Eastern hockey sees improvement with returnees, recruits

There appears to be plenty of reason for optimism as Eastern Washington University prepares for its fifth season of play in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League.

For starters, the Eagles return their top four scorers, including Beau Walker whose 18 goals and 31 assists paced a team with a 7-16-1 record under rookie coach Bret Kellogg.

In all, 13 players, plus all three goaltenders are back, EWU associate head coach Pat Hanlon said. Paxton Bell (10-16-26 points) and Brett Mathews (10-7-17) round out the top returning forwards.

Combine that with a host of new faces, including Jesse Collins, the all-time leading scorer for the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League who played last year with the Creston (British Columbia) ThunderCats, and Eastern possesses real scoring power. In 2014-15 EWU was last in the league, scoring just 70 goals (2.91 per game) but Collins, Matthew Lucero (Grand Forks – KIJHL) and Colton St. John Comox (B.C.) Glacier Kings are notable recruits at forward who should help those numbers.

"We're short on the back-end (defense) but we're pretty deep up front," Hanlon said.

Chase Wharton (5-8-13), a defenseman, is back for his last year. "He'll likely be captain this year," Hanlon said. Defenseman Tanner Hawes (2-6-8) also returns having put on about 20 pounds, working a summer job on a concrete barge in Seattle.

Additional help on the blue line will come from Hayden Boring who played in 2014-15 with the Spokane Braves of the KIJHL. Kyle Ruchas is a native Coloradan and was with the Tier III Eugene Generals.

Adam Moon transferred from Western Washington University.

The level of play in the league has attracted some looks from quality players, Hanlon said, kids who ultimately got offers from Division I schools. "We lost kids to Hunstville, RPI, Sacred Heart, (Alaska) Anchorage, some good programs, and we lost a couple of kids to some D-3 schools."

"They don't really realize how good the hockey is here, as well as the education," Hanlon said. Eastern's program is popular for many junior-aged players who "age-out" at 20 but can extend their playing time, and receive an affordable education.

The BCIHL enters its 10th season in 2015-16 with just five teams and another 24-game schedule with each team playing three home and three away games.

"Last year when Thompson River dropped out we had to play Selkirk 10 times," Hanlon said. "How'd that work? Well we were on a first name basis with all the border guards," he said because of the close proximity of the school located in Castlegar, B.C.

Eastern could have more competition south of the border next season. "There's a rumor, and it's a pretty good rumor, UW has already talked to us for next year and supposedly they'll bring Oregon with them," Hanlon said.

Prior to joining the BCIHL in 2011-12, Eastern had a long and successful association with the American Collegiate Hockey Association, the U.S. sanctioning body for club hockey. The Eagles routinely qualified for national tournament play but found playing weaker Western teams hampered them in the tournament.

Since becoming the only current American team in the Canadian league, "The progression has been noticeable," Hanlon said. "Now, you don't just roll into Cheney and it's an easy two points, you're going to have to work for it."

While a club team, EWU hockey shares similar honors with other varsity sports on campus with their efforts in the classroom, Hanlon said. The team regularly features players who are on the Dean's List for academic excellence.

"I think our grade point last year was 3.3 for the team and the year before we had four kids with 4.0s," Hanlon said.

Eastern opens league play Friday, Oct. 2 at home versus the University of Victoria at 7 p.m. in the University Recreation Center and entertains the same team the following night, also at 7. Training camp gets underway in mid-September.

Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].