Heather Mangan

The SDSU Club Hockey team lost two games this weekend on the road at North Dakota State University.

The Jacks, a level three club hockey team, lost to NDSU 5-8 on Saturday and 1-8 on Sunday. SDSU Coach Marty Schipull said he was very pleased with how well the team played against the level one club hockey team. He said NDSU just had more skilled players.

“I thought we did pretty well,” he said. “When we play a better team like that, they have a deeper bench.”

This is the first time in 10 years SDSU played an NDSU club hockey team. Schipull said NDSU’s club hockey program had been non-existent. His hope is that their program will develop and the Jacks could play their junior varsity team next year.

The Jacks’ season record is now 10 and 10. The team’s record at the end of the fall semester was 4 to 8, Schipull said. He said they have won more games this semester because they are playing more level three teams instead of playing level two club teams like they mainly did in the fall.

Schipull said the team has played a lot of level two teams that will help them stay in position to re-capture the Great Plains Collegiate Hockey Association trophy.

“We have to have everybody there and everything has to go right,” he said.

The team will be on the road again Jan. 26 and 27 against Iowa State and then at home Feb. 5 and 6 against Mankato State. Schipull said they hope to sweep Iowa State and “split if we have to” with Mankato.