New hockey policies create controversy

BY TRAVIS FICK
Managing Editor

Saint Mary’s University’s men’s varsity hockey head coach Bill Moore’s new team policies are meant to emphasize the athletic department’s push for “Cardinal Pride.”

The new policies were created around the goal of making athletes better-rounded members of the SMU community. Moore said that “Cardinal Pride” is comprised of three main points: success in the classroom, being respectful to others on campus and respecting faculty members and staff. “I was not excited about the image of the hockey players when I got here,” said Moore. “One of my main focuses is to change attitudes of the hockey players both on and off the ice.”

Moore believes the reason the new policies have created so much controversy is because players were removed from their comfort zones and forced to compete for one of the 26 varsity roster spots. “Any time you take somebody out of their comfort zone, there is going to be controversy,” said Moore. “We pulled everyone out of their comfort zone and put into a perspective of who’s going to work hard.”

The coaching staff’s emphasis on discipline has already made an impact on the team, resulting in fewer penalties. Moore said he wants the team to be physical, not cheap. “We started to penalize guys who got into those situations and by the second part of the season, we got our penalty minutes way down,” said Moore. “We took two penalties in the first game and four in the second game, so I think it’s working.”

Moore said the biggest change in attitude that he has seen this year came during the Oct. 30 game against the University of St. Thomas. After the Tommies scored three early goals, SMU refused to quit. “Last year we probably would have given up, but this year we fought back and got it to 3-2,” said Moore. “Our guys are working very hard, and that will be the key to our success.”

SMU’s history as a hockey school has also increased the scrutiny placed on the team. “We had the idea that we were better than others,” said Moore. “We sometimes shoot ourselves in the foot by giving people opportunities to talk about us. If we don’t give them opportunities to talk about us, then we don’t have any issues to deal with.”

Moore would like to see his players become more Lasallian. “I would like them to care about others more than they do about themselves, work hard every single day and to remember that the reason they came here is to get an education.”