While the Stony Brook men’s and women’s basketball teams have had some ups and downs in their 2014-2015 campaigns, the Seawolves on the ice have maintained a high level of play throughout their entire season.
Stony Brook hockey has stormed out to a 20-4 start on their season heading into their Arizona swing. The Seawolves played the defending American Collegiate Hockey Association champion Arizona State Sun Devils on Thursday night.
They then finished the trip with a doubleheader against the University of Arizona Wildcats on Friday and Saturday night.
While Stony Brook has been able to stay dominant, pulling a No. 7 ranking coming into this week, the team will be losing a key part of their team come February.
Senior Sam Brewster was nominated to the U.S. Men’s National University Team roster for the World University Games.
Brewster was one of 22 players selected to the event scheduled for Feb. 4-14 in Granada, Spain.
The senior from Plano, Texas is fourth on the team in points (25) and is one of only five players on the roster to have played in all 24 games so far this season, heading into the week’s trip to the southwest.
Brewster is third on the team in both goals (11) and assists (14).
He also sits with the third most penalty minutes on the team with 43.
One fascinating aspect of the team that has been top-10 in the rankings all season long is its balance.
A Stony Brook player does not arrive on the scoring leaders list until the 33rd slot, where Ryan Cotcamp sits. However, the scoring has come from a lot of places.
Eight Seawolves’ skaters have 20 points or more on the season, and all but eight skaters have recorded a point on the season.
Six of those held pointless this season have played in four games or fewer.
The Seawolves have won three in a row since losing their first game after the Christmas break.
They were able to earn a split in a pair of home contests against Liberty.
After an ugly 7-3 loss on Jan. 10, the Seawolves were able to come back the next day and earn a hard-fought 3-2 victory.
Tyler Underhill scored with two seconds remaining to give the Seawolves the victory in a game in which neither team could get more than a one-goal advantage.
Stony Brook carried this momentum into the next weekend at The Rinx, sweeping the Delaware Blue Hens in a display of offensive dominance, winning 5-2 and 5-1 in the weekend doubleheader.
Brewster had two points in each matchup, dishing two assists in the Saturday matchup and then following it up by netting two goals on Sunday.
After the Seawolves finish in Arizona, they will face one last road test on their regular season schedule, and it is against a formidable opponent.
Stony Brook will head across the Long Island Sound and take on the University of Rhode Island at Bradford R. Boss Ice Arena Jan. 30-31.
That series could very well decide the Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League regular season title.
Stony Brook will then host a pair of series against Rutgers and Lebanon Valley in the first two weekends of February to round out the regular season slate.
The Scarlet Knights will then host the ESCHL tournament to decide who represents the league in the ACHA National Tournament. With every game now pivotal, Stony Brook will have to continue its strong play to reach its goal of winning a national championship.
