Despite being small in size, the dedication of the LSU Ice Hockey Club members show true Tiger spirit on ice.
Players and fans of the sport live for the intensity. The excitement of a big hit. The thrill of a goal. The LSU Ice Hockey Club knows these feelings very well. The self-funded club team plays in the American Collegiate Hockey Association, competing against schools like Georgia and Alabama-Birmingham.
The club team has almost 30 players, but runs into issues fielding a team during the road games. For their previous games against Mississippi State, the club traveled with only seven players. For comparison, NHL teams have 23 players on their roster at all times throughout the season.
Psychology senior Grant Miller, said he believes the club’s low participation levels come from a lack of exposure. As team captain, Miller tries to find the balance between competition and enjoyment of the sport.
“It’s really hard trying to be competitive but also having a good time, so I try to push the guys to where their skills improve,” Miller said. “I want them to understand the game, so we can build chemistry and all that team stuff, but at the same time, we fall back on the fact that we are a club. It’s not taken that seriously.”
Financial backing compounds the problems the club hockey team faces. As a club, the team receives no school funding and must rent out Leo’s Ice World for practice time, Miller said. Players pay installments at the beginning of each semester to keep the team alive.
“Funding is kind of rough, everything comes out of these kids’ pockets,” Miller said. “It’s hard for some kids to play a lot of the times. That’s a big reason why participation is down. We don’t do a lot because kids just don’t have the money to pay.”
Despite the current struggles, the club’s members look to the future with anticipation. They believe there is a strong enough hockey fan base at the University to build up the program. Club vice president Jared Dozier has played hockey since age 11 and thinks there are more hockey fans on campus than what people think.
“It’s bigger than you think, but it’s not something that people just go around talking about down here,” Dozier said.
The LSU Ice Hockey Club’s ultimate goal is to receive school funding and establish a solid fan base. In their eyes, the future is bright. They envision playing home games in front of a full student section.
“If we could maybe secure the River Center in a couple years, and we could actually get some people to our games, it could be big,” Dozier said.
Many players on the team have played hockey before coming to the University. The club offers them a chance to continue playing a sport they love. Construction management sophomore Jacques Manuel sees ice hockey as an opportunity to enjoy himself.
“It’s a good getaway,” Manuel said. “You practice at night after you’ve had homework and school all day. It’s nice to go knock around with the boys.”
The LSU Ice Hockey Club’s last home game was Feb. 24 against Mississippi State at Leo’s Ice World.
“We are a bunch of guys that just like to play hockey,” Miller said. “But we do play competitively.”
