The DePaul Hockey Club is approaching their final 12 games of the season, and as of print time, their 17-6 record puts them in fourth place in the American Collegiate Hockey Association Division II Central Region. “Our season right now is in somewhat cruise control mode,” said senior forward Taylor Paine. “We are ranked four and expected to beat pretty much everyone we play for the next few weeks.”
Among the teams on the back half of the schedule, the Iowa Hawkeyes-whom DePaul plays this weekend-stand out as a potential bump in the road. Iowa presents a specific challenge for Head Coach and Director of Hockey Jerry Fronek, who has twin stepsons on the Hawkeye team-Philip and Alex Johnson, junior wings from Joliet, Ill.
“There is always a little more nervousness against them,” Fronek said. “I want to do well because they always seem more fired up going up against me.We’ve been doing this since ’03, I’ve been coaching against them since high school in the Chicago Catholic league.”
In the first collegiate matchup against each other two years ago, DePaul was heavily favored against Iowa. But they lost-on an overtime goal from Philip.
“They really are the x-factor when [we are] going against each other because they really are fired up and take it up a notch,” Fronek said.
Fronek said he tries not to let the familial factor get involved in the game, but it does help to know the ins and outs of the two leading scorers of an opponent.
“They are in our Central Region,” he said. “I would say I follow them as much as any other team. I try to treat them as any other opponent beside from the fact I do get out to see a few more of their games to see my sons play.”
Separating life on the ice and life at home can be a challenge Fronek’s family has to face when his stepsons come home from college.
“There isn’t too much hockey talk around the dinner table or at home,” Fronek said. “But when they have friends from my team over at the house, it always shifts to hockey talk.”
Fronek’s DePaul players notice the increased competitiveness when it comes to playing Iowa.
“It’s always a lot of fun, but it can get really competitive to go up against the coach’s kids,” said Billy Allen, captain. “Actually a lot of the guys on our team have played with them and are friends with them from playing in high school so it’s always a fun rivalry out there.”
Playing against friends, family and former teammates happens fairly often at the collegiate level.
Defenseman Jeff Fehrmann competed against his brother Matt who plays at Miami of Ohio earlier this season. DePaul split that series. It was the first time the two have competed against each other at the collegiate level.
“Coach definitely wants to win. It gives him some bragging rights in the household,” Allen said. “Especially since the last time we did not play well against Iowa.”
Both Allen and Paine expressed the excitement of this season as the regional tournament approaches.
“We played horrible against Iowa last year and that pretty much knocked us out of any regional tourney consideration,” Paine said. “So we are going to look to get our revenge big time this year.”
The Hawkeyes come to town Jan. 21-22 and, although they only hold a record of 5-12 this season, they have often given DePaul trouble in the past.
“I don’t know if it has anything to do with them being on the team or not, but they always play us tough,” Allen said. “It would be great for us to win.