Hot Shots
After only eight years, KSU’s ice hockey club is a force to be reckoned with
By…
Georgia
(Oct 28, 2009) —
After only eight years, KSU’s ice hockey club is a force to be reckoned with
By Shawn Jenkins
What began in 2001 with 14 players, a couple of volunteer coaches and a down payment
on some ice time has turned into one of the country’s hottest up-and-coming collegiate
club hockey programs.
The Kennesaw State University hockey team is packing in fans at their
home venue in Kennesaw’s Town Center IceForum, and knocking off traditionally hockey-rich
schools in the process.
“We drew 1,100 fans to last season’s opener against the University of
Georgia,” said Bill Morrison, assistant coach for the club. “It’s standing room only
in here and we had them packed in six deep all