By COOPER RATHMANN and RIVER OKADA-MULAWKA
Beloit College announced the establishment of its men’s and women’s varsity hockey teams last spring. While many Beloiters eagerly await the inaugural season, now would be a great time to formally introduce the new Buccaneers to the campus as a whole.
Ice hockey is one of those sports fused with many elements of excitement. The game itself requires being dexterous on the ice, initiating hard body checks, and obligatorily getting in the faces of one’s opponents. Both men’s and women’s hockey require lots of physical and mental strength. “Women’s hockey is a lot more physical than people realize,” said Zoey Soost’27. “You’d be surprised by how the overall physicality and along with how fast paced the game is as well.” However, getting into ice hockey from a fan’s perspective can be challenging because of the rules and unique penalties.
Both hockey teams are bringing forth unique expectations for potential game results along with what they want to cultivate through positive team culture. Sky Solig’27, a transfer from Dubuque University, said that the team is “focusing on competing, not giving guys in the other locker room thoughts of an easy win, just always showing up to work hard each and every day.”
Most first year programs don’t have many expectations going into their inaugural season. However, In terms of a record for Beloit, Kaden Milles’29 said that “we probably won’t be at the top of the conference by the first year, but maybe around the middle pack,” showing that they could be one of those teams to outplay overconfident opponents and add some hard earned Ws to their season.
The women’s team is also ready to hit the rink and build up the team chemistry and see what everyone has to offer. Kennedy Gruhlke’27 said “we have a lot of new girls with their own separate skills, so it will be fun to see what we can pull together. Our expectations are working hard and being on the grind, so we’re ready to see where the season takes us.”
One of the main reasons the hockey teams came to be was due to the era of transition for Northland College. Northland offers loads of talent and subsequent work ethic to a developing sport for the greater Beloit area. This idea is validated by Weber when he said “the returning guys have been getting along great with all the new players and freshmen, and it’s already a lot better than last year [at Northland].”
Outside of Northland, the Buccaneers had an eclectic selection of players from around the country and even past the 49th parallel. The unique aspect of ice hockey as a sport is the difference of season lengths depending on where one is from. John-David “JD” Shoniker’29, a freshman hailing from Canada, says “the biggest difference for me is the adjustment to college hockey and playing NCAA rules. In Canadian hockey and junior hockey in general, you typically play around 52-60 games, while in collegiate seasons it’s around 25-26. Therefore, there’s going to be some increased competitiveness, but I’m excited for it and it’s going to be a good time.”
Beloiters have probably seen both teams eating at commons in their larger group, but they wanted it to be known that they love meeting new people on campus. You can also find them at most sporting events. Gruhlke said the team enjoys “being around new groups and getting to know more of the campus.” Max Von Klinggraef’29 emphasizes “we got a solid group of guys that are all new, and we’re trying to make a positive impact on campus. We always want to be that friendly face for everyone and hopefully get some new fans to come and watch some hockey.” Thus, if one sees anyone from the hockey teams, don’t be a stranger!
Hockey 101: Although it may seem jarring at first, Hockey is much easier to learn than you’d think!
Ice Hockey is a game between two teams consisting of 6 players on the ice each, consisting of a goalie, left and right defenders, left and right wing forwards, and center. The game is played on an ice rink either indoors or outdoors, with each team trying to get the most amount of goals on the other team by the end of the game. The way to score a goal is by getting the puck (the black, flat object) into the opposing team’s net with a hockey stick. The game starts with something called a “faceoff” where the two teams’ center players meet up at the center of the rink along with the ref and try to be the first one to get the puck for their team once the ref drops it between them.
Rules:
1. Teams consist of a maximum of 20 players
2. The game allows unlimited substitutions from the bench during stoppages in play
3. A goal can be scored by anyone on the ice, even the goalie (not the ref tho ofc)
4. To score a goal, the player MUST put the puck over the goal line (the entire puck must reach past the line into the goal)
5. Players can score a goal with any part of their stick, but NOT their hand
6. Players are not allowed to kick the puck into the net
7. The game consists of three periods, each spanning 20 minutes
8. The clock is stopped during stoppage of plays such as when a penalty is called
9. A free shot will be given to a player who is illegally stopped from behind when in possession of the puck with no opponent between him and the goal (except for the goalie)
10. If a penalty is called on a goalie, then a teammate serves him time in the penalty box
11. A team plays without some of its players when they are charged with penalties
13. If a team gets a third penalty, then it is suspended until the first penalty expires
14. If an opposing players enters into the defending zone before the puck arrives in the defending zone, then they will be called offsides (play and clock will be halted, and a faceoff will be played again)
Featured image: owayo
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