TJ Leverentz/Winonan

Without an NCAA team at Winona State University, the hockey club provides a way for athletes to get ice time after high school according to the team’s defenseman Jarek Manskie.

The club’s season began Sept. 28 with tryouts at Winona’s Bud King Ice Arena. The team contains 18 spots that are filled by a two-hour tryout session.

The team belongs to the American Collegiate Hockey Association, a nationwide league made up of club hockey teams from Division I and Division II schools.

Despite not being an NCAA team and not belonging to the NSIC, the Warriors will still face their school’s NSIC rivals.

“It will be fun to play against UMD and Minnesota State, Mankato. It’s going to be a great experience going up against clubs from Division I hockey schools,” Manskie said. The central region also includes Bemidji State and St. Cloud State.

The bulk of the schedule is made up of several tournaments with a few weeknight games mixed in.

The Warriors will travel to Wesserman Arena in Superior, Wis. to battle the Yellowjackets in a back-to-back series Dec. 7 – 8.

Coach Zach Swanson said, “We’re still working on a series with Crookston to come play down here.” Swanson also said the Warriors will look to schedule a tournament in Milwaukee next semester and start a series with another team in January and February.

The season will wrap up in March with the Division II National Championships.

The American Collegiate Hockey Association is made up of four regions that will each send four teams. Once eight winners emerge from their respective pools, the tournament will shift to single elimination and a champion will eventually be named.

“Our goal is to give a good effort every time we skate, and hopefully that will get us far,” Manskie said.

With the exception of St. Mary’s, the Warriors next closest opponent is Mankato, at 136 miles away, which means a lot of traveling for the team.

“The traveling is tough, but it is really how we can bond as a team,” Manskie said. The Warriors get to their destination by carpooling.

“It’s cool because we are reimbursed for every mile,” Manskie said, “Once we are at our tournament we will skate and check into our hotel.  It’s a really cool experience.”

The Warriors have three games scheduled at Bud King Ice Arena.

They face St. Mary’s at 9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13, and January 27 – 28 they will host the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in a back-to-back series.

As the only organized hockey team on campus, the Warriors club hockey team is full of the best hockey players at Winona State, Manskie said.

“Tryouts went great, and it looks like we have a solid team this year,” Swanson said. “We have a lot of potential.”

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