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After enduring its first losing season in 15 years, the Kentucky Cool Cats will skate into Knoxville, Tenn., Friday night looking to start the program's 20th anniversary season with a big win.
The arrival of a new coaching staff, mixed with the return of several key players, has given the team a new outlook that could lead to a successful year after last season's disappointing effort.
Leading the Cool Cats on the ice this year will be senior defenseman Colin Hoss, who was recently named the squad's captain. Hoss has been pleased with the attitude and work ethic the rest of the players have shown thus far in the preseason.
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"I think we're already off to a good start," said Hoss. "Our
practices have been going really smooth and everybody's working real hard. Hard
work is going to be the key to winning games this year." Ticketmaster
Winning games was not a strong suit for the team last season. They went 12-15-1, finished 4-6 in league play and failed to qualify for the first annual Tri-State Collegiate Hockey League tournament, a distinction that was viewed as an embarrassment to everyone involved.
"The biggest obstacle this team will have to face will be forgetting last year and starting fresh," assistant coach Rob Docherty said.
Some of the players say they have already pinpointed last year's problems and are well on their way to seeing that they don't repeat themselves this season.
"We need to be more focused as a team and come to every game prepared," junior forward Alex Poulos said. "Getting mentally focused, that was our problem last year. This season we have a new attitude." Ticketmaster
To make sure the players stay focused, head coach Mike Sosnowski has put more responsibility on his veteran players.
"We're expecting them to lead this team," Sosnowski said. "We've challenged all the veterans to be the leaders of this team both on and off the ice."
Along with Hoss, this job will fall on assistant captains Justin Smither and Josh McConnell. McConnell, who netted 14 goals last season, cited an improved team discipline as a positive step for the Cool Cats this offseason.
"Last year it seemed like we tried to be more physical and our offense was a little wild because of that," McConnell said. "This year I think everyone is more disciplined." Ticketmaster
Also among last season's returning leaders are forward J.S. Gagnon, who tallied 18 assists and 29 points, and goalie Justin Clark, whose .897 save percentage ranked third in the league.
In addition to the squad's veterans, a young batch of talented newcomers will also be looked upon to give this year's edition of the Cool Cats a much-welcomed helping hand.
"There are a lot of new guys that I think are going to make good additions to the team," Poulos said. "Talent-wise, it's looking better every practice."
Sosnowski and the rest of the coaching staff said they believe this group of players has what it takes to turn the program around and return it to its winning ways. They've been impressed with both the team's focus on the ice and attitude off the ice.
"I'm really pleased with what I've seen so far," assistant coach Gordon Summers said. "I don't think there will be any obstacles for this team. I think they'll be fine and do a great job."
However, as the year progresses, it will be the Cool Cats' record and not the opinion of the coaches that will be the ultimate judge of success. Nothing short of a winning season will satisfy these players, and even that may not be enough.
"This is my last year and I want to win as many games as possible," Clark said. "Coach has told us to play every game like it was the national championship and that's what we're going to do."