Tyler Morgan had a shorter summer than usual, and he is not complaining.

Full Interview

After a season that stretched into the spring, the Defenders opened the season on September 5 at Waldorf. The longer one season lasts, the faster the next one arrives. For Dordt, that meant getting back on the ice in early September, well before many people are thinking seriously about hockey.

"Summer was short, and I think that's a good problem to have," Morgan said. "When the team has success, you play longer and then your season's shorter."

The early start is becoming more common across the ACHA, where teams are looking for ways to spread out the schedule and fit in quality opponents. Dordt was part of that movement this year, opening with an exhibition against Waldorf and using the game as an early measuring stick.

Morgan said Dordt is not necessarily trying to be the first team on the ice each fall. There is a tradeoff that comes with starting that soon. But if the Defenders want to play certain opponents, especially higher-division teams, they have to be willing to begin earlier.

"For us, we're not necessarily chomping at the bit to start the earliest we can," Morgan said. "But for us to get an exhibition game in against a Division One opponent is pretty substantial to our preparation and getting ready and kind of a good test for all of the guys."

The opener gave Dordt plenty to review. The Defenders had five new players in the lineup and, as Morgan put it, looked like a team playing its first game in the opening period. The final two periods, though, were much closer to what he wanted to see.

"When we kind of reflect on the game, we talked about the 60 minutes and breaking it into 20-minute increments," Morgan said. "The first 20 was pretty poor, but somewhat to be expected in the first game of the season on our heels. The last 40, we outshot them and outscored them."

That kind of response is what Morgan is looking for in September. Early games are about details, habits and finding out who handles pressure well. Dordt has enough new faces that some of that will take time, but the roster also has enough age to help speed up the process.

The Defenders do not have a traditional senior class, but they do have older players and graduate students who have been around the program long enough to understand both the hard seasons and the successful ones. Morgan sees that as an important piece, especially with younger players trying to find their footing.

"Yeah, it's incredible," Morgan said. "They were playing here when our freshmen were in high school. There's a learning curve in a period of time it takes those guys to feel comfortable. They're able to walk alongside those guys and kind of show them the way and help guide them where it's necessary."

That leadership will be tested by the schedule Dordt has put together. Morgan said building a schedule from northwest Iowa is never simple. There are not always nearby opponents that fit well competitively, so Dordt tried to be more creative this year.

The result is a schedule that includes four Division I games, a Division II matchup with Augustana on Defender Days, and several new Division III opponents that should give the Defenders a better sense of where they stand.

"I think the intention here is last year we had, you know, every year you try to build the best schedule that you can, but we're in northwest Iowa," Morgan said. "Finding close opponents is sometimes a struggle to find competition that matches us well or provides a good experience for both programs. So we really tried to go outside the box here this year."

Those games carry different kinds of value. Some will matter in the rankings. Others will not. Morgan is not especially worried about that distinction. He wants games that force Dordt to play well.

"These Division One games and the Division Two game are opponents that match us extremely well," Morgan said. "According to the computer they don't mean anything, but for our program and our growth, they are going to help prepare us for what we expect is another long run at the conference tournament and national tournament."

The schedule should also change the feel of some nights inside Vernon Arena. Dordt has built a positive home environment in ACHA hockey, and Morgan believes fans will see more games this season where the outcome is in question deep into the third period.

"One of the best things we have in our program and on our campus is our student section, and the environment that we provide our hockey guys on a game night is second to none in the ACHA with the Vernon Arena just absolutely packed on a Friday night," Morgan said. "These are going to be games that are really going to test the program. We can't just show up and expect to win. We're going to have to earn it every single night."

The rink has also become an important place for Dordt's connection to the local hockey community. Morgan spoke at length about the youth program in Sioux Center and the way Dordt players have become part of that environment. They help at practices, get on the ice with younger skaters and spend time with kids who look up to them.

That is not the headline of the season, but it is part of the culture Morgan wants around the program. It is also one way the team reflects the Defender Way without making it a slogan. The players are visible, available and willing to invest in the rink beyond their own practices and games.

"We can't understate how important it's been for those guys to come on the ice," Morgan said. "They love it. They're such good kids, and the youth hockey kids just absolutely adore them. They think they're the coolest guys in the world."

Morgan said that connection was easy to see when the local Learn to Skate program opened with its largest group yet.

"Last Monday we started learn to skate program here in town," Morgan said. "We've had our biggest turnout we've ever had with that. We had over 25 skaters on the ice. And what we do there is the hockey guys will come out and they'll just grab a kid and they go one-on-one and they just skate around and talk to them, make them feel comfortable."

Those moments matter to Morgan because they make the program part of the community in a real way. They also remind players that their influence reaches beyond a shift or a scoreline. Younger kids notice them. Families notice them. The rink notices them.

On the ice, Morgan is watching for continued growth from several returning players. Reuben Horneman is one example. After being in and out of the lineup as a freshman, Horneman became one of Dordt's top players as a sophomore and has continued to take on more responsibility.

"As a freshman, he was scratched from time to time, and then as a sophomore he was one of our best players," Morgan said. "He finally found his way on the ice and put up a ton of points, but I would say more impressively for myself is off the ice, he's just turned into an incredible young man. I'm just so happy for him and proud of him and the steps that he's made away from the rink."

Morgan also mentioned Levi Lokenn, Tegan Doelman and Tyler Welsh as returners who could take on larger roles as the year develops. Each brings something different, and Dordt will need that depth as the schedule tightens.

For Dordt, September will not answer everything. Morgan knows the Defenders are still settling in, still learning line combinations and still building toward the version of themselves they hope to be later in the year. But the early pieces are there: a challenging schedule, an experienced group to guide the newcomers, a strong home environment and a program that continues to matter in its community.

The summer was short. The season is here.