Hockey team takes on Purdue

Fall has arrived, and with it comes the start of hockey season in Bloomington.

IU’s Division III men’s team is a young one, with only three seniors and eight incoming freshmen, but what it lacks in age it makes up for in depth and talent.

“We have a lot of talent from top to bottom,” senior forward Jon Micah Goeller said. “I think that the ceiling for this team is definitely way beyond teams in the past.”

Senior defenseman Andrew Weiss also said he felt the team depth has been great and there has been contribution throughout the roster.

“We’ve only had four games together so far, but we’ve really worked well and feed off of each other’s energy during games,” Weiss said.

Despite its many strengths, this team also has some weak spots to work through.

“We have to work on system play and getting used to each other, and right now, we’re taking too many penalties,” Goeller said.

Coming off two losses to Lansing Community College last weekend, IU is focused on playing on its strengths and improving on its weaknesses for the approaching games.

IU enters its third week of play with this weekend’s games against Purdue. These will be the team’s last home game of the season and the first home game in two years.
 
The team has formed partnerships with some local businesses to create incentives for fans who attend the game and support the team on and off the ice.

“We’re having a partnership with Pizza X, and they will be there during the first and second intermission doing on-the-ice promotion.” junior forward and team vice president Nicholas Kleva said.

The team is also raising money at BuffaLouie’s.

“We also have a percentage night at BuffaLouie’s on Thursdays,” said Goeller. “You just have to say ‘IU hockey’ when you go in and 15 percent of your order will go directly to the team.”

The incentives for attending the game go beyond deals with local restaurants.

“People don’t get to see hockey very often, especially in southern Indiana,” Kleva said. “It’s a very unique experience.”

The upcoming games will be a chance for fans to see IU play against Purdue, a rivalry that is felt throughout the Bloomington campus.

“No matter what sport it is, we always want to beat Purdue,” Goeller said.

There are many goals for the season as a whole for the team, but right now the impending matchup against Purdue is what the team is focused on. IU has played Purdue six previous times.

“Having played Purdue twice every year and having a record of 3-3 against them, the three seniors definitely want to say we had a winning record against our rivals,” Weiss said.

The Hoosiers will play Purdue at 9 p.m. Friday at Frank Southern Ice Arena and again at 2 p.m. Saturday at Frank Southern. Team members said they expect fans who choose to come out to be glad they did.

“The Frank really gets loud when there are a lot of people there,” Weiss said. “It’s a fun atmosphere to be a part of not only as a player but as a fan.”