The University of Wisconsin La Crosse Men’s Hockey Team is among the 24 sports clubs led by students for others to join. According to the UWL website, sports clubs provide students with opportunities to participate in various activities. Club logistics, rosters, scheduling games or practices, preparing and presenting budgets and club representation are the responsibilities of elected student officers. Due to affiliated league restrictions, some club rosters have limited roster space and require tryouts.
The Men’s Hockey Club is one of UWL’s newest sports clubs, after suffering through hardship and disbanding due to the lack of funding during the pandemic. The team’s 2020 season was cut short by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent internal team issues arose.
The Men’s Hockey Club had some trouble reaching deadlines and keeping the team relevant to UWL students. New leadership took over at the end of the 2022 season, and the team has seen a large uptick in public perception and game attendance.
The Racquet Press interviewed Senior Captain Brady Snedden about his experiences on the team’s revival, stating, “The team was disbanded a few years back due to a lack of guys and leadership, and we had 40 guys come to the tryout. It’s been fun. We want to leave a good record and leave a legacy for the guys so they can play some better teams and get in an actual conference.”
The team is currently comprised of 20 players and five alternates, who fill in for players when they are unavailable due to personal reasons or injury. The team is also entirely staffed by volunteers, including the coach, statistician and clock manager.
Vice President Max Binger spoke about what being a leader on the team means to him and how the members are impacted by participating. “I feel like we give back to the community here at UWL, and I feel a lot of pride in giving the boys an opportunity to play the game that we all love.” Binger has appeared in 10 games so far this season for the Eagles, scoring one goal and racking up 11 assists.
Due to the UWL Men’s Hockey team losing ten players to graduation, Club President and Junior Captain Wesley Knutson talked about continuing the team’s success going into next season, and how he plans to continue to keep the team’s play at an elevated level. “It will be tough, but this year we had 41 kids come out for tryouts. We have a solid core, and hopefully, we will have some good numbers again.” Knutson said.
Knutson commented on how it feels to be a part of the club and continue to play hockey competitively, he said, “We’re very grateful to the university to give us the opportunity to continue playing, and it means a lot to be able to be a role model to the rest of the guys while competing.” Knutson scored 7 goals in 11 games this season and will continue his role as the President of the UWL Men’s Hockey Team next season.
Senior Captain Brady Snedden spoke about his experiences on the team and the opportunity that the club team has provided for its members. “It gives an opportunity for some of the kids who either couldn’t play at the next level or chose to go to school here first. it’s [The team] everything to the guys. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
This past weekend, the UWL Men’s Hockey Team played two games against Waldorf University. The first game was at 7 p.m. on Friday, January 26th at Green Island Arena and ended in an Eagles victory of 8-1. The second game was on Saturday at noon in the La Crescent Ice Arena and resulted in the Eagles defeating Waldorf with a final score of 9-1 The Waldorf Viking Warriors forfeited at the end of the second period.
The Eagles suit up next against Winona State University on Wednesday, February 7, at 7 p.m. For more updates on The UWL Men’s Hockey Team, you can follow the team on Facebook or Instagram.
