2008 Woodie Awards
This was no "Miracle on Ice"
Chris Frusci
Issue date: 4/5/07 Section: Sports
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It was a memorable season for the 2006-2007 Muhlenberg Ice Hockey Club Team as they went on to accomplish something that has not been done by the Mules since their program underwent restructuring in 2001--winning the club Ice Hockey Championship.
The program has been restructured in the past several years, such as upgrading from the Division III level to the Division II level last season and changing from the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference to the Great Northeast Collegiate Hockey Conference this season. Although the competition has been getting stiffer, so have the Mules. Their record has improved each season for the last three years. They completed the '06 -'07 season with their best Conference mark yet at 11-3-0 and an overall team record of 12-5-0.
Despite a slow start with a record of 3-5, the Mules came on strong toward the middle of the season and never looked back, winning their last nine games in a row including the playoffs. When asked what brought the team together to turn the season around and embark on this incredible streak, Head Coach Darryl Arnold replied, "This exact turnaround happened to us last year and it was because of a simple goalie change, but this year's turnaround was mostly because we finally got our full team back and everyone was healthy." Coach Arnold was referring to four players who missed the first half of the season due to fall sports and injuries, including Team Captain Peter Palomaki. Their streak of nine wins began with an 8-7 win at Millersville on Dec. 9th.
The team was led by the lone senior, two-time Captain Peter Palomaki, and two-time Assistant Captain, junior Brian Veltkamp. Veltkamp led the entire Conference in scoring for the second time in three years with 58 points. Palomaki finished his four-year career with 140 points (76 goals, 64 assists). Although these two were amongst the highest on the team in point scoring, players such as sophomore forward Geoff Kelleman and freshman goalie Dave Emerson had major impacts as well.
The program has been restructured in the past several years, such as upgrading from the Division III level to the Division II level last season and changing from the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference to the Great Northeast Collegiate Hockey Conference this season. Although the competition has been getting stiffer, so have the Mules. Their record has improved each season for the last three years. They completed the '06 -'07 season with their best Conference mark yet at 11-3-0 and an overall team record of 12-5-0.
Despite a slow start with a record of 3-5, the Mules came on strong toward the middle of the season and never looked back, winning their last nine games in a row including the playoffs. When asked what brought the team together to turn the season around and embark on this incredible streak, Head Coach Darryl Arnold replied, "This exact turnaround happened to us last year and it was because of a simple goalie change, but this year's turnaround was mostly because we finally got our full team back and everyone was healthy." Coach Arnold was referring to four players who missed the first half of the season due to fall sports and injuries, including Team Captain Peter Palomaki. Their streak of nine wins began with an 8-7 win at Millersville on Dec. 9th.
The team was led by the lone senior, two-time Captain Peter Palomaki, and two-time Assistant Captain, junior Brian Veltkamp. Veltkamp led the entire Conference in scoring for the second time in three years with 58 points. Palomaki finished his four-year career with 140 points (76 goals, 64 assists). Although these two were amongst the highest on the team in point scoring, players such as sophomore forward Geoff Kelleman and freshman goalie Dave Emerson had major impacts as well.