by Travis Weber
Daily Lobo
At 4-1, the UNM Ice Wolves are off to the best start in the club hockey team's history.
The team started its season three weeks ago when it traveled to Austin, Texas, to partake in the annual Southern Methodist University's invitational tournament.
At the invitational, the Ice Wolves finished second in the tournament behind the University of Texas.
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The team started off the tourney by beating Texas A&M 6-4, before falling to the University of Texas the following night, 3-1.
The Ice Wolves came back to finish up strong in their third game, hammering the SMU Mustangs 13-1.
"It was a good tournament for us, and getting that first win was really nice," first-year head coach Joel Cormier said.
It also helped build a name for the team and gain respect, as it was invited back for a tournament in mid-January in Dallas.
The Ice Wolves followed up their strong Texas showing a week later in Arizona against club hockey powerhouse Arizona State University.
"We knew going in that ASU would be tough, but it was nice to have gotten a real taste of competition (before) in Texas," Cormier said.
The Ice Wolves started off by grinding out a 3-2 win against ASU.
"I was really proud of our effort that night," Cormier said. "We played exceptionally hard and really fought for the win, and I think that it showed on Saturday in the second game."
That second game went the Ice Wolves' way as well with a 4-1 win.
As for the team's early success and record, Cormier attributes it to brilliant goaltending by the team's two goalkeepers - Matt McMaster and Kyle Eden - and to the rock-solid defense.
"The D has played really well for us as well as the goalies," Cormier said. "In terms of scoring, Ian McMaster has been awesome leading the team, but we could still use more contribution."
Contribution is what the team will need as it gets on the road again to Utah this weekend.
The Ice Wolves take on Utah Valley State and Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
"We should have a very tough test with BYU, but we still have all our players there, and if we play to our potential, we can do good things," Cormier said.
Junior winger Gus Herold said the team's success this year is because of its head coach.
"(Cormier) brings a winning and caring attitude to the table," Herold said. "He runs tough practices which get us really prepared for the game."
The Ice Wolves will play their first home games of the season against Texas Tech on Oct. 28 and 29.
