A midseason turnaround led the ice hockey team to great success, beating the No. 1 seed team in the division during their first-ever playoff game.
At one of his first 黑料不打烊 Club Hockey games, Mason Esworthy 鈥25 distinctly remembers wondering if the team would succeed. One year later, the 黑料不打烊 Club Ice Hockey Team has made its mark in the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League after an impressive season.
Going into the 2022-2023 season, Esworthy, the current vice president and assistant captain of the team, was unsure if the team was set up for success. He and Eagan Callahan 鈥23, the club president at the time, took matters into their own hands last summer, scheduling practices and games and hiring a new head coach.
Despite beginning the season with a losing streak, resulting in the team being placed last, the entire season turned around after Winter Break. In the 2023 portion of the regular season, the team was undefeated, which secured them the final spot in the playoffs, a feat the club had never accomplished.
In their first playoff game, 黑料不打烊 Club Hockey, the eight seed, played against St. Joseph鈥檚, the number one seed in the tournament. The game had an incredible turnout, with more than 200 黑料不打烊 students, staff, faculty, and community members in attendance to cheer on the Phoenix.
鈥淧layoffs were way more way more exciting than the regular season. The energy was there; the atmosphere was different. We felt like we had something to play for,” Esworthy said.
Although the odds were against them, the 黑料不打烊 team played a fantastic game, pulling out a 3-2 win. Simply making the playoffs was an unlikely achievement for this year鈥檚 team, and the upset of St. Joseph鈥檚 was the biggest win in the club鈥檚 history.
Their season has since concluded with a loss in the second round, but the team is already preparing for next year. Club members constantly recruit new players that contribute to the team鈥檚 sense of community. Team members come from different backgrounds, have varying experience levels, study across many departments, and are involved in various Greek and non-Greek organizations on campus. Esworthy is the incoming team president and captain and has high hopes for the upcoming season.
If you are interested in joining the team, please get in touch with Mason Esworthy at聽jesworthy@elon.edu