The inline hockey club team at DU is being brought back as a new club for the 2010-11 season on a probationary basis, after an alcohol-related infraction sidelined the team a year ago.
The team was originally suspended two years ago, when players were caught drinking in the locker room by another team’s coach, according to sophomores Chayce Duncan, the team’s treasurer, and Aaron Merkin-Morokoff, the vice president.
Duncan and Merkin-Morokoff are looking to have the team become a force in the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (RMCRHA) like it was five years ago.
“I would love to build this team now, because no wants to go into the season expecting to lose every game because you are trying to rebuild,” said Duncan. “But in the same sense, I would love to be here for the next four years and build a team out of that.”
This year, unlike past seasons, the team is not funded by DU because they are on probation.
“Our player dues right now consist of jerseys, league fees and a T-shirt fee, but we might have to change something because right now they are at $450 with a 10-man team,” said Duncan.
Students’ interest in the club was strong at the Pioneer Carnival with 20 students signing up, according to Merkin-Morokoff.
“We thought we might have had two teams, and that would have been fantastic,” said Merkin-Morokoff. “I would like to see us in the future have two teams like some of the other universities do.”
Nine players, three from the squad last year and six new players, played in the preseason tournament for RMCRHA at Rocky Mountain Roller complex in Littleton, Colo., on Sept. 25-26, leaving the team short for the amount of players that it needs for two teams, according to Duncan.
In that tournament, the Pioneers finished 1-3, beating the University of Colorado 8-4, then losing to the University of Northern Colorado 7-5, Colorado School of Mines 6-3 and Metro State 6-5. Each loss was decided by three goals or less.
The Pioneers are looking to build from the success they had at the tournament, according to both Duncan and Merkin-Morokoff.
“This year we are trying to rebuild this team and get good standing in this league,” said Merkin-Morokoff. “We are trying to win some games and be a better team than we have ever had at the university.”
