Men's ice hockey team lighting the lamp

One of the better sports teams currently dawning the green & white is one that not many people have heard of. Oh and by the way, this team is ranked 20th in the nation.

The team is the Rock Pride, also known as SRU men's ice hockey club and they currently sit at 15-10-1 on the season.

Head Coach Bill Snyder has seen his squad gel in each game has progressed this season, becoming one of the nations best.

"We are doing very well," Snyder said. "We are also improving on team play," Snyder said. "It's not just five people on the ice, it's a team."

Snyder has played hockey most of his life and was a part of the 1975-76 North Allegheny High School varsity team that won the Pittsburgh Championship and the state runner-up.

Bob Brill, a 22-year-old defenseman, said he thinks the team has an overall better attitude this year compared to previous seasons.

"We have improved our team chemistry," Brill said.

Kris Wisniewski, a 23-year-old goalie, said the team's commitment has improved.

"Our work ethic is a lot better," he said. "We have high hopes for the rest of the season."

Currently the assistant coaches are Dave Rusbarsky, Phil Snyder and recent SRU graduate Steve Meyers.

Unknown to most students, the ice hockey team's home ice is at the Bladerunners Ice Complex in Warrendale, Pa.

"We only practice on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:30 to 11 p.m. after the high school teams are done with the ice," Snyder said. "I worry about these boys driving back to SRU, especially when the roads get bad."

Wisniewski said that most of the men car pool to practice and games to help minimize the amount of gas used.

Rock Pride, is part of the American Collegiate Hockey Association in the College Hockey Mid-America Conference.

Out of their many opponents, including Duquesne, Niagara, West Virginia and Penn State universities, the Rock Pride is one of the few team that practice only twice a week.

"We are already ranked, and we don't practice that much," Brill said. "We would be an even bigger threat if we had the ability to practice a lot more."

This club sport is also one of the few that doesn't hold its games or practices on or near the SRU campus.

"If we had ice on campus, we could have better recruitment," Brill said.

Senior forward and captain Tim Snyder said that the team tries to get the word out about their games by passing out flyers.

Some fans, however, seem to find their way down to Cranberry to watch the Rock Pride play.

Lisa Belcastro, a 19-year-old freshman physical education major, said that she comes to the games to help give the team more support.

"The team is already good," she said. "It makes it more fun when there are a bunch of fans."

Student buses leave from the University Union on weekend game days to help bring more fans to the team.

"People just need to know that we are here," Wisniewski said. "It would be nice to have more people come to the games."

With the team in its 36th season, the players wish there exploits were better known on campus.

"We are an exciting team," Snyder said. "We provide exciting hockey to watch."

Cost for the bus and entrance into the game is $5 for students.

"It's a great atmosphere," Brill said. "We just wish that we had more recognition from the school."

The 22-man team plays weekly from September to February.