Club hockey to defend 2003 title

By Kim Anderson

The Fresno State ice hockey club team is looking to defend its Pacific Collegiate Hockey Association title this weekend in Lake Tahoe.

Just one year ago, the Bulldogs found themselves battling for the PCHA title against College of the Canyons, the first team they will face in this year’s playoffs today at 7 p.m.

“ We’ve gone through a lot of adversity this season, sometimes very difficult times,” coach Esko Siipola said. “We’ve played short-handed, compared to most teams, yet we’ve endured the challenge.”

The Bulldogs will play against Santa Rosa Junior College, a team they have not faced before, on Saturday.

Depending on the outcome of their first two games, the Bulldogs could play as many as four games. Ties are decided by goal differentials, so every goal scored could come in handy at the end.

In last year’s playoffs, the Bulldogs started off with a loss to College of the Canyons. This encouraged the team to play aggressively, and they earned wins over San Diego State and West Los Angeles to advance to the final round.

In the championship game, the Bulldogs had another go at it with College of the Canyons and pulled out the 5-4 win in a close match.

“ Our biggest thing is going in as defending champs,” assistant Nick Grim said. “To be the best you have to beat the best, so we are the team everybody wants to beat.”

The Bulldogs participated in an autograph signing on Wednesday to give hockey fans the opportunity to meet the players before their playoff run.

Wednesday also marked a day of team unity for the players as they all dyed their hair blonde.

“ It shows that we have team unity and we all are united as one,” Grim said.

The championship game for the Adams Cup is on Sunday.