Hockey accepted as an official club sport

By Chris Furnari

Steven Barbieri finally has a reason to sharpen his skates and break out his pads, as Santa Clara club hockey has been accepted as an official club and is currently under probationary status under the Athletic Department.

What originally began as a facebook group just six months ago has turned into the newest Santa Clara club sport. The club hockey team is not only the newest addition to the club sports program, but the first to go through the procedures of the new system.

"I had to make a pitch to the club sports council and present our club in a legitimate way," said club president Steven Barbieri.

Whatever Barbieri pitched was enough for the university to approve, and Santa Clara students looking to play organized ice hockey now have a team to represent.

The team will remain under probationary status for one year, which means the club will receive no funding and have no voting rights in various club sport issues. Barbieri, however, is content, as he has been hoping to get the chance to represent the university in hockey for the past two years.

"I really wanted to start a team, but there wasn't enough interest before," said Barbieri. "Now I have 24 people on our roster who are signed up to play."

Sixteen of those players, including Barbieri, have already begun to hone their skills, playing in an adult league at the Logitech Ice Center in downtown San Jose.

Though there are two players on the team who began practicing over the summer and don't attend Santa Clara, Barbieri noted that several others do.

Currently, Barbieri and co-president Justin Perna are working toward their main goal of becoming an official Santa Clara club sport after one year.

"We ultimately want to impress the university and show them we are for real," said Barbieri. "We want to be a third-tier club sport by next year."

The club is looking for a part-time coach for their first season, and hopes to have one before the start of winter quarter.

The club is also hoping to join the Pacific Collegiate Hockey Association, where team such as U.C. Davis, Sacramento State, Loyola Marymount, and Stanford, among others, participate.

"We have to make a pitch similar to the one we made to the club sports council, but hopefully we get approval to join the league," said Barbieri.

Although Barbieri wants to find success for his club, he also has other ambitions.

"I want to promote hockey, and show people some of the athletes at this school that you would never even think could play a sport," said Barbieri.

Contact Chris Furnari at (408) 551-1918 or cfurnari@scu.edu.

Correction: The story incorrectly stated the league that San Jose State University's hockey team competes in. The Spartans play in the American Collegiate Hockey Association.