Sports Reporter
After saving his team from the depths of relegation last year, Matt Meiring is now leading the resurgence of CMU hockey.
Meiring is entering his second year at the helm of CMU’s club hockey program, and is hoping to build on an 8-12 season as his team re-enters the American College Hockey Association.
“CMU hockey has had a rough past, but we’re turning it around and looking forward to building a good team,” Meiring said. “We are now back in the [ACHA] and playoff eligible and we’re looking to build up our numbers.”
Meiring has already heard from 30 students interested in joining and has a good group of players returning, including Alec Lever who missed last season while studying abroad in Switzerland.
“Our expectations are pretty high after last season and what we were able to do against our competition,” Meiring said. “We also expect to be more successful with new guys and we’re happy to have Alec back with us.”
Lever said he had a great experience in Switzerland but is looking forward to playing for CMU again.
Despite taking huge steps forward as a program, Meiring said hockey at CMU is still vulnerable. The absence of a playable rink in Grand Junction is a glaring obstacle, which hurts recruiting and a need for a concrete practice and game schedule.
The outdoor rink on North Avenue was decent enough for practice, but not large enough to host any matches, forcing the team to shuttle between Grand Junction and Vail.
“There are always rumblings for a new rink in town but nothing concrete has come out of it,” Meiring said. “We’ve been forced to learn how to work around hardships to keep us alive.”
Meiring paid homage to his players and attributed the revival of CMU hockey to their love of the game, and expressed the importance of exhibiting a positive attitude.
“These guys grew up playing the game and they don’t want to let it go,” Meiring said. “We want to be a part of this program while it’s here and to keep this thing going we need to create a positive environment that we can build on.”
CMU hockey will continue its journey of revival with a match on Oct. 4 against Laramie County Community College.
An open tryout will be held on Sept. 28 for any CMU student with hopes of playing hockey. Any student with a desire of trying out can contact Meiring at mmeiring@mavs.coloradomesa.edu.
scschroc@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
Recent Comments