West Liberty University’s hockey club has experienced significant growth in its second year and the players are optimistic about the future of the program.
Club president and team captain Paul Henry reports the team has scheduled three times as many games in the club’s second year as last year. Last year, the team played five games, winning one against Wheeling Jesuit University. This year, the squad has played 12 of the 15 games on the schedule. Opponents have included such established programs as Marshall University, Denison University and California University of Pennsylvania. Of the three remaining games, two will be in Wheeling.
“The season has been full of trials. We haven’t won a game yet this year,” Henry said, “but they’ve all been very competitive. The guys have improved, especially the guys who have never played before. From where they are now compared to when they started they look like new people out on the ice.”
Henry added, “The majority of our team did not play organized ice hockey before they got to college.” He said the club does not turn away any interested player. Only about 10 of the 26 members have previous experience playing the sport. Last year’s squad had 16 members.
Henry credited his father and team members for the growth and success of the club. Henry’s father, Patrick Henry, is WLU’s chief of operations and advisor to the hockey club. The elder Henry said WLU has already been able to attract new students through the presence of the hockey club.
“Western Pennsylvania is also one of our high recruiting areas and … this gives us a reason to get into that market,” Patrick Henry said, “We offer something that the kids from Pennsylvania are used to and are part of their life.
“We’ve already recruited four students that would not have come here had it not been for hockey and we already have one recruit for next year. We have a transfer from Marshall, a transfer from West Virginia University and two freshmen that would have gone somewhere else, but chose to come here because we have hockey.
“College is all about learning and giving other people opportunities they haven’t had and this has given many guys an opportunity to continue what they love and others an opportunity to do something they’ve always thought about. It’s turned out well for us and for the University,” he added.
There are only five collegiate hockey clubs in the state of West Virginia. Unlike many other clubs, the WLU team requires only a $50 commitment fee and asks that the players pay for their own lodging and food when they travel to games. Club members have raised financial support, receiving donations from alumni and local businesses. WLU’s Student Government Association also has given the club $500 each year.
“It takes about $15,000 to run a good program and we’ve been able to raise $7,000 on our own this year,” Patrick Henry said. “We feel that we’ve done well and could use more support – more fans and monetary support.”
More information about the club may be found on Facebook at “West Liberty Hockey.”