Ice hockey looks for redemption

The Rebel ice hockey team looks to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Texas Tech with a win over Fresno State. But as team captain Ryan Krametbauer explained the matchup against the Bulldogs it became obvious that he was looking further down the schedule.

“[Fresno State] is a Division-III team, we’re a Division-II team, so it’s kind of a lose-lose situation for us,” Krametbauer said. “They lost by close margins to Northern Arizona who’s a pretty good team, so they’re a decent Division-III school. We’re looking to work on our systems and get on our game before wintertime.”

The Rebels are 15-1-0 this season, but that single loss snapped a 19-game winning streak going back to last season. The game against Fresno State gives UNLV a good chance to get situated and get back on track before a more difficult second half of the season.

“I would prefer if we were playing a stronger team because it would prove a lot more,” Krametbauer said. “Our schedule so far has been pretty easy, but when January rolls around it’s going to be a tough schedule.”

In 2009 the Rebels are scheduled to play Northern Colorado and Colorado-Boulder. Both teams are ranked in the top five. If the Rebels can mount a strong winter campaign, they could find themselves ranked before February.

But before they can head to Denver there are tough contests ahead. Krametbauer contends that his team is up for the challenge.

“We definitely want to go into facing Illinois really strong,” Krametbauer said. “If we can get three wins out of Illinois, beat Lafayette [La.] and go into Denver with a strong record and a healthy team. Coming out of that we should rank in the top five if we win all three games. There’s no question in my mind that we have a team that can play.”

But before the team goes north, they’ll have to go west. Krametbauer explained that in preparation for the weekend contest against Fresno State head coach Rob Pallin made a plea to sure up the team’s defense.

“It seems like [Pallin] is stressing that we just need to be on our game,” Krametbauer said. “We have the talent, but we can’t have six goals get scored on us a game. The best offense is a better defense.”