NAU Mountain Showcase

December 10, 2013

FLAGSTAFF-- The NAU Division II hockey team ended the three night, NAU Mountain Showcase, with two out of three wins for the weekend. 

On Thursday night, the Ice Jacks had a rematch against the Weber State Wildcats, and came back with revenge. The last time these two teams faced off was back in Utah when NAU took a 6- 3 loss. The Ice Jacks beat the Wildcats 5-4.

On Friday night, the Ice Jacks met their in-state rivals, the ASU Sun Devils. And once again they took another loss, this time it was 6-4. The Ice Jacks unfortunately were not able to get around ASU's superb defense, as the Sun Devils got around NAU no problem. The next time that the DII team will face off is January 24 and 25.

And for the last game of the NAU Mountain Showcase, NAU took on the San Jose State Spartans. The previous time that they met up was in San Jose November 8 when the Ice Jacks lost a big 7-5. And once again, NAU came back with revenge, beating the Spartans 6-4.

The DII Ice Jacks will have a nice winter break as they will face Texas A&M on January 9 and 10 back here in Flagstaff. Until then, there will be no hockey games just in time for the holidays.

Know Your Ice Jacks- James Korte

December 9 2013

The Division II Ice Jacks hockey team has had a tough schedule, but despite their  losses and tough playing, good defense is crucial. James Korte, senior goaltender for the DII Ice Jacks knows what it is like dealing with the pressure playing tough teams.

Playing hockey since he was just a kid at age seven, Korte didn't expect to become a goaltender, until his dad persuaded him into it. 

"My dad said, 'you wanna play goalie for this team?' and I was like sure, so I just put on the pads and just stayed goalie for the rest of the 15 years."

James Korte is coming close to ending his collegiate career at NAU. With 549 saves with a .874 percentage so far, ending his career with a bang is what it looks like can happen. 

But being goaltender can have its ups and downs. One day you will have a great day with 40 saves for the night, and another you will suffer an injury, and injuries are one thing that Korte has had to overcome.

"My freshman year I had two sports hernias like a month into the season, so I had to get surgery on those" he said.  And the injuries don't stop three years back; this year, he hurt his knee. Luckily none of these injuries have been as bad as they can be, but it is still dangerous.

Sitting on the bench during these games is not one of his favorite things to do, but sometimes it is the best thing that needs to be done.

During the DII games against Loyola Marymount Uuniversity back on October18 and 19, Korte was spending his time on the bench after he tweaked his knee in the first game. 

"It really sucked to watch" he said.  "We were up 3-1 when I came out, and they ended u tying the game. And it's really frustrating to watch from the bench and you can't really do anything about it. "

Korte has so only missed a few games prior to his last injury. From then he has switched out with alternate goaltender Anthony Caruso.

"It's a privilege to play with him, I've learned quite a bit from watching him in games and practices, he has this great balance of control and athleticism. He's able to get across the net in a hurry anytime he needs to, and still stay calm in the process." Caruso says.

Despite injuries and bumps on the ice that Korte experiences, one thing that he knows for sure is that playing with the Ice Jacks has been such a privilege.

"This year has been the best for chemistry and everything. We're all coming together as a team and it's been really nice." Korte says.

One thing that a few teammates mentioned about Korte is that whenever he gets scored on during a game, he is not the person to talk to. Getting mad is something that happens, as it happens to the best of us.

And it isn't just Caruso who thinks he is a good, genuine player, other teammates can agree.

"James is a great goaltender, he shows lots of emotion on the ice"  Forward Dylan Blankenship says. "He's kind of a leader even though he doesn't wear a letter" 

Having a letter on your chest is always an honor, but the fact that James Korte only carries a number, says a lot about a person. As there are plenty of men on the Ice Jacks that we can all say deserve a C or A on their chest, Korte doesn't need one to be such a star player.

"He's really competitive too", Blankenship adds. "If he gets scored on, you don't want to talk to him because he's mad." 

But if there was no emotion shown from Korte, there wouldn't be much care. And Korte is one of the players that shows he cares about the game and practices.

Forward Ben Russell, another one of Korte's friends on the DII Ice Jacks says, "he's a fun guy to have on the team on and off the ice...he's for the boys." And in a tough game of hockey, staying true to your team and keeping your composure, is always needed.

But sometimes keeping composure is a tougher thing to do. Back in November during the game against ASU, there was some scuffle between the refs on the ice, Korte, and Coach Travis Johanson which threw both Korte and the coach, out of the game.

"It happens. I didn't agree with what the refs said, and I said something that I probably could not have said on the ice." 

