From ABC Fox Montana
By Madison Atkinson
BOZEMAN, Mont. – For the second time in the past three years, the Montana State University Club Hockey team is going to the National Championship.
The team will compete for the National Title in St. Louis, Missouri but before they leave next week the players are trying to raise over $40,000.
Right now, the hockey program is asking the community for their support.
The MSU Hockey team is a pay-to-play organization that operates under the MSU Club Sports department and is not part of the University’s athletic department.
As a result, the team receives less than 3% of funding from the university.
According to MSU Hockey Associate Head Coach Pete Kamman, the remaining funds for the entire operating budget, including the 30 plus game regular season schedule, league playoffs, Regional Championship and the National Championship, are fully funded by our student athletes’ player dues, sponsorships and team fundraising.
This week, the hockey program created a GoFundMe page to help them with their Nationals funding.
“With every game that we play with, every practice and when we get out in the community, we feel the support with everybody. But at the end of the day, you know we are still in college, we pay to go to school. We are also playing to play hockey and it does get pretty expensive,” MSU Hockey Captain and Club President said.
This Sunday, Gallatin Ice is hosting an event to help the team raise the funds they need to fly to St. Louis.
The event is from 12:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m., and everyone is invited to come to support the Bobcat hockey team by taking pictures with the players, skating and even entering in a chance to win some Bobcat merchandise.
MSU Hockey Head Coach, Dave Weaver said, “Our players do a lot of volunteer work in the youth hockey community and we try to give back and so that the kids know who the players are that way it is more fun you say oh that guy helped me skate or help me shoot.”
(Originally published at https://www.montanarightnow.com/bozeman/msu-bobcats-hockey-needs-community-support-before-heading-to-the-national-championship/article_5f298ec2-9b47-11ec-b0b6-37034aaef1b7.html)
