The Men’s Hockey team has lost its last three preseason games. While you might be inclined to write the season off, there’s no reason to panic just yet.
On Sept. 20, the Gaels lost a close 2-1 game against their rival, the Western Mustangs. While they would’ve liked to win, this matchup came just a day after Queen’s beat the Laurier Golden Hawks 3-1, so fatigue more than likely played a role in the narrow loss.
A week later, on Sept. 27, the Gaels travelled to Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) to play against the Bold. The Gaels played a solid game, entering the third period with a 2-1 lead. However, a highlight-reel goal from TMU’s Jaden Condotta tied the game at two, with the Gaels eventually losing to the Bold in a shootout.
In another double-header, the Gaels followed up on Sept. 28 with a game against the Ottawa Gee-Gees in Ottawa, Ont. Against the Gee-Gees, the Gaels faced a tough 3-1 loss, their largest loss of the preseason thus far.
While some may see the streak of losses and question the competency of this year’s Gaels squad, there are several reasons to remain optimistic about the Gaels’ ability to make a deep playoff run.
Firstly, the Gaels were playing a vastly different roster than we should expect to see on opening night, with many upper-year and exciting prospects left off the roster.
This isn’t unusual for preseason rosters, as coaches will take the opportunity to see how their developing players play in game scenarios, which are vastly different from the atmosphere of a practice.
Secondly, there are pockets of superstardom on this Gaels roster. Nolan Hutcheson, ArtSci ’25, scored in all but one preseason game this season and has a strong vote of confidence from the Head Coach of the Men’s Hockey team, Brett Gibson, who said in an interview with The Journal this summer, “I think Nolan Hutcheson is going to be an elite player in this league.”
Lastly, goalies get better as they get more reps. Although a goals-against-average (GAA) of 2.4 is very strong—which the Gaels’ goaltenders posted—these games could’ve very well been shutouts had our goaltenders been in mid-season form.
Preseason games don’t count towards the standings for a reason. Coaches take risks and experiment with their lineups, and players and goalies work to find their rhythm throughout these games. So, there really isn’t any cause for concern regarding this year’s Gaels team.
The OUA regular season gets underway in October, with the Gaels taking to the Memorial Center in Kingston, on Oct. 4 where they’ll face off against the Concordia Stingers.
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