By Brian Koefoot–

The Gonzaga Hockey team is approaching the end of its season with a record of 14-6-3. The Eagles are currently playing very well in the MAPHL AA division with a record of 11-2-2. At this point last year, they were a respectable 8-7-3. A difference between this year and last year has been taking care of business against weaker opponents. “It’s just going swell,” said defenseman Ryan Christiano, senior, when asked about how the season is going. “The squad’s looking real sharp right now coming into the playoffs.”

The Eagles are currently on a streak, having lost one out of their last seven games. The season comes to an end on Feb. 10. Team chemistry has led to some brilliant team play in the last few weeks.

“[We’re] getting a lot closer with the boys, just making sure that overall we’re comfortable with each other on and off the ice, ” said senior John Glasow, forward.

The greatest threat to the Eagles in the MAPHL is the St John’s Cadets. The Cadets’ first team is closely behind the Eagles in the MAPHL with an 8-2-0 record in league play. Many players expressed they were the toughest opponent in the conference. With many difficult games in the future, the coaches have found ways to give the team some extra motivation. 

“The coaches [are] gassing us; they’re getting us going with bags, skates, practices [and] team dinners. Pregame, their speeches really get us going,” Christiano said. 

The Eagles have also learned from mistakes from past games.

“We have a never give up mentality that stems from these experiences and it really showed in our late-game comeback against Prep,” said senior Jack Trevisan, goaltender.

The Eagles should begin the playoffs with a high seed and great team chemistry. The Eagles’ next important game is on Feb. 10 against the Cadets at Fort Dupont Ice Arena.