It has been a year of adjustments for head coach Mike Rousseau and the Amherst Regional hockey program.
With the pandemic still in full effect, the Hurricanes have been without the services of eight players due to variety of reasons, including injuries sustained from playing fall sports and safety precautions being taken to avoid contracting COVID. The team has also had several players moving on to other programs because of the small schedule Amherst was able to offer this winter.
As the season was set to begin this winter, the team was slapped with the news that Amherst College’s Orr Rink, the normal home rink for the program, was closed to the public and not a viable option for games or practices. That news essentially ended any possibility of Amherst having home games during their expected 10-game season.
“That happened three weeks before the start of the season, so about the beginning of November,” began Rousseau. “We officially went into full panic mode after that happened.”
Rousseau’s first thought was to see if the Mullins Center Practice Rink was available, but the UMass hockey program was on a COVID pause at the time, quickly shooting down that idea. At that point, the coach said he was incredibly concerned that there would be no season.
“There were no ice rinks available,” he said. “I really have to applaud (Amherst Athletic Director) Victoria Stewart though, because she started searching and was able to create a new schedule for us and find a rink for our team to practice.”
With the help of Stewart, the Hurricanes were able to set up shop at Collins-Moylan Arena in Greenfield, ultimately putting together a new 10-game season. Still, senior Kouji Ishida said the inability to play true home games was a tough pill to swallow.
“I really miss playing at Amherst College,” he said. “That rink really was great for our team because our style of play is fast. The ice is very thin, so it allows us to have that quick style of play.”
With the season cut from 20 to 10 games, the Hurricanes had fewer opportunities to get on the ice this winter. Rousseau said he’s been caught by surprise at how quickly the season is going by.
“We played our first two games in 48 hours,” he explained. “And I didn’t think about it at the time but a day or two later, I was like ‘Wow, that was 20 percent of our season right there.”
Adjusting with the changing schedule, the Hurricanes only practiced three times before they played their first game of the season. With four games left to play, they are set to finish their season on Feb. 26 against Greenfield.
Though the Hurricanes found themselves on the wrong side of several early-season tilts, Rousseau said he is just happy to see his team out on the ice having fun, particularly with all the hoops Amherst has jumped through to make it happen.
“We saw this year as a learning experience because we have a very young team,” said the seventh-year head coach. “The best part about coaching this team is that they are all just so excited to be doing something and seeing different people. No one is complaining about practice or the shortened season at all.”
The toughest part about practice is that the team cannot enter the ice until 10 minutes prior, but Rousseau said that each time they have practice, he has the pleasure of seeing his players just being themselves in the parking lot.
“In the parking lot, I just love to see the players being high schoolers,” he said. “They have to get dressed for practice because we can’t use the locker rooms, but I see them talking with each other and they poke fun at one another which is great.”
Rousseau said one of the brightest moments this winter came when Ishida recorded his 100th career point.
“Kouji probably had plenty of options to play for a travel league, but he stood with us, which I think says a lot about his personality,” Rousseau said. “When I looked at his point totals before the season, I realized that he only needed a few points to get to 100 and I wanted to make sure he hit that milestone.”
For Ishida, reaching the milestone was the crowning personal achievement for his season.
“It stunk that there were no fans at the game,” he explained. “Every high school player remembers their first game and their first goal, but that game was quite special for me.”
Ishida has become a veteran presence for the Amherst squad. Even if the players that left the Hurricanes due to COVID-19 had stayed, Ishida would have still been the only senior on this year’s roster.
As team captain, he said he tries his hardest to help incoming freshmen players.
“This year, I’ve been trying my best to show the underclassmen how to play the game the right way,” he replied.
Even more important to Ishida is that his younger brother, Yuki, is a freshman on the Amherst squad. Acting as both a captain and brother, Ishida said his goal is to help Yuki progress at the center position.
“It’s a different aspect of the game,” Kouji said. “I give (Yuki) tips all the time and if I can be crucial in his development as a player, I think that would be one of my biggest successes to take from this year.”
The Hurricanes have accomplished many goals this year in terms of development and personal milestones. For Ishida, however, the ultimate goal remains getting into the win column.
“If we can get that first win, I think it will only help the younger guys’ confidence and also give them hope for next season,” he said.