“The Legion of Doom,” “The Crazy Eights Line,” “The Firing Line,” and “The Sky Line” are just some of the nicknames that have been given to lines in the NHL.
In hockey, a line consists of three forwards – a center and two wingers.
Men’s hockey head coach Guy Gadowsky said he would not look at his line combinations and pick a definite top line.
However, there is one line that is grabbing a lot of attention.
It is rare to find a combination of freshmen with the chemistry that forwards David Glen, Curtis Loik, and Kenny Brooks have, Gadowsky said.
Gadowsky said he and his coaching staff knew they wanted to put Glen, Loik, and Brooks together from the start.
“They have great work ethic, they all have great habits, they are all big gritty guys, so it was a bit of a no-brainer to put them together,” Gadowsky said.
So far, they have combined for eight of the team’s 24 goals this season. The trio has also combined for 18 points and a plus/minus rating of plus 21.
Glen leads the team in four categories including five goals, nine points, shots on goal (31) and a plus/minus rating of plus nine. Despite the success, Glen said he owes his success to his linemates.
Brooks said the chemistry comes from their similarities.
“We do the little things that people don’t normally see that make a difference,” Brooks said. “When all three guys are going, that is how you are going to [play well].”
After every win, the player that best displays characteristics of the foundation that the program is trying to build, gets the hard hat. The foundation is built on values and work ethic, Gadowsky said.
The little things include skating hard and back checking as part of a two-way game.
It was those characteristics that Brooks earned the first hard hat of the season after beating American International on October 13.
For Loik, he did not care about whom he played with. He was just eager to get on the ice and play his role.
“I think coach [Gadowsky] put me with two guys who really attribute to each other,” Loik said. “David is a great shooter, he loves to put the puck in the net. Brooks has great hands and great vision. I really think we do well together.”
Gadowsky said the team is essentially a team of rookies but it is hard to tell based on the way the team plays.
“If you didn’t know anybody and you sat in the stands and were asked who the veterans on this team are, you would pick them,” Gadowsky said.
