By Jennifer Toland
Telegram & Gazette Staff
Telegram & Gazette Article

Shayne Toporowski knew he was tackling a titanic task when he became Worcester State hockey coach four years ago. The program was struggling, and Toporowski also knew it would take time to turn it around.

"If you look at the history of hockey, whether it's the NHL or a junior program," Toporowski said, "it typically takes three or four years to get the kids established under your philosophy and get them buying into what you want them to do and get all the players that can complement each other out on the ice."

The Lancers won nine games Toporowski's first year, six his second and nine again last season. All the while, Toporowski and his players believed they were getting better.

"We were competing," junior forward and captain Mitchell Purdie said. "There were games we could have or should have won, but we definitely felt like we were heading in the right direction."

Worcester State won its first eight games of 2017-18 for what is believed to be the best start in program history, and the success has given the Lancers a shot of confidence.

"We've battled back in games, we've had blowout games, and I think the fact that we've been able to win in different ways is really helping the team's confidence," sophomore goalie Josh Reinstein said, "knowing we can win no matter what the game looks like."

WSU has not won more than nine games in a season since going 11-12-3 in 2010-11. The Lancers have not finished above .500 in 20 years (13-12 in 1997-98).

"I commend the guys with how they came in with their fitness level and their commitment to the philosophy of how we're supposed to play," said Toporowski, a former Holy Cross assistant who played professionally for 18 years, including three seasons with the Worcester IceCats. "That's a testament to them and everybody in the leadership roles. Everybody has bought in and helped us get off to this good start."

Toporowski said senior Mike Moran of Milford dedicated himself to getting faster and stronger in the offseason, and it paid off. Moran leads the team in scoring with eight goals and five assists.

"I've never seen Mike skate as well as he has," Toporowski said. "That's a big reason we're winning. He's been doing a fantastic job and he took the time and energy to prepare himself for his senior season."

Reinstein, who started about half of WSU's games last year, is 7-1 with a 1.13 goals against average and .951 save percentage. He posted back-to-back shutouts against Salem State and Westfield State.

"Josh is very focused and he's tracking the puck a lot better than last season," Toporowski said. "A big, big component of anybody who's starting off well is how well your goaltender plays. If your goaltender plays well, you know your players are going to play with a lot more confidence in front of him."

Reinstein, who is from Woodland Hills, California, also devoted time to his game over the summer. He came back to Worcester two months before classes started, worked out at WSU's Wellness Center every day and trained with a goalie coach in Exeter, New Hampshire, twice a week.

"Everyone was really motivated this offseason," Reinstein said. "We really wanted to get after it."

Last Saturday, Fitchburg State handed the Lancers their first loss. Falcons goalie Kirby Saari made 35 saves in the 4-2 win.

The Lancers are enjoying their new home arena, the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center, which opened this fall.

"It's been awesome," Purdie said. "It's a fresh start kind of thing."

—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @JenTandG.