But dealing issues like these will happen.

NAU Ice Jacks Updates

December 8, 2013

Well it looks like someone is looking fancy

Recently, the NAU Hockey team got new uniforms that have kept everyone's eyes open, or maybe even squinting. The Division III Ice Jacks got a new shipment of uniforms from Europe that has changed their entire look.

Most people would be excited about new uniforms, but rather than the blue background with bold gold letters, the new uniforms are harder to read from the stands.

With a white background and thin yellow numbers, it is definitely harder to see from the stands who is who. The best way of knowing now is by knowing where the Ice Jacks are on the ice. So with these new uniforms, were they a good idea, or more so a bad one?

So, the men are looking how this season? Good? Bad?

With the season slowly winding down for both Division II and Division III hockey teams here at NAU, their practicing is becoming extremely crucial.  So far, it has not been a bad season for the DII team, but over with the DIII team, it has been a little bit easier.

The DII Ice Jacks have a 13-13 record after beating San Jose State University Saturday night in part of the NAU Mountain Showcase. It is not so much that the Ice Jacks have not been playing good, it is more that the team s that they easily beat last year, have come back with revenge this season.

And the DIII Ice Jacks are 13-5-1, but one thing to remember is that they have been playing some community colleges, or even smaller universities, rather than the DII team. Despite the DIII team playing UCLA, ASU, and BYU, they have managed to squeak those wins right by.

Welcome home boys!

After being on the road for the entire month of November, being back in Flagstaff is what the Ice Jacks need to get back into their ways of playing. The Division II team was back here in Flagstaff for the NAU Mountain Showcase this past weekend, but the DIII team is now back on the road, and won't come back until the end of January.

That in-state struggle through!

It has always been that ASU vs. U of A rivalry, but when it comes to club hockey, NAU and ASU seem to be the hot game of the weekend at Jay Lively. Every single game that NAU plays against ASU, whether it is the Division II or Division III team, there always seems to be at least one fight that breaks out.

The last time that the DII team met up with the Sun Devils was last Friday during the NAU Mountain Showcase as they lost, 6-4. The last time that the DIII team met up with them was Friday  November 22 and Saturday November  23 when they took back-to-back wins, beating them 4-3 on Friday, and again 5-4 on Saturday.

The next time that the Ice Jacks will meet up with the Sun Devils is in Tempe on January 17 and 18 for the DIII team, and January 24 and 25 in Tempe as well for the DII team.

Your playing this season could be record breaking!

Gregory Park, NAU forward for the Division II Ice Jacks, tied the all-time scoring record on Saturday night's game against San Jose State University with 140 points in his career. As he does not break the record, he is currently tied with last year's graduate Taylor Dustin. With one more point by Park, he will be the new record holder for the Ice Jacks, which is a huge leap for the Ice Jacks.

NAU vs. SJSU

December 7, 2013

FLAGSTAFF-- The Division II Ice Jacks hockey team has finally made its way back to 7,000 feet after being on the road for two long weeks. And by being back, that means back to business.

While traveling in sunny San Diego, California, the men had an easy time to get those wins, but once their journey to Utah began, it was a little tougher.

After taking a 3-1 win against Utah State, they struggled getting past Weber State, losing 6-3. Following the WSU loss, the men would take a tough loss against Boise State the following day, losing 5-3. These men wanted another win, and the last day in Utah they got what they were looking for when they beat the University of Utah 6-5.

The Ice Jacks came home to prepare for the first NAU Mountain Showcase against Weber State, ASU, and San Jose State University.

Being back in Flagstaff has made their scoring chances greater for them as they came back for revenge this past Thursday against Weber State.

The Ice Jacks beat the Wildcats 5-4 with Gregory Park scoring the only hat trick for the game, along with the game-winning goal as well.

Last night the Ice Jacks faced rival ASU for the second game of the Mountain Showcase as they would take a tough loss of 6-4. Before the game against ASU, Forward Dylan Blankenship talked about the it by saying, "we're going to have to try and limit their scoring chances and everyone is going to play better team defense the whole weekend."

This strategy worked during the WSU game, but not so much against ASU. For tonight's game against SJSU, Blankenship states, "we're going to have to work on goal scoring."

Forward Ben Russell looks for a win tonight as well, saying, "we're playing all three teams that have beat us at some point during the season...this is going to be a defining weekend...it's going to tell us a lot about our team, so I am looking forward to it."

The Ice Jacks will be going up against the Spartans tonight at 7:00 at Jay Lively Ice rink, and with another win in mind, Blankenship feels confident in a win.

