Jesse Hamer

Lack of commitment and money stood in the way of the Women’s Hockey Club last year, but this year with more interest from its members and some money from the Student Association, the club is reviving.

Women haven’t been playing organized hockey in South Dakota for very long, and girl’s hockey in high schools only started about five years ago, said women’s hockey coach Heath Isaacson.

Most of the college freshman this year that want to play hockey at SDSU played in high school, Isaacson said.

“The longer someone plays the sport the more attached they’ll be,” said women’s hockey coach Heath Isaacson.

Practice starts the first week in November at the Larson Ice Arena. The team has four games scheduled with Iowa State University-two hosted by Iowa State and two by SDSU.

The team needs to register with the American Coalition Hockey Association (ACHA) and go through a one-year probation period. During the probation period other teams don’t usually want to play the team because a win against them does not count on their record, Isaacson said. After the probation period they can play against other women’s teams in Minnesota, Iowa, and North Dakota, Isaacson said.

“We are a new team,” said Rachael Person, a junior animal science major from Pierre. “It’s a great sport. The pace of it is what really makes me like it.”

Melissa Anderson, a biology major from Waubay said she’s really excited about this year. She’s been playing since high school and will be the goalie this year.

Anderson said she hopes the cost of playing, which might be $100 to $200, doesn’t detour anyone from joining. The team gets a little funding from SDSU and discounts from local sports stores on equipment, she said

“Once you start you really get addicted,” Anderson said.