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New hockey club will face obstacles
By Jon Gibbons
Collegian Freelancer
Hockey—as
many a flyer has indicated—will soon be returning to Hillsdale.
A new club hockey team has already
had one informal meeting. It is now working to finalize its
schedule, including practice times and locations. Coach Adam
Lussier said they plan to begin practice within a week or two.
Sixteen players are currently
listed on the roster. Senior Michael Francisco, founding member
and president of the hockey club, said he feels optimistic about
the longevity of the team, which he said he wanted to get started
for some time.
Francisco estimated that one-third
to one-half of the players are freshmen, and added that the
team will be comprised of a wide variety of individuals, including
fraternity members and independents.
"I wasn't sure if there were
enough students to play, but some alumni talked to Dr. Arnn
and he sent me a letter which spurred me on,” Francisco
said.
"Both [Francisco] and I wanted
to be able to play hockey while we’re still in college,”
said junior Dan Greene, the club’s other founding member.
“Dr. Arnn was actually interested
in starting [a club], and when we realized that the administration
was interested in helping us, that really helped us to get going."
The hockey club has several obstacles
to overcome before it can get on the ice and play.
Greene said that although the
administration has approved the club team, Hillsdale isn’t
currently able to support the team monetarily.
In the absence of school funding,
the club has turned to other sources for support, and the players
themselves will likely have to pitch in.
“We’re looking at $150
a semester as something that the students could afford, something
reasonable,” Lussier said. “Most club hockey teams
are charging the same amount.”
While the $150 will deflect some
of the cost, the team will face continuing overhead expenses.
“You can never have enough
practice, and the cost of ice is expensive, and you have to
find ways to pay for that,” Lussier said.
In addition to ice time and referees,
the club will need to spend money to comply with the rules of
the National Collegiate Athletic Association, including those
that pertain to uniforms and attire.
“Ice time and jerseys are
the most expensive items, because the jerseys have to be regulation,”
Francisco said.
The club is planning fundraisers,
but has also found some individual donors. Francisco said that
Saga, Inc. donated $500.
Another hurdle the club must face
is admission into the Michigan Collegiate Hockey Conference.
The conference comprises nine
schools in Michigan: Calvin College, Hope College, Jackson Community
College, Kalamazoo College, Lansing Technical College, Lawrence
Technological University, Muskegon Community College, Northwood
University and Oakland University.
The club plans to play member
teams this year and seek acceptance into the MCHC next year.
“[The MCHC’s] formal
acceptance of teams happens in the spring of the next season,”
Lussier said, “so our goal is to play around ten-plus games
with teams in that league and then the next year ask to be in
the league.”
Jackson Community College, a more
recent addition to the league, followed this same plan.
“We’re a club team,
and all the teams in MCHC are club teams. This is the way to
get into the league; it’s kind of like a probationary term,”
Greene said.
Hillsdale’s lack of an ice
rink does not make the college the most conducive school to
practice hockey. The team will have to use Jackson, Mich., as
their home rink.
“The goal is one practice
a week in Jackson,” Lussier said.
The team has managed to come up
with a few less traditional practice arenas for the club as
well.
“We might do some stuff at
the roller rink,” Greene said. “But if we want to
practice on ice, we have to go to Jackson.”
Lussier also mentioned an alternative
practice ground in Hillsdale.
“There’s an outdoor
rink, and weather permitting we’ve been granted permission
to play on that,” he said.
Despite some obstacles, the hockey
team said they are encouraged by the support and interest shown
by its members.
“There’s enough interest
that this could hopefully bring hockey back,” Lussier said.
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Michael Francisco |
