After nearly a year of hoping and waiting, the University of Arizona club hockey teamโs season is over.
The team announced Friday that it was ending the 2021 season before it started because of the coronavirus pandemic. Time simply ran out.
For the second time in as many years, coach Chad Berman had to deliver the news to his players that the season was canceled. Instead of doing it in the locker room, he used a Zoom call โ another reminder of the pandemicโs impact. The team hasnโt played since Feb. 29, 2020.
โIt was an emotional meeting on Zoom, especially regarding a player like Bayley Marshall, where his final two national tournaments were taken from him,โ Berman said.
Berman said he knows it is impossible to replace a player like Marshall, who he calls โprobably the best overall hockey player I have ever coachedโฆ I canโt quantify the impact he had on this program.โ
Forward Max Meyer was delivering a Dominoโs pizza while tuned into the Zoom team meeting from his phone. He too thought of Marshall.
โIt was really sad to know that Iโll never get to play with him again. Heโs everything you want in a hockey player,โ Meyer said.
During his two seasons at the UA, Marshall recorded 107 points in 69 games. He found a renewed love for hockey at the UA, and said if it wasnโt for his time here, he would not have continued playing the sport for so long.
The end of his hockey career was still a brutal reality to process.
โItโs something Iโve done for my entire life and something that has helped shaped who I am. There is still menโs league, but itโs just never going to be the same,โ Marshall said. โWhat hit me the most was after that meeting I was going to call my parents, but I could feel the emotion coming on, so I just sent them a text thanking them for everything theyโve done for me since I was four years old and allowing me to play this amazing sport.โ
Even without Marshall, UA fans can expect a talented and deep roster when the team returns โ pandemic permitting โ in the fall.
Returnees Matthew Hohl, Ben Jones, and Cameron Teamor will be aided by the new additions of Ryan Fischer, John Shively, and Cale Dubrul, creating a problem โ how to employ so much talent effectively โ that all coaches love to have.
Captain Anthony Cusanelli said he views the defensive core as probably the deepest in the country. Berman says the unit is โso good, itโs frightening.โ
Berman is hoping forward Jesse Lowell can become more dominant in the offensive zone next season. Lowell posted 22 points in the 2019-20 season, but with a chance for increased ice time and encouragement to shoot more, he could improve on those numbers.
โJesse is a big player who loves to pass the puck, but I wish he would shoot a bit more. Heโs just an unselfish player,โ Marshall said.
Lowell says heโs been training nonstop for the last eight months, knowing the team could return.
That work ethic has been one of several silver linings during the pandemic. Berman said his team has gotten closer, and is determined to make the most of its time on the ice when the Wildcats eventually return.
Players reached out to Berman after the season was canceled. โI was incredibly touched that I got 10 texts from players reaching out to me saying, thanks so much for doing everything you could and thank you for being there for me,โ the coach said.
Cusanelli expressed how grateful he is to play for a bench boss like Berman, who in his six seasons has reshaped the programโs aspirations. Every year now begins with the expectation of competing for a national title.
โHe just cares, probably more than any other coach in the ACHA,โ Cusanelli said. โItโs the things he does behind the scenes, watching film, developing game plans for every single matchup, the effort he puts into his job is just impressive.โ
