USU Hockey sent to nationals by community
LOGAN — Utah State Hockey is one of many club teams at Utah State University. The difference between them and the others is their widespread fan base.
They’ve just returned from the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Championships in Boston and say they owe their success to the community.
Because the team isn’t affiliated with USU Athletics, each player must pay to play. Donations, fundraisers and ticket sales have helped relieve the financial burden that comes with the expensive sport.
“We don’t want hockey to be a financial burden,” coach Samuel Lindquist said. “We were able to keep the player dues fairly low because of the great local community.”
Lindquist said they couldn’t do it without the donations. Local businesses, alumni and fans continuously donate money, meals and equipment.
“It means just about everything,” senior forward Bradley Green said. “The only reason we can play is with all of the support.”
After a successful season and a chance at the National Tournament, the team started a fundraiser with a goal of $40,000. To their surprise, they reached half their goal in just one week.
“To raise $20,000 in a week really speaks to the community around the hockey team and the support that’s out there,” Lindquist said.
In line with their community engagement efforts, the team held an open skate night to raise money and skate with those who continuously support them. They skated, sold merchandise and got to know their fans.
“To have people show up to our games is one thing, but to have them give us money to go to nationals, to pursue our goals is amazing,” freshman forward Benjamin Carlson said. “It was nice to interact with the fans and talk about how much fun they have at the games.”
This year’s appearance in the National Championship was their first in five years. The team is confident that they’ll continue to reach that level in the coming years.
“We hope that we have a rich history of appearing at the National Championship tournament,” Lindquist said. “Our goal is not to just go there and participate. We want to represent the West.”
As a club team at an off-campus arena, USU Hockey receives more fan support than most university-affiliated club teams. The team plays at the George S. Eccles Ice Center, which holds 2,200 people. Most games sell an average of 1,700 tickets.
“I believe hockey has cemented itself as the third most watched sport on campus after football and basketball,” Lindquist said. “It’s not as convenient as just walking into the Spectrum or to the football stadium. But it’s been great to see the support.”
Carlson played for Montana State University before coming to USU. After playing against the Aggies, he knew the rowdy fans were a big part of their success.
“USU Hockey is up there with the best places to play in the whole country. The support that we receive from the community is unmatched,” he said. “It’s a privilege to play hockey in the first place, but to wear the USU logo and play in front of all of our friends, it’s a great group.”
Victoria Lex is the marketing and fan engagement manager for the team and has been able to see how big of an impact the fans make on the players.
“I have never met a group of boys that are more thankful and grateful for their fans,” she said. “Yes, having skill is one thing, but the fans are what really drives their passion and makes them want to do well so they can make their Aggies proud.”
The staff surrounding the team is minimal. Lindquist and Lex expressed appreciation for the HURD, the student organization and fan group, for their support and marketing contributions.
“The fan organization on campus hasn’t always come around. It stems from the representatives running that organization,” Lindquist said. “It’s been encouraging to see those people recognizing club sports more.”
“They have kind of brought us into more of a level ground with the big NCAA sports and that has helped us gain attention,” he said. “They share a lot of things on social media on our behalf, they help us get attention and then we do the job to create a good experience. That’s really been improving.”
Carlson said they have more fans cheering them on at their warm-ups than could fit in most other rinks they play in.
“It shows how much support there is around the hockey team,” he said. “Just to play in front of anyone is such a privilege. To have all those people making so much noise with the HURD and doing all the chants that they do — it just brings so much energy.”
Lex talked about the obvious impact the HURD has on the team and how it even made Carlson emotional when he first transferred to USU.
“The first time he heard ‘The Scotsman’ on the ice, he came off and asked what it was. I was like, ‘That’s the Scotsman, Ben. How do you not know that?’ And he was like, ‘I love that so much,’” she said. “I ended up teaching him the lyrics and during the last game, he honestly just started tearing up. He was like, ‘I have never met a group of people that are so loyal to their team.’”
At the national tournament, the Aggies went 0-3, losing to Iowa, Liberty and Northeastern. They ended their season with a record of 25 wins and 20 losses.
The continuous support throughout the season left the Aggies with their heads held high. They were just grateful to participate.
“It was good to go to Nationals as a way just to finish it off,” Green said. “It’s really sad that this is the end of it for me because I’ve enjoyed playing for Utah State for so long. I guess, kind of bittersweet.”
USU Hockey may only be a club sports team, but their impact on the community will remain for years to come.
“We hate to lose as much as we love to win,” Carlson said. “We hate to lose because we don’t want to let the fans down. There’s so much passion that comes with wearing the logo and all those people cheering us on.”
Donations to the team can be made through the USU Hockey website at usuhockey.com.
The featured image is a submitted photo.