CROWN POINT, Ind. — Ice hockey stands to be one of the most successful club hockey teams, now standing at No. 1 in the Intercollegiate Club Hockey Company (ICHC) rankings.
Standing at a 25-person roster, the team plays roughly 30 games per winter season, along with two 80-minute practices per week, giving a perfect opportunity for previous high school hockey skaters to continue playing at Purdue without the commitment that comes with being a Division 1 athlete.
Freshman winger Elliot Sato celebrates with his team after junior winger Nicco Marraccini scored the first goal of Saturday’s game against Cincinnati. This was the second game in a double-header.
Andrew Coleman | Photo & Video Editor
In recent history, the team has won four Division 3 Indiana Collegiate Hockey Conference championships along with representation in the National Tournament Qualifiers in both 2023 and 2024.
“We didn’t make them (the team) metal,” head coach Matt Nelson said. “They were that way.”
No. 1 Purdue (17-5 MD3 ICHC) adventured north to face No. 6 University of Cincinnati (3-11) at Bulldog Park for a doubleheader weekend. The Boilermakers packed a punch, keeping the Bearcats from scoring a single point. Purdue held victorious, finishing both games 8-0 and 7-0 respectively.
After a successful night game on Friday, with highlights from freshman winger Elliot Sato’s first collegiate goal, the same energy carried into Saturday’s senior night matchup.
Starting strong, the Boilers brought heavy momentum from the start, with junior winger Nicco Marraccini scoring the first point of the game in the first six minutes with an assist from sophomore winger Joey Campagna.
Senior forward Ben Tobey led the team with 3 points, scoring two in the second period. After he was placed in the penalty box, he also scored the last point for the Boilers with an assist from freshman center John Byrne in the third period at the 12:45 minute mark.
Senior forward Ben Tobey scans the ice while controlling the puck during the first period of Saturday’s game against Cincinnati. Tobey led the Boilers with 4 points, including a hat trick and one assist.
Andrew Coleman | Photo & Video Editor
The Bearcats did pass one goal against the Boiler’s sophomore goalie Andrew Mittnacht in the first period which was shortly overturned by an offensive foul. After that, the puck stayed on Cincinnati’s defensive end for the majority of the game.
Purdue finished with nine total fouls, three of which came from holding and two from slashing. Sophomore winger Andrew Chan held the most penalties for the Boilermakers with two, one for roughing and one for slashing.
After Tobey’s final point, the Boiler defense held strong and didn’t allow Cincinnati to score a single point for the rest of the game.
This marked Purdue ice hockey’s fourth consecutive win, with two prior wins back in December against Indiana University.
“Hockey is a big part of life for all of us and will probably remain part of their life forever,” Nelson said. “But this is kind of the pinnacle. This is kind of an ender competitive hockey.”
Next up, the Purdue ice hockey team will travel to Oxford, Ohio to face Saint Vincent College at 2:30 p.m. on Friday.
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