The Wright State men’s club hockey team is set to carve the ice Friday against the Bowling Green State University Falcons.
The season kicks off with back to back games against Bowling Green State in a home-at-home series. The Raiders will host the Falcons Saturday at the Kettering Recreation Complex.
Following the back to back games against the Falcons, the Raiders will take on a challenging schedule facing two games against last season’s undefeated Miami University Redhawks and then host the Dayton Flyers Friday, Oct. 4.
Practice began earlier this month and head Coach Chris Sands has been preparing the team for the season opener.
“Overall the guys have been meshing well together,” Sands said. “Some of the returning players and freshmen have been working to build good character and team chemistry, we are on pace for a good season.”
With the arrival of eight freshmen and one transfer player, the Raiders believe teamwork and constructing strong relationships will benefit them in their success for the division championship.
“After the first couple games we hope to gain a little confidence,” Sands said. “It should get the jitters out of the way. With most of these competitive games, we want to come out of the gate strong, play solid defense and have more goal scorers.”
Last year’s leading goal scorer, junior, Ty Hoglund feels positive about how the Raiders finished the season last year and said since the team won the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division III Championship in 2005, opponents tend to forget the history of the team.
“Many teams have overlooked us over the past few seasons,” Hoglund said. “But we finished with some very strong outings last season and are looking to surprise our league this season.”
The Raiders are working to position themselves well for the playoffs this season and also hope to garner more fans for the home games.
“I have been most pleased with how well we are working together,” Sands said. “We want to be more competitive with tougher teams and play better on our home ice, as well as for the home fans.”
