For those of you who may be unaware, UC has an ice hockey team. They’re not NCAA, and they’re certainly not Division-I caliber, but the Bearcats hockey team competes in the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s third division. The ACHA is a club league, where the players pay to play, and teams from smaller schools get a chance to compete. Last year, the Bearcats competed against teams like Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Wright State, and IUPUI, and completed a successful freshman season.
This season, the Bearcats recruited several new players, but the team is chock-full of returning players ready to improve upon last season’s success.
They opened the season in disappointing fashion, walking away 0-2 after a weekend set in Findlay. Chris Deutsch and Alan Grove took turns in goal for the Bearcats, who allowed 12 goals in the two games. But it wasn’t entirely the goaltending’s fault; the Bearcats defense faltered and was struggling in front of the net.
As a whole, the team is improving, and it will take time before the group adjusts to playing together with many new players. On offense, the team was progressing with their shot placement, but their passing game will have to excel in order to get the best shots off and keep them from being stuck on their backhand with a wide open net.
The Bearcats opened their home season October 15 (too late for this edition of the Activist) against Eastern Kentucky, a heated rival who only won two games a year ago. The following night they took on Eastern Kentucky again, in Lexington.
The Bearcats play EKU four times over the course of the season, and each match-up promises to be entertaining for fans and players alike. You can catch the Bearcats on the ice October 29 and 30 against Radford University.
Go to www.geocities.com/bearcatshockey for more information on game times and locations.