By Kirstin Maguire Contributing Writer
McCormick junior Kristin Vicari fondly remembers playing on her high school ice hockey team and winning the state championship – twice.
When she learned that Northwestern had a club ice hockey team on top of its strong academics, she decided the school was a good match.
“It was actually one of the reasons I came here, as silly as it sounds,” Vicari said.
Unlike some other Big Ten schools, NU doesn’t have a varsity ice hockey team, but it has both a men’s and a women’s club team. The men’s team has its home games in Highland Park where they practice, and the women’s team hosts games at Robert Crown Ice Arena, 1701 Main St.
Players said they don’t mind playing a club sport.
“I actually like it because my major is so time demanding. So it’s actually nice that I don’t have the pressure and time commitment of a D-1 sport,” Vicari said. “I thought about playing as a collegiate athlete, and I wouldn’t have had time. My major is too important to sacrifice for a sport.”
While being in a club sport allows Vicari time for her studies, the hockey teams have trouble financially and attracting fans. NU provides some financial assistance, but the men will receive no funding this year because they turned in their budget late, according to McCormick junior Justin Schorr, president of the men’s team.
“The saddest thing about it is when you go play teams like McKendree College, and you see them with jumpsuits provided and nice uniforms that are provided,” Schorr said. “Our uniforms were donated.”
Because hockey isn’t a varsity sport at NU, athletes have to pay dues to fund the team. Women pay $275 each year, and men pay $800.
“We are paying $40,000 a year in tuition, and you would think (the school) would support you as a team,” Schorr said. “It’s sad when the kids aren’t paying that money to go to school, and they are fully supported by their university.”
Both club hockey teams had to raise substantial funds to support the program. They can only afford to practice once a week because each hour of ice time runs about $300, Vicari said.
The teams play some Big Ten schools that have club teams, and they also compete against teams that aren’t affiliated with colleges. Both teams have games on Fridays and Saturdays. The women’s team won its league championship two years ago, and last year they took second place.
Because NU doesn’t have an ice rink and the teams can’t afford fan buses, the hockey players have a hard time attracting fans or even informing people that hockey teams exist at NU. Many players are disappointed by the lack of a fan base.
“Usually if we have a home game, we are lucky if we get five Northwestern fans,” said Brad Schleder, a Weinberg sophomore and team member. “Usually the other club team will get about 20 or 25 fans. They must have had at least 50 to 75 people when we played at McKendree, and they’re all students buying beer and banging on glass.”
SESP sophomore Jessica Klein recently cheered on the men’s hockey team, but she said she wished more NU fans had been there.
“Hockey is an exciting sport,” she said. “But I think it’s hard to go to a hockey game and have no other Northwestern students there, especially with the potential for students to have so much fun at the game and the team to grow from support and encouragement.”
Anyone can join the teams, and members said they are always looking for new members. The men’s season has already started, and the women play their first game Oct. 21.
Reach Kirstin Maguire at [email protected].
