'They said we'd never beat them'
Andy Buss
Issue date: 2/12/09 Section: Sports
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"It was obviously a big win for our kids and our program," head coach John Tharp said. "There wasn't anybody in the locker room who had beaten Grand Valley here - [junior Luke] Laser did, but that was with Saginaw Valley."
The game would have never made it to overtime had it not been for the offensive play and last second shot by freshman Tyler Gerber.
"He was great," Tharp said. "He's a confident kid. He loves to compete. It was an incredible accomplishment for a freshman, but we have great confidence in him, and we're not afraid to hand the ball over to him and let him go to work."
Tharp and assistant coach Dan Evans both could not emphasize enough the huge boost the home crowd and students provided for the team during the game. They said the energetic atmosphere was key to the team's attitude.
Senior captain Tony Gugino did not underestimate the magnitude of Saturday's hard-fought win.
"It kind of just quiets everyone for us," he said. "There are certain things you hear year in and year out. People talk about curses and stuff in sports. They said we'd never beat them. It's a confidence booster. It's great win for coach Tharp, and it really helps a lot of these younger guys. It's was big for right now because heading into the tournament, now people have to deal with us."
Thursday's win was important in its own right because with the victory, the Chargers swept Ferris State for the series, a team which was ahead of Hillsdale in the GLIAC before Thursday.
"By taking care of them with a sweep, we hold the tiebreaker," Gugino said. "And right now, that difference between fourth and fifth is a home game in the tournament. That was a huge win for us - both mentally and for setting us up later on."
This week the team hosts Wayne State University tonight and Northwood University Saturday. Both teams beat the Chargers in overtime earlier this season. The men are looking for payback.
"It's revenge week," Gugino said. "We gotta do to them what they did to us. We're really looking to get these two back. It will set us up nice in the region."
Evans said the team is hoping for consistency as they move forward this week.
"We're looking for continuing to play well and defend as we have these past couple weeks," he said. "If we do those things, we play at a high level."
Though the larger picture for the Chargers has grand possibilities, the team is taking it one game at a time.
"At this point in the year, you're looking to win every game and advance yourself as far as you can in the standings," Evans said. "We can't overlook anybody. Just got to go one weekend at a time."
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