While many Bearcat fans have focused on the struggles of the football team this season, many of the other squads on campus have quietly put together winning teams.
In case you did not notice, Cincinnati even has one team on campus that is still undefeated.
The University of Cincinnati men’s hockey team, who compete at the Division II level of American Collegiate Hockey Association, currently sits at 9-0, and have outscored their opponents by a combined goal total of 88-28 to date.
“It feels good,” senior marketing student and team president Damien Lona said. “We started last year 9-0, so we are looking to break our previous season’s record. Obviously, Cincinnati is not a big hockey hotbed, so we do not get as much support as some of the other teams, but we do like the fact that we get to represent the school well and have pride in being a winning team.”
Cincinnati may not be known for its hockey acumen, but the Bearcats have managed to sift through the best of what Cincinnati has to offer, bringing in the necessary recruits to win on a consistent basis.
Freshman finance student Donald Ennis was attracted to the school by the success his friends experienced while competing as a Bearcat.
“I had a lot of friends that were on the team in previous years, and friends that competed against UC in previous years who had nothing but good things to say about them. That is what ended up bringing me here,” Ennis said.
Due to the Bearcats’ success, offers have been extended for them to compete at the Division I level, though they currently do not have the funds they would need to feel comfortable indulging in the expenditures that playing at that level would require.
“It has to do a lot with funding,” Lona said. “You have to have a certain amount of funding to be able to go up to that next level from the school. Our budget is pretty high and the school only offers a certain percentage of that for us. We appreciate that, but there is a lot of area we have to cover with player fees.”
Loma says that the team’s ultimate goal is to eventually make the transition to Division I.
“We are looking into stuff like that now, we just want to make sure we are doing it the right way,” he said. “The more you win, the more people are going to be able to help and the more the school will help. An opportunity to go up will be there.”
According to sophomore biology student Dalton Drumm, the best part about playing is when the fans come out to support them.
“The thing I like the most is when the fans get involved,” Drumm said. “When a good amount of people come out to watch our games, it makes it a lot more exciting.”
The Bearcats currently play at Sports Plus Cincinnati, but are actively searching for venues closer to campus, with the plan of implementing a shuttle service that could transport fans to and from the games.
Cincinnati hits the ice again as they put their undefeated record on the line against Wright State University at 9:10 p.m. Friday at Sports Plus.
