Ryan ChartrandIt’s been a year of firsts for the Cal Poly roller hockey club team.
It was the first year the Division I team didn’t get selected to the national tournament. It was also the first year that the B team was not ranked No. 1.
But these firsts are not without their controversy.
The A team fell 5-4 to Chapman in the Western Collegiate Roller Hockey League Regional Championship Tournament semifinals March 4 at the Anaheim Hockey Club. It was ultimately not chosen for the Collegiate Roller Hockey National Championships despite its 10-4-4 record in a season in which Cal Poly outscored its opponents 97-62.
All four of the Mustangs’ losses came by one goal.
“We kinda got snubbed,” team vice president Patrick Moyer said of being excluded from the tournament.
Also working against the Mustangs was the fact that the WCRHL receives only one automatic bid to the national stage. This year it went to Cal State San Bernardino, which finished atop the standings at 12-4-2.
The WCRHL is comprised of seven teams – Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, UC Davis, Cal, Cal State San Bernardino and Chapman.
Most impressive about Cal Poly’s roller hockey team is the continued success it has achieved over the years without funding from the university.
The A team is a perennial roller hockey power, consistently finishing in the top 10 nationally. As a club team, it does not qualify for the normal athletic financial allowance and instead requires a substantial club fee for all of its members.
Players are expected to purchase their own gear (for which they often get a sponsor discount), pay $350 in dues and incur all travel expenses. Considering that the closest tournaments are typically located in the Bay Area or Southern California, the money can add up quickly.
“We usually stay at guys’ houses in the area,” Moyer said of how players try to lower expenses.
The team has approximately five tournaments during the season, which works out to about one per month. The team is expected to play upwards of three games in a weekend, which leaves little time for rest and recuperation. Doubleheaders are not uncommon.
“On weekends, we have to drive up and down California to play in these tournaments, which leaves everyone exhausted and not interested in doing school work,” Cal Poly goaltender Cory Harris said. “The school isn’t helping us with our classes or work like if we were on a sanctioned team like soccer or baseball, so we have to make do with what we have.”
The team practices at the Central Coast Sports Arena Roller Skating Rink in Santa Maria.
“There’s definitely some players (who) would like to play who won’t play because they have to drive to Santa Maria,” Moyer said.
Moyer also pointed out that not every player on the team is playing to their potential. He estimated that every year, at least five people try out who are converts from ice hockey. Those players can take anywhere from weeks to months to become proficient enough to make up for the differences in playing surfaces and styles.
“You don’t have a choice,” Moyer said. “You have to play roller if you want to play hockey on the Central Coast.”
Adding to their struggles, the Mustangs don’t have a home rink advantage. With no arena to call their own, every game is an away game. This compounds the problem of attendance, as prospective fans must drive hours in order to watch a game. As a result, the team has received little exposure on campus.
The team has put pressure on the local community to resurface and cover the rink at Santa Rosa Park, but right now, that avenue remains closed.
“I don’t even think a national championship will do it,” Harris said of garnering student support. “I think having a sports facility built on campus like UC Santa Barbara does, then we could get a whole lot more recognition and a fan base.”