With no shortage of small, dangerous forwards dancing around the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, UAA has hit upon a tactic aimed to squash such skill: Knock the shiftiness out of them.

"If we play physical and finish our checks, it wears teams down and they get tired and make mistakes,'' said Seawolves coach Dave Shyiak. "As a staff we demand our guys finish their checks and play physical.''

Toward that end, Shyiak and company have assembled a roster that embraces the notion size matters and bigger is better. Goalies aside, the Seawolves average 6-foot-1 and 192 pounds, which means it will be rare for them to come across a bigger opponent.

Shyiak, in his fifth season, has recruited size to counter the skilled players that traditional league powers like Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Denver routinely attract.

"You're looking for talent and skating, and size is always a bonus,'' he said. "We're fortunate with being able to find guys who have good size and can still get around the ice. We're strong along the wall and that really levels the playing field against more skilled teams.''

UAA last season went 14-17-5 overall and finished ninth in the 10-team WCHA with a 9-14-5 record in league. That marked an improvement over the previous season, in which they went 7-21-8 overall and 8-19-1 for last place in the league, and the Seawolves flourished most when they banged bodies consistently.

"Our style is getting more and more like that,'' said junior defenseman Kane Lafranchise, who checks in at 6-1, 202. "We're getting harder and harder to play against.''

The Seawolves open their season Friday night with an exhibition game against the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology at 7:07 at the Menard Memorial Ice Arena in Wasilla.

Shyiak said the Seawolves' physical game manifests itself best along the boards, where bigger players can win battles. Deep in the offensive zone, the Seawolves like to cycle the puck to tire opponents while they look for an open man or an avenue to the net. Cycling the puck against a weary opponent also allows them to draw penalties.

Lafranchise said the Seawolves find they can wear down opponents and win battles of attrition.

"If we played that way all weekend (last season), by the second or third period Saturday night, teams were dumping the puck more, playing it safe and staying away from hits,'' Lafranchise said.

Of course, you can't hit what you can't catch. That's one reason Shyiak said he puts a premium on skating ability when he recruits. Also, UAA plays nearly all its games on Olympic-sized ice like that in its home rink at Sullivan Arena. Most WCHA rinks are Olympic-sized, 15 feet wider than NHL-sized ice, and UAA also plays three games on the Olympic-sized ice at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks.

UAA junior center Nick Haddad, who goes 6-2 and 198, said it's no use being big if you've got lead in your boots.

"If you're a big monster, but you can't catch guys, you're worthless out there,'' he said.

Still, all that hitting takes a toll on the guys delivering the checks too. That's one reason the Seawolves say keeping their fitness level high is mandatory.

"That's why coach says we have to be the best conditioned team in the league,'' Haddad said.

Seawolves notes

A Skate With The Seawolves session is scheduled at Menard Memorial Ice Arena following Friday's exhibition game.

Kids should bring their skates, and there are rentals available at the rink. The Seawolves also will sign autographs.