By Ken Schott Gazette Reporter
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Matheson caught a cold during the season, and was never able to get over it by the time the season ended in the ECAC Hockey tournament quarterfinals.
A healthier Matheson is ready to make a contribution for the Dutchmen this season. Union opens play Saturday at
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Matheson, who played in 23 games last season, was singled out by
“To see him come back after the summer [workouts] he put in and take a big step in his game is something that’s going to help our team this year,” Leaman said.
Leaman expanded on his comments at Monday’s media day at Messa Rink.
“We had a pretty big hole with Mike Beynon [graduating],” Leaman said. “So, in the exit interviews with all the guys, we mentioned to them that we were looking for a guy to step up in that position. Brock is a guy [who] lost 20 pounds over the season last year, and that’s a lot of weight. He got sick, and was never able to regain the weight.
“Although he played a lot for us, it was a good learning year for him. He had a great summer, [and] put a lot of weight back on. At this point right now, he looks terrific. He’s one guy who’s kind of established himself early through the skills sessions and the practices as being a guy that’s going to make an impact.”
Fighting to overcome the cold was difficult for Matheson.
“That definitely takes its toll, especially with the grind [of the season],” Matheson said. “When you’re practicing every day, it’s tough to keep up with your calories, and have the time to rest and recuperate, so that was a bit of an issue. I feel healthy now, and feel good and ready to get things going.”
After playing four years of junior hockey for the Kanata Stallions of the Central Junior Ontario Hockey League, Matheson discovered a big difference playing college hockey. It took some time for him to get used to it.
“Overall, just having a year under my belt, and getting to play with guys like Lane Caffaro and other ‘D’ in practice [like] Mike Beynon last year, helped a lot just with my confidence level,” said Matheson, who had one assist last year. “Obviously, for any first-year guy, it’s tough to jump into the college game. I found out last year that I definitely experienced that. This year, I feel a lot more confident about the contributions that I feel I can make, and just overall about the team. I think we’re going to have a great year.
“In juniors, you’re playing against guys who aren’t as strong. Here, you’re playing against men, pretty much.”
Matheson had a career-high 26 points (five goals, 21 assists) in his final junior season, so he can be someone who can contribute to the offense. He was also the team captain.
Caffaro believes Matheson will need to play a bigger role for the Dutchmen this season.
“Just by Brock coming in as a freshman, you knew he was going to be a special player, and a good player for this organization,” Caffaro said. “He obviously worked hard in the summer, and the thing he needed to do was come in great shape.”
The Dutchmen received three points in the first U.S. College Hockey poll of the season, which was released Monday. They were one of 10 ECACH teams to receive votes.
