Club sports at UMBC are growing up quickly. Over the last decade over two dozen clubs have been born on campus, providing UMBC students with the exciting option of learning a new sport or testing themselves against other collegiate competitors. Although the UMBC Ice Hockey Club does have some favorable history through the 1980's and 1990's, they have started the 2002-2003 season in remarkable fashion.

Coming off a disappointing season last year with only two wins, everyone involved with the team knew that it would take a lot of work to become a serious power in the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association (MACHA) league. The coaches stepped up their recruitment efforts and brought five new starters to the team. The recruits came from some of the top junior hockey, travel and high school teams on the East Coast, ranging from Buffalo to Staten Island to Pittsburgh. Their enthusiasm and determination has made the difference Head Coach Chris Wood hoped it would; his Retrievers are currently ranked 10th nationally in the Northeast region with an impressive 15-4-1 record.

Among this year's freshmen players is Gaetan Castiglione (Folcroft, PA) who leads the American College Hockey Association (ACHA) in scoring with 55 points. "We have a strong young squad with a lot of enthusiasm and determination to play and win," says Castiglione.

Senior captains Rich Bula, Eric Sullivan and Justin Marksamer have also brought strength and wisdom to the young team, another key component to its success this season. The captains have taken a very active role in bringing the team together in a variety of ways on and off the ice, such as team dinners, as well as teaching by example through their superior efforts during games.

"The biggest difference between this year and last year is that there is more of a team atmosphere; everyone plays more for a shot at nationals [held at USC this year] than for personal stats," one of the players remarked. This team attitude is evident simply by the amount of players that can be seen on any given day on campus sporting the new team jackets and constantly publicizing the fact that, "Yes, UMBC does have a hockey team."

Despite their hard earned success, the team still has a lot of grueling work in front of them if they want to achieve their ultimate goal. "Our biggest hope for this year is for the league to recognize the changes we have made since last year and give us a chance to prove what we can do at Nationals (the ACHA division II tournament)," explains Castiglione.

The entire UMBC ice hockey organization shares this dream and is working to make it a reality. The team owes special thanks to advisor Gary Wohlsteter, Sport Club President Mike D'Archangelo and UMBC Athletic Director Charles Brown for their gracious support. The team also thanks their large fan base for their loyalty, and encourages all Retriever students, faculty and fans to come out to their home games, which are held at the Laurel Ice Gardens just fifteen minutes from campus.

For a complete schedule, roster or to purchase team merchandise, visit the UMBC Ice Hockey Web site at http://sta.umbc.edu/orgs/ihockey/.

- Josh Bautz

Josh Bautz currently plays forward on UMBC's ice hockey team.