With an explosive offense that scored 220 goals and having two of the top scorers in the country, the CSUN hockey team had its first taste of Nationals last season.

But it is a new year; players have graduated, leaving the Matadors with a difficult obstacle to overcome in order to return to Nationals.

The Matadors, who finished the regular season last season with a 23-4 overall record, have added 12 new players and believe the offense will be a strong point once again.

“Our offense is twice as strong from what it was last season” said assistant captain Anthony Kendryna, who was the second leading scorer for the Matadors with 52 goals last season. “We have three solid lines that can score, compare to the one we had last season.”

The Matadors went 2-1 in the first round of the American College Hockey Association (ACHA) Division III Nationals.

 Two of the fresh new faces taking the ice to help CSUN get back to Nationals are freshman’s center Mason Lomeli and defenseman Matthew Goult.

“The returners aren’t giving us a hard time and we are having good practices and workouts,” Lomeli said. “As a center I have to win face offs and do what I can to help the team win.”

Since the Matadors named their new roster they have been practicing on building team chemistry.

“They (returners) are helping us out and we are communicating all the time on the ice making sure that we are at the right place at the right time,” Goult said.