From The Columbia Missourian
By Jonathan Jain
Missouri club hockey will compete in the upcoming American Collegiate Hockey Association National Championships for the first time in program history. Riding a 13-game winning streak, the Tigers have their sights set on the title.
The tournament runs from March 16-21 and will take place at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Massachusetts.
After winning the Mid-American Collegiate Hockey Association silver tournament in overtime against Nebraska on Feb. 12, Missouri earned its spot in the championships and finished the regular season 19-5-1.
Despite the team’s recent success, its journey has had its fair share of hurdles over its almost-50-year history.
As a student-run organization, all of the team’s funding comes from donations and sponsors. From the broadcast team to managers, all staff members are unpaid volunteers.
“That’s one of the biggest reasons why we’re having this success,” assistant captain Nick Spolec said. “Everyone is just doing this out of pure love for the game and love for each other, and that’s why we’re going so far. It’s a really special thing to be a part of, and that extends way beyond us just playing and performing.”
Being a club team means that no players receive scholarships, and they have to pay dues for the team to function. This makes it tough for players who have to balance studying, working part-time jobs and playing hockey. On top of that, Columbia hasn’t had an ice hockey rink since 1981, so players have to make the 30-minute drive to Jefferson City’s Washington Park Ice Arena for practices and games.
“I’ve got classes at 8 a.m., so when you’re not getting home until 1 a.m., it’s a big time commitment,” junior goaltender Tanner Richardson said. “It’s a lot to balance, but, in the long run, we’ve come so far as a team and as a program that it’s really all been worth it.”
Richardson, a Columbia native, went door to door to downtown businesses during the summer looking for sponsorships. Fundraising and explaining the program’s mission to donors are key parts of the team’s success.
“The end goal for this year’s hockey board was really to grow our program and grow our name and our reach,” Richardson said. “That way — hopefully, one day in the future — we can bring not only a rink to Columbia but also potentially have Mizzou have an NCAA hockey program.”
There is a GoFundMe named “Mizzou Hockey to 2023 ACHA National Championships” that will pay for flights, housing and all other travel expenses for the team’s upcoming trip to nationals. As of Saturday, the GoFundMe has raised $16,815 toward its $20,000 goal, and the players are asking for continued donations.
“We’re pretty close to reaching our goal, and we’re just encouraging people to consider donating and being part of this special journey and special ride,” Spolec said. “This is not for us, per se. This is for everybody that’s involved, so we’re looking forward to continuing to fundraise and to make our dreams come true.”
The club’s impact on the campus and community is being noticed by many. The team was introduced at a recent Missouri wrestling meet, and Spolec said the hockey community has grown stronger with the team’s success.
“Our mission as an organization is not only to win championships but to grow hockey in the mid-Missouri community and show this great game off to everyone at Mizzou,” Spolec said.
“We’re excited to continue to ride this wave of success. We know that we have an uphill battle ahead of us, but everyone’s really confident, and — just like the entire season — everyone believes in every single game that we play, and we know that we can come back to Columbia with a championship that the fans desperately deserve.”
(Originally published at https://www.columbiamissourian.com/sports/mizzou_sports/mu-club-hockey-to-compete-for-national-championship/article_9429aaa8-b8d3-11ed-b197-fb264b0418d1.html)
