Rebuilding a legacy has been no
easy task for Derrick Fansler-Wald, captain of the Northwestern club
hockey team. His time is consumed by fund raising, practicing and
completing the never-ending flow of paperwork required by the
university and the league.
"This is more than a full-time class," said Fansler-Wald, a
McCormick junior.
After a two-year hiatus, the team is playing competitively in the
American Collegiate Hockey Association.
Three years ago, many team leaders either graduated or did not
return to NU, and several other players lost interest. The team shut
down, but returned this year to play in a probationary category of
the ACHA's Division II.
Team spirit radiated from the locker room at Robert Crown Ice
Complex in Evanston before Saturday night's game against the
University of Iowa. Enthusiasm glowed on players' faces as they took
to the ice.
"We're not doing this to earn a varsity letter; we're doing this
because we want to play," Fansler-Wald said.
The game announcer tried to enliven the crowd of 130 people that
turned out to watch the game, a 6-9 loss.
"Get on your feet and show some support," he said.
The crowd was the largest group this year's team has ever played
for, but it did not come close to reaching the rink's capacity of
1,200.
"It would be great if we could fill this place up," said team
member David Crepps, a McCormick junior.
The team chartered shuttles using its own funds to bring fans to
the rink for Saturday's game. Paying for the transportation will
help establish the group as a serious team and gain the recognition
and support of the university and Associated Student Government,
Fansler-Wald said.
A shortage of funds available to the team creates one of its
largest roadblocks, team leaders said. With ice time going for $175
an hour, the dues that each player must pay, along with the limited
funds allocated to the team by the university, are not enough to
cover the cost of adding more games to the schedule.
In addition, the team skates in a rink that needs numerous
repairs and wears only one set of jerseys for both away and home
games, Crepps said.
Fansler-Wald and Crepps noted the troubled relationship between
Evanston and NU and said they hope to see the two groups come
together to support their team. The players look forward to the day
when they will see a "Northwestern" sign adorning the front of their
home arena.
"If we build it, they will come," said Fansler-Wald, noting a
rise in attendance at this game.
To help reestablish the team, Fansler-Wald has focused a great
deal on alumni involvement. He said the team's alumni database
boasts about 80 former NU hockey players and fans. Assistant coach
Christopher Jensen is an alumnus returning to lend his expertise.
"Word is spreading fast," Fansler-Wald said.
Long-term goals of the team include not only having its own rink,
but also eventually gaining Division I status.
For now, however, the players are focusing on making the jump
from "playing pick-up hockey" to being a Division II team, assistant
captain Spencer Worley said.
"That's the part that's pretty exciting," said Worley, a Weinberg
junior.
Email this
story
Print this
story