This weekend, the UR Men’s Club Hockey team played two intensive games, allowing them to sit first place in the Western Division of the Upstate New York Club Hockey League (UNYCHL). On Friday, UR won against their local rival, St. John Fisher, with an impressive score of 10–7.
The following night, UR suffered a devastating loss against Le Moyne. With just over a minute left in the game, Le Moyne scored the winning goal off a significant penalty play, ultimately costing Rochester the game.
“We’re hands down the most talented/skilled team in the league,” UR defenseman and Squad President Isaiah Patterson said. “We just need to play our game and go out and execute. We can’t beat ourselves. We’re definitely hoping to regain that championship form from two seasons ago, and so far it’s been promising.”
Patterson and his fellow teammates’ hopes seem to be attainable. The team currently stands 6–1 in league play, and 8–3 overall. The team won the UNYCHL playoffs in 2013-2014, but had a disappointing end to the season last year after performing very well in the regular season, and then losing in the first round of the playoffs. According to the UNYCHL, no one is currently out of contention for a spot at the playoffs, meaning the optimism must remain.
A lot of credit for the club’s many successes is due to their large support base. Patterson stated that turnout this season has been “phenomenal,” and that the team has been attracting crowds of nearly 200 people. The Rochester UNYCHL squad has come to be “a team that other schools don’t like to come play,” due to the their consistent and numerous legion of rowdy supporters.
The squad has been extremely successful in promoting their games, given that they aren’t a varsity team. “We’ve really encouraged people to come to our games through social media,” Patterson said, “and working with fraternities on campus to make our games rush events for prospective brothers.”
On Feb 5., UR faces Brockport at 7 p.m. at Genesee Valley Park Sports Complex. They encourage all fans, new and old, to come root for the team.
