Catching up with Joe Stejskal and Evan Stephens

Catching up with Joe Stejskal and Evan Stephens
by Heather Croze

When you spend enough time with someone you begin to think like them, act like them and maybe even finish each other sentences.

Senior defensemen Evan Stephens and Joe Stejskal are in that category. The two have been paired together 85 out of 114 games Dartmouth has played in the last four years. Just recently the two were split up for the first time since Jan. 2010 as Stejskal sat out the game against Rensselaer on Jan. 22 due to illness.

That's a lot of time to spend with one person but for these two it's solidified a friendship and bond that makes their pairing that much better on the ice.

"When you play that many games with someone, you learn their tendencies," Stephens commented. "We have little calls between ourselves and if we were to suddenly get paired with someone else that communication might not be there. Joe and I have worked together for so long we really know how the other plays and is going to react."

"We know what each other is going to do in most situations so we can be confident on the ice," Stejskal said. "I'm more of a stay at home defenseman and that allows him to jump into plays a little more."

These two also have something in common in that they're both right-handed players. While that might not seem like that big of a deal, it can make the adjustment a little more difficult. But head coach Bob Gaudet has seen it as a challenge that both have taken on and exceeded at.

"It's usually not that big of a deal if you don't have a left-handed player paired with a right-handed player," Gaudet explained. "But sometimes it can hinder a player if they get out of position. Joe is a righty so he naturally stays on that side. Evan is also a righty but we've discovered that with his skill level, playing on the left side really isn't that big of a deal. He's done a great job adapting and making it look effortless."

This season the team is clicking through all of its lines and pairings. The Big Green is well on track to having its 51^st winning record in the 100+ years of hockey in Hanover. It could be the first winning season for a Bob Gaudet team since 2006-07.

"Things are really starting to come together and through the work of Coach Rose we're stressing team defense this year," Stejskal said. "We're working on the little things and I think there are multiple factors as to why we're seeing success this season."

Stephens agreed, "Yea I think that this year we tried to come in with almost no expectations. Last season we listened to people saying we were going to be good and I think that might have hurt us when we couldn't seem to get things going. So this year we came in with a silent confidence where we wanted to show people we were a good team instead of telling them. Our upperclassmen are really buying in to what we're doing and have done a good job leading the team."

Under the tutelage of second year coach John Rose both players say they've learned a lot about the tactical and subtle nuances of the game.

Each agrees that what they've learned from Rose has enhanced their game and elevated their play so that this season they're playing some of their best hockey.

"Coach Rose is good at identifying and instructing us on some nit-picky aspects of the game that we might not have thought about," Stephens said. "Both Coach Rose and former Coach [Brendan] Whittet have both been great teachers and each has a different style so we've each learned things from both of them."

Stejskal added, "It helps that our goaltending has been so solid as well. James has done a great job and it's helped us not have to worry about being back there so much."

With all those games played together each was able to indentify a few games that have really stood out for them.

"I'll pick out two games that will stick with me," Stejskal said. "One of them will be the UNH game from this year. It was such a good game and we played so well as a team. We kept persevering and sticking to our game and we came out with the win. The other one I would say was the Cornell game at home last year. It was our last game at home, senior night and a big come back win for us."

Stephens, who was thinking of those same two games jokingly gives Stejskal a hard time for selecting the games he wanted to say. "I would agree on those two as well. The Cornell win was awesome, that whole weekend was a lot of fun for everyone on the team. I really remember the Boston University game my freshman year, that was a special game for us."

As you talk about how close Stephens and Stejskal are it's safe to say the senior class of nine is a very tight group. With 18 upperclassmen the Big Green will have big classes for the next two years as this team might be the closest its been in awhile.

"We're a very close class," Stephens said. "There's countless nights, games, memories that we've all had together that really bonds us. It's been an important part of being a team, bonding as a class and with nine guys sometimes that might be tough because not everyone is alike. But for us it's been good and I think our differences have made us better friends. You learn early on whose buttons you can push and which buttons make what person crazy. Those are the type of things you can't really learn at the junior hockey level because you may only play with someone for a year and they're gone. After four years here you really get to know each other."

"One of the reasons we've done so well this year is that we're a very close class and a close team," Stejskal said. "We get along really well as a team and that's only helped our chemistry on the ice."

Both Stejskal and Stephens are hoping that both the chemistry within the team and with each will continue for a few more games as the Big Green has 10-regular season games left. So remember when you catch a glimpse of #24 and #18 paired together on the ice, wonder who's finishing who's sentence first.

Schedules