The Elizabethtown College ice hockey club hopes to skate their way to victory after a rough start in the beginning of the season.
After a nail-biting win against their Messiah rivals, the Etown ice hockey club was down by two going into the third period, but scored an impressive four goals during the third period. The club left the rink with a score of 6-4 over the Falcons, a game the team entered with much anticipation.
“Hopefully this successful start to the new year and second half of the season leads to more positive results on the ice,” sophomore Andrew Herm said.
A new year with fresh faces gives the club hope that the season will end on a high note.
“Hockey is a fun experience for all involved — I’ve brought a few of my friends along to our games, and since then, they’ve wanted to come see every game they can. It’d be nice to generate enough fan interest throughout the student body so that we could push to become an NCAA sport at the college,” Herm continued.
Dedicated fans of the club attend the games with high energy and enjoy supporting their fellow students. A cheering section, made up of friends, roommates and classmates, can be found at every Etown hockey game.
“Having gone to as many games as I could make over the past few years, I’ve really enjoyed seeing the team grow and work their way one goal at a time to their current standing,” said senior Chris Tjaden said. “My favorite games to experience are the ones against Messiah because the energy displayed from both the team and the fans is unparalleled and makes for a great game. If anyone out there hasn’t been to a game, I highly recommend going!”
According to the group’s mission statement: “Our goal is to bring hockey to Elizabethtown College as a club sport. Our ultimate goal is to become a Varsity Sport for the college. For now, we hope to build a following and allow students to play ice hockey at a non-competitive level, learn the skills of the game, and all together, have fun enjoying a sport.”
The club plays at Twin Ponds East Rink in Harrisburg or Twin Ponds West Rink in Mechanicsburg. The Jays’ games are held on weeknights at varying times ranging from 7:30 p.m. to 10:45 p.m.
“My hope for the rest of the season is that as a team and myself, we improve and that we can make it into [the] playoffs,” sophomore Robert Graham said. “If I could tell the student population one thing about the club it’s that we are a group that loves the sport and would love to play Division III for the school.”
Upcoming dates for the ice hockey club’s games are Jan. 30 at 9:25 p.m and Feb. 2 at 10:30 p.m. at Twin Ponds East in Harrisburg. The team’s full schedule can be found at www.twinponds.com/hockey/ps.htm under the American league.
