see the offense when they keep firing the puck.”

The ability to keep the team skating end to end for 60 minutes, rather than switching on cruise control, can be chalked up to depth and maturity. UK plays four lines deep and all have shown they can have success, and veterans have stepped up as leaders to ensure the team doesn’t get complacent with a big lead.

“The experienced players realize how important [winning by a wide margin] is,” junior defender Andrew Serres said. “In previous years we would let teams get back in the game, but this year we’ve matured and we keep pressing as if the score was tied.”

If the whole team has adopted this mentality – no mercy, play to the final buzzer – thanks to senior and assistant captain Tony Valerino. As the leader of the team, he is the heart of the offense, and the pulse never slows down.

“It’s the drive within him,” said Docherty. “He’s out to win.  If he can score 20, he’ll score 20.  If he can get a hat trick within the first minute, he’ll want that hat trick.”

UK may be able to outscore their opponent by a dozen, but their ability to win big should not be confused with bad sportsmanship.

“It’s a fine line, and we know that,” Docherty said.  “But we’re not out to embarrass anyone. We just have to prove our value against some of these teams we play and the only way to do that is play as hard as we can for 60 minutes.”

The team loves having a permanent green light. After all, who doesn’t want to go out and impose their will on an opponent?

“Everyone enjoys it,” Serres said.  “I mean, beating a team is fun, but really sticking it to a team is even better.”