First Taste of NCAA Hockey Doesn't Go Vikes Way

Ouch.

That’s what you call taking it on the ol’ chin-strap.

The University of Victoria Vikes hockey team lost 10-1 and 10-1 in back-to-back exhibition games over the weekend against NCAA Div. 1 opponents Wisconsin Badgers of the Big Ten in Madison and Northern Michigan Wildcats of the Western Collegiate Association in Marquette.

The Badgers are trying to impress new head coach and former NHL player and coach Tony Granato.

“It was their first game and they didn’t let up for a second,” said UVic head coach Harry Schamhart.

Badgers forward Luke Kunin scored the hat trick against UVic before more than 8,000 fans at the Kohl Center. Kunin is a first-round NHL draft pick, taken 15th overall by the Minnesota Wild in June, and he should be on the U.S. team this year at the world junior championships. And it showed.

“Kunin is so skilled. He’s one heck of a player,” said Schamhart.

Schamhart has guided the Vikes to B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League titles in 2007, 2009 and 2012. But this season’s team is in a rebuilding phase and this was a tough situation in which to send a young squad.

“We showed our youth and inexperience, but I was really proud of the boys,” said Schamhart.

“They kept working hard and learned a lot. [Northern Michigan head coach] Walt Kyle even addressed our players after the game and said they were a class act the whole game. Both Kyle and Granato invited us back, and we would one year also like to play both those teams at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.”

The Vikes program is non-varsity and operates on a self-funding club basis.

UVic opens the B.C. Intercollegiate regular season Friday and Saturday against Trinity Western at the Ian Stewart Complex. - See more at: http://www.timescolonist.com/sports/first-taste-of-ncaa-hockey-doesn-t-go-vikes-way-1.2357321#sthash.22Yrbdsj.dpuf