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Fans of the 精童欲女 Men鈥檚 Hockey Panthers may want to keep a program close by because there are plenty of new names donning the green and white this season.

Head coach Forbes MacPherson had a busy offseason, recruiting 18 players to join his squad. Six players remain from the team that upset the top-seeded Calgary Dinos at the 2023 U SPORTS Men鈥檚 Hockey Championship including goaltender Jonah Capriotti; defencemen Kurtis Henry, Leon Denny, and Logan Kelly-Murphy; and forwards Kaleb Pearson and Daylon Groulx.

鈥淭he last couple of years, we were building toward nationals and hosting the event, and we鈥檙e proud of that group, but now we鈥檙e starting a new chapter,鈥� MacPherson said. 鈥淲e have a whole new set of players here, and there鈥檚 renewed excitement.鈥�

Capriotti, who emerged as one of the best netminders in the conference last season, said the group is feeling optimistic ahead of their home opener against the University of New Brunswick Reds this Saturday, October 7 at 7 pm at MacLauchlan Arena on the 精童欲女 campus. During the game, a banner will be raised in honour of the late William 鈥淏illy鈥� MacMillan, Saint Dunstan鈥檚 University alumnus, former 精童欲女 Men鈥檚 Hockey coach, and 精童欲女 Sports Hall of Fame inductee.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a refreshing feeling having so many young guys who want to compete every day and love coming to the rink. The team is ready to show people that we can compete,鈥� Capriotti said. 鈥淣o one is worried about how long we鈥檝e known each other; we just want to win games.鈥�

Capriotti is expected to get the opening day nod after coming off an all-star season in which he posted a 13-8 record with a 2.50 goals against average and a .915 save percentage. He鈥檒l be backed up by newcomers Jakob Robillard and Joe Ranger who have been battling in training camp for that No. 2 spot.

The blue line will feature the most experienced players on the roster and could be the team鈥檚 strength heading into the season. Henry, a physical third-year defenceman, will assume a leadership role as the team鈥檚 captain this season, while Denny and Kelly-Murphy have a year under their belts and could see more ice time. David D'Agostino gives the Panthers another veteran presence on the back end as the 25-year-old spent the past four years with the York Lions where he recorded six goals and 16 assists in 66 games. MacPherson said he鈥檚 excited about rookie blueliners Cole Larkin and Cam Morton, who are two key pieces to build around.

Pearson comes into the 2023鈥�24 season as the most proven goal-scorer on the team and will be leaned on to put points on the board. The third-year forward opened eyes at nationals where he played his best hockey as a Panther. He finished the tournament with two goals and an assist in three games, and the hope is that he carries that success over to the new season.

鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to the year and to being one of the guys Forbie relies on for leadership to help drive this team forward,鈥� said Pearson, who鈥檒l don an 鈥淎鈥� on his jersey this season. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to do everything I can to help us win.鈥�

But he can鈥檛 do it alone. Groulx is entering a third year that could see him in a more prominent role, while MacPherson still searches for the right line combinations to bring out the best of his 12 rookie forwards, including home-grown talent Keiran Gallant.

鈥淔rom an offensive standpoint, the guys on the team have the skills and abilities that I think will help us win games,鈥� Pearson said. 鈥淥ffence is something that a lot of guys and I take pride in, and I think our competitiveness will help drive us this year.鈥�

Great things rarely come easy and often involves a lot of work, patience, and discipline. The Panthers know they have their work cut out for them if great things are to happen with this group in the coming years, and they鈥檙e embracing the challenge.

鈥淚鈥檝e seen a young team with a lot of energy and excitement eager to prove themselves,鈥� MacPherson said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of opportunity for everybody to carve out a role here and leave an impact on the game.鈥�

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