Skidmore hosts Buffalo State in home opener
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> W hen the Skidmore College men’s hockey team takes to the ice Saturday night against Buffalo State, it will be celebrating the careers of the ‘Three Amigos’ in its senior trio of Corey Morgan, Adam Moodie and Max Hegge, just a handful of players on the Thoroughbreds that were not recruited by Coach Rob Hutchison.
For the past three years the returning Skidmore grad and current coach has been building the program in his vision since taking over in 2015 the Thoroughbreds continue to make strides, including an NEHC appearance last season, cut short in a 3-2 two overtime loss to Babson.
“The realistic expectation has kind of brought us back down to where we’re just trying to get better every day and that’s been our
sole focus right now,” Rob Hutchison said. “We talk about what we’d like to aspire to do and what our vision is for the program.
“Our goal really is to just get better every day and find a way to bring your best every day and keep things really on a micro scale this year, really keeping focused on just details and find a way even on the worst of days to get better in a practice on and off ice, in film sessions and find the value in it.”
Unlike the other Skidmore sports also hosting home openers Saturday, the ice hockey squad already had three official contests and two scrimmages under their respective belts.
“We’re at that tipping point,” Hutchison said. “We’re three games in so we’ve seen a little of everything.
“We had a nice exhibition game against Plattsburgh and Morrisville; we showed know we can compete with the best teams in the SUNY. We beat Cortland and played well out there and we went up to Norwich, perennial top team in our league in a very, very fast paced back and forth game ends up being a coin flip and we lose one in overtime. We’re right at that point where we’ve got the talent; we’ve got the kids that we think can get us there. It’s just about putting it together.”
Along with a commitment to the program on the ice, Hutchison continues to instill a sense of community within the hockey program.
“The number one thing for us is putting a quality product on the ice so people want to come enjoy our games and help create that positive energy,” Hutchison said. “Tomorrow is our alumni day and our senior night, so we’ll have some energy surrounding that.
“Next weekend is our pack the rink event next Friday. In early February, we’ll have back to back weekends where we do a Hockey Night in Saratoga event with a high school playing at similar times and next door to each other and then the following weekend we’re going to do a benefit again for DIFD Mental Health Awareness.
“Community relations are huge and we expect our guys to be, to understand that they are models to every youth hockey player and every youth athlete in the area. We try to try to get them involved with the youth hockey as much as possible and get them out there on the ice with them.”
There is a full season of hockey to play for the Thoroughbreds.
“I do know that we can compete right now where we’re at with anybody in the country and we saw that last weekend with the coin flip came up in Norwich,” Hutchison said. “It went to overtime and we made some bad decisions that led to a goal.
“We’re going to be a team that when we’re good were as good as anybody in the country and when we’re bad, we’re still going to be competitive. It’s just how, how we respond to mistakes and those, those nights it’s whether or not we can get a key plays, at key moments to keep us in games.”
As the Thoroughbreds celebrate its three seniors, Casey Morgan, Adam Moodie and Max Hegge, there is still time for them to continue to forge a legacy to leave behind.
“The big thing for us is confidence,” Hutchison said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who were moved into the upper class who are still finding their identity as a college hockey player, but they’re ready to kind of break out. With all the preparation they’ve done they should find some success and ultimately confidence.”