Gannon University’s club hockey team played its final home game of its inaugural season Sunday.  
     The match resulted in a 9-4 loss to St. John Fischer College, dropping the Knights’ record to 1-9 for the 2009-10 campaign.  
     While the record may not inspire hope for the casual fan, team members are happy with the strides they have made despite the initial growing pains.
     “It was a struggle to get the team started,” said Matt Heil, founding president and defenseman.  “It’s hard to find a bunch of guys willing to get knocked around when this club was essentially starting from scratch.”
     Heil, a junior communication arts major, admitted that he knew the team would hit rough times early in the season due to a lack of team chemistry.
     “I didn’t know half the team until the very first practice,” Heil said. “It’s not like an ongoing team where you have a few new faces, but the rest of the team knew each other.  Every guy was a new guy.”
     According to senior defenseman Kyle Churman, the growing pains weren’t helped by the steep learning curve that faced new players.
     “I’ve been playing since I was 4 years old, but some of these guys have just started,” he said. “We had to become a true team as the year went on.”
     Eventually the group began to develop a sense of camaraderie and grew together as a team.  
     The hard work finally paid off when the team (pictured right - Alex Bieler/ Knight) won its first game against Case Western Reserve University on Dec. 5, 2009.  
     Heil said that the victory over Case Western reminded them of  why they work so hard. 
     “That win was a real turning point,”  he said. “It was a real team effort and a big moment for us.”
     Sophomore center and team treasurer  Bobby Johns said he couldn’t have been happier when the Knights finally got over the hump.
     “I’m really proud of all our guys,” he said.  “We worked hard and hopefully next year we’ll get more guys on the team and fans to fill the seats at our games.”
     The Gannon club hockey team’s season is nearly over, with games remaining at Case Western and Allegheney College.  
     However, Heil knows that the team’s work is just starting.
     “The goal is to keep building for next year,” Heil said.  “If we don’t, the sacrifices the players on our team have made will all be a waste.  We’re hoping to start something great here at Gannon, even after the people on this team have graduated.”
     Even with such a daunting task ahead, John Sabol, a junior mechanical engineering major and goalie, said he is up to the challenge.
     “I can’t wait for next year,” Sabol said.  “I’m going to train over the summer and work my butt off for this team.”
 
ALEX BIELER
bieler001@gannon.edu