"7,000 feet, you definitely feel it in your lungs when you come back up from a road trip so hopefully we can surprise them an wear them down in the third period when it gets later."

The "Alaskan Pipeline"

December 5, 2013

When it comes to friendships on the ice, some people would think it is only as teammates. When it comes to three guys who lived over 3,000 miles away from Flagstaff, their friendship is more than just being teammates.

The Division II hockey team here at NAU has a variety of players, coming from all across the United States. Once tryouts began many months ago, three guys would step on the same line together, to become one name.

The "Alaskan Pipeline". Who would have thought of a name like this, and why would three guys on a hockey team be called that? Well for Ben Russell, Connor Sperry, and Dylan Blankenship, this name was given to them early on in their relationship.

"The 'Alaskan Pipeline' got started back in tryouts" Ben Russell says. "All the guys knew that we were from Alaska, and we had great chemistry together. A couple of the buddies just started to refer us as the 'Alaskan Pipeline' and it took off from there."

Russell,  Forward for the DII Ice Jacks is one of the three men part of this group, coming all the way from Chugiak, Alaska with Connor Sperry.

"Russell is a talented and hard working player, and from playing together for the past eight or nine years, we know where each other are on the ice at all times." Sperry says.

As most people would think that the chemistry between these three men took off from tryouts, they better be wrong. Russell and Blankenship played each other back in high school, and there was no friendship between them at the time. Rivals.

Blankenship, a Fairbanks kid, stepped on the ice at Jay Lively with a dislike for Russell, but it didn't take long before their friendship started to grow.

Before tryouts even began, Russell and Sperry were already close, so it was all new to Blankenship.

"I played against Russell, actually didn't really like him that much before I got to know him, to tell you the truth," Blankenship states, laughing, grinning from ear to ear. "I was a little nervous at first because like I said, I didn't really like Russell...but they kind of welcomed me with open arms."

"I had only played against Blankenship in Alaska, prior to NAU, but there was instant chemistry when we stepped on the ice together," Sperry stated.

But being a part of the "Alaskan Pipeline" has become more of a name. It has become a strong friendship. Before every game, these three men have their pre-game ritual, watching a movie, and talking about hockey.

When it comes time for these men to step on the ice, Blankenship says, "we try to skate together as much as possible." And their teamwork has been paying off as it shows in all of their stats. "It's been pretty fun so far, we just kind of clicked. We've been in a little slump, but we're going to turn it around this weekend, hopefully."

The "Alaskan Pipeline" is the only "group" so to speak with the Ice Jacks. And it really is not just a name, it has become a way of playing for them. Since they have all been on the same line together, they have gotten to know where each guy will be, at what exact time.

The fact that their friendship has shown with their great performance on the ice has improved the team as a whole.

The DII Ice Jacks have a 11-12 record this season so far, which is not their best, but as Blankenship says these game losses are due to this "slump" that they are in, Russell has faith in picking the pace back up to "get those W's."

Despite these losses, these men will hit the line again every time they face another team, ready to attack, and play their best.  Their friendship continues to grow, and there is no more bad blood between Blankenship  and Russell, as they have become the best of friends.

First Half of the season...Check

FLAGSTAFF-- With the NAU Hockey season winding down, the men return back to 7,000 feet after a long journey on the road.  The Division II team had a tough three weeks of playing, but after the month of November hit, they tried to get back into the swing of things.

Most recently, these men had six away games to conquer, traveling from San Diego, California, to North Logan, Utah.  Starting on Nov. 21, these men had  four games to get through in Utah before heading back to Arizona. 

Facing big colleges like Utah State, Weber State, Boise State, and the University of Utah, they were in for more than expected.  The DII team left Utah with a 2-2 record for the weekend,  beating Utah State 3-1 followed by a loss of 6-3 by Weber State and then 5-3 by Boise State.  They rebounded with a close 6-5 win against the University of Utah to end their out-of-state journey.

It may be the middle of the season, but this team is far from being done.  Overcoming tough games like they did this past weekend were bound to happen. 

These men will be taking a nice Thanksgiving break as they get back into the groove of things here in Flagstaff.  Their next game is at home on Dec. 5 for a rematch against Weber State at 9 p.m. at Jay Lively. 

With some relaxing, and practicing in their schedule, they should be prepared for another round of home games, along with a tougher schedule for the second half of their season.

Ice Jacks letting the game go to ASU

Oct. 6, 2013

FLAGSTAFF-- NAU's Division III hockey team had its home-opener games this weekend against the ASU Sun Devils and got more out of them than they expected. The Ice Jacks took a win on Friday night at Jay Lively 3-1, but by the time they were feeling confident about their playing, they gave it up the next day.

Friday was a good day for the Ice Jacks as Forwards Daryl Belanger, Chas Scott, and Marcus Velasco all scored for NAU. Goaltenders Matt Bertsch and Chris Snowden switched out during the first intermission, but together made an accumulative 40 saves. Bertsch allowed ASU to score in the first period, while Snowden refused to let a puck get by him in the second and third. 

On Saturday, the crowd was patiently waiting for the Ice Jacks to come back by the time it was the beginning of the third period, and they were already down 4-1. The Ice Jacks had a difficult time together as a whole, losing to the Sun Devils 5-1.

"I think we just need to keep our consistency of play, playing a full 60 minutes. We can outwork any team we face, it's just keeping our play at a high level the whole game is going to be key," NAU goaltender Anthony Caruso said afterward.

The Ice Jacks were only able to score their one goal by Chas Scott on their power play in the first period. The Ice Jacks need to work on staying in the zone the whole game and playing more aggressively. There was a lot of bad talking and fights that broke out between the two teams mainly because of sloppy playing.

Part of NAU's sloppy playing is shown in its lack of puck control. Every time one of the forwards would take the puck down the ice for a goal attempt, they would either slip, or lose control of the puck.

On the other hand, the Sun Devils were playing the puck very well, which is the reason for their four goal win over the Ice Jacks.

These two teams will not meet again until late November, but until then, the Ice Jacks D-III team will have a week to regroup and prepare for its home game against UCLA.

Double Header, Double the Drama

FLAGSTAFF-- Last weekend both the NAU Division II and Division III Ice Jacks had games to prepare for.  The DII team would go against Loyola Marymount University on both Friday and Saturday, and then on Saturday, the DIII team showed up to play UCLA.

Friday night consisted of high energy and determination with the DII team.  The previous weekend they took huge wins against California State Fullerton winning 12-1 on Friday night, and then again 9-1 on Saturday. 

This weekend was not necessarily the case as these boys had more to work with.

Friday night, the boys got their gear on as usual, and by the time they hit the ice, it was nothing but great performances by Forward Gregory Park and Goaltender James Korte.  Park would score four goals in the entire game that night, while Korte would make 21 saves. 

The other four goals were scored by Kyle Mair, Jack Manning, Zach Vachris, and Dedrick Wiese. Their performance was looking good on the ice, minus all of the penalties.

 

DII forward Ben Russell stated later after the game, "We did pretty good overall.  We still had lingering issues with stupid penalties.  My line especially couldn't get things clicking."

Saturday night was a whole different game at the rink against LMU.  After taking an 8-1 win over the Lions Friday night, this rivalry began to heat up even more.  Forward Connor Sperry scored two goals for the game, followed by Adam Surber, defenseman Dillon Butenhoff and Nathan Kundla.

Korte was starting goaltender for the first period before suffering another collarbone injury.  He was replaced by S.J. Graupensperger who made 18 saves, allowing four goals to get past him.

With just seconds remaining in the third period after Mair put up the sixth goal for the Ice Jacks, the Lions pulled their goaltender for an extra player as one of their forwards had the puck headed towards the neutral zone.  He would lose control of it handing it off to NAU when Sperry would slap shot it into the empty net.

LMU's goaltender Connor Evans did not like NAU putting seven points onto the board.  Right before Sperry would get another goal,  Evans  threw his helmet and stick at Russell and Sperry.  Butenhoff would come after him to start a fight, but knew it wasn't worth it.  The game was soon over and LMU would leave Flagstaff with hardly any class, losing 7-5.

Not too long after the Lions grabbed their gear and left, the DIII Ice Jacks would hit the ice to play UCLA.  In the first period, Chas Scott would score two goals, followed by Patrick Bridgman scoring one.  Scott would put up a hat trick leading into the second period, with Greg Hughes scoring two goals, and Tyler Tritschler scoring one.

And then later into the third period, Ryan Smith would put up one last point for the Ice Jacks.  Josh Schwartz was starting goaltender for this game as he made 19 saves, allowing 3 goals to get by him, two of which were too easy to miss.

This game would not end till around 2:00 in the morning.  So beauty sleep was something needed for these Ice Jacks.

"We're looking for big wins, big scoring margins, and good efforts from the team" Schwartz said later on.

The DIII Ice Jacks next game is at home this Saturday and Sunday against Santa Rosa, and the team is looking for big things to make sure that they do their best for another win.