SectionsSeason closes following regional loss
Spartans blank Ice Bears 3-0
Kevin Price
Issue date: 3/3/09 Section: Sports
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It was a hard-fought battle, but in the end, the Spartans were too much for the Ice Bears to handle, and they won, 3-0.
"We played with a lot of heart against a very good Michigan State team," Missouri State coach Mike Schroeder said. "We were only down 1-0 in the third period, and it was anybody's game. We just could not capitalize on finding the back of their net. I was pleased with the boys' effort."
This season started on a low note. Before the team got onto the ice to play against anyone, they lost Benjamin Alexander, their head coach for six years.
Of the three candidates the Ice Bears were considering, Mike Schroeder seemed like the best fit for the club.
"It was a big challenge for my first year but enjoyable at the same time," Schroeder said. "This is a great program. A great group of young men. We had solid management in Stan Melton and Curt Bussen, unbelievable fans and outstanding assistant coaches in Don Carlson, Dan Odenwald and Michael Brown."
The Ice Bears started strong beating Iowa State, a Division-I team.
"The best thing to happen this season was to make regionals in the hardest region in the nation for the fourth straight year," said Mike Poepping, the Ice Bears' goalkeeper. "Also, to have beaten Iowa State for the first time ever was nice."
The Ice Bears were hit by injuries throughout the season, which started early in the season with the loss of co-captain and senior Anthony Trupiano. His season-ending injury made him the first lost forward of the season.
"This season was a big test for us," said Salman Shah, Ice Bears' senior defenseman and team captain. "We had to face adversity many times through the season. We made it tough on ourselves by just barley making regionals and being the 10th seed. If we would have done better during the regular season and gotten a higher seed, the potential for nationals would have been a lot higher."
After the first semester, the Ice Bears lost a couple of forwards to academic concerns. Then, Bryan Beaman, one of the Ice Bears' leading scorers, had to sit out a few weeks for an injury of his own.
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