Keep it simple. Really simple.

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Laurier hockey goes back to basics

Laurier hockey goes back to basics | Photo by Serena Gill

The key to success for the Wilfrid Laurier University menโ€™s hockey team is simple. Really simple.

Literally.

On November 21, the Hawks gained some ground on their opponents in the Ontario University Athletics conference, cruising to a 5-2 victory against the Brock Badgers.

The win propelled them to a tie for seventh place with the Toronto Varsity Blues and the Waterloo Warriors with an overall record of 5-7.

Their sudden recipe for success? Keeping it simple.

โ€œSometimes we try to do too much as individuals and we donโ€™t continue to play a team game, so for us to have real consistent success, we need to play together as a team,โ€ said head coach Greg Puhalski.

โ€œYouโ€™ve got to keep working at it. Itโ€™s not an easy thing to do โ€” the good teams find a way to do it every night.โ€

โ€œItโ€™s huge,โ€ said captain Greg Cerilli, who scored two goals against the Badgers.

โ€œKeeping it simple. Blue line turnovers are huge. We kept it real simple today โ€” our [defence] made real breakout passes.โ€

โ€œAs a winger, it makes our life a lot easier. It makes our breakouts clean, smooth, our arches were good and we took advantage of our chances,โ€ Cerilli continued.

According to Puhalski, simplicity is crucial for the Hawks if they are to continue to put tallies in the win column, and playing as a team instead of as individuals.

โ€œWe get too much of an individual, thatโ€™s when we find ourselves in trouble. We kind of control ourselves also, just keeping it simple, making the play thatโ€™s in front of you, donโ€™t try and do too much and rely on each other,โ€ he explained.

โ€œThatโ€™s a big recipe for any team to have a lot of wins.โ€

Adding two goals was also huge for Cerilli, who missed the majority of the season last year when he only played in four of the Hawksโ€™ 27 games, racking up two goals and an assist.

Along with Cerilli, multiple Hawks contributed to the score sheet against Brock. Fourth-year Derek Schoenmakers also kept his hot streak alive when he added his eighth of the season.

โ€œ[It was] very relieving,โ€ Cerilli said when he scored the goals. โ€œ[There were] some frustrations, but I think in all my games to come back around personally, and I think as a team weโ€™re coming back personally.โ€

With the win, the Hawks improve to 4-1 on home ice. Cerilli believes the team is making a comeback and aims to finish strong heading into the end of the first half of the season.

โ€œThe skyโ€™s the limit for us really. We control our own destiny and weโ€™ve got to have a good finish here coming into the break,โ€ he explained.

Next, the Hawks look to make more ground in the OUA when they face off against the Ryerson Rams before returning home to host the Windsor Lancers.

Puck drops at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and Saturday night.


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