Slapshots and Skates: DU Club Hockey
"I love the game of hockey and didn't want to give it up completely. Playing club has been a great experience." -Sophomore team captain Skyler Rusch on his experience as a member of the Denison club hockey team
Christian Payne
Issue date: 2/9/10 Section: Sports
Believe it or not, for over 50 years the Big Red has been hitting the ice. The Denison club hockey team, along with other club squads such as squash and rugby, is one of the hill's oldest and most successful club programs.
Largely under the campus athletic radar, the Denison club hockey team has enjoyed years of success.
Now a member of the American College Hockey Association, a league that boasts membership of 375 teams nation-wide, the club hockey team is taking on even bigger and better competition than is the past.
"The club has grown and become more competitive over the past ten years to the point where we were undefeated three years ago," said the team's head coach Danny Hall. "As a result of that success at the local level, we decided to expand our scope a bit and now play much larger programs over a wider range of venues."
This season, the Big Red has taken on tough competition in the form of Division I squads such as Indiana, Louisville and Xavier.
Currently, Denison sits with a record of 2-8, having bested rival Xavier twice. Even though they haven't had perfect results this season, the team remains very competitive. "We are no longer enjoying undefeated seasons, but find ourselves playing a higher caliber hockey even more" Hall noted.
The team's schedule ranges from late October until mid-February with weekend games, and holds practice twice a week at the Lou Gibbs Reese Hockey Arena in nearby Newark. The club is made up of about 25 players who have a significant amount of experience, having played on high-level travel or high school teams. Some other varsity athletes even join in on the action during their off-seasons.
Despite the lack of a varsity label, the team attracts students who can't distance themselves from the sport.
"I love the game of hockey and didn't want to give it up completely," said sophomore captain Skyler Rusch, who has 5 goals and 3 assists for the Big Red this season. "Playing club has been a great experience."
Largely under the campus athletic radar, the Denison club hockey team has enjoyed years of success.
Now a member of the American College Hockey Association, a league that boasts membership of 375 teams nation-wide, the club hockey team is taking on even bigger and better competition than is the past.
"The club has grown and become more competitive over the past ten years to the point where we were undefeated three years ago," said the team's head coach Danny Hall. "As a result of that success at the local level, we decided to expand our scope a bit and now play much larger programs over a wider range of venues."
This season, the Big Red has taken on tough competition in the form of Division I squads such as Indiana, Louisville and Xavier.
Currently, Denison sits with a record of 2-8, having bested rival Xavier twice. Even though they haven't had perfect results this season, the team remains very competitive. "We are no longer enjoying undefeated seasons, but find ourselves playing a higher caliber hockey even more" Hall noted.
The team's schedule ranges from late October until mid-February with weekend games, and holds practice twice a week at the Lou Gibbs Reese Hockey Arena in nearby Newark. The club is made up of about 25 players who have a significant amount of experience, having played on high-level travel or high school teams. Some other varsity athletes even join in on the action during their off-seasons.
Despite the lack of a varsity label, the team attracts students who can't distance themselves from the sport.
"I love the game of hockey and didn't want to give it up completely," said sophomore captain Skyler Rusch, who has 5 goals and 3 assists for the Big Red this season. "Playing club has been a great experience."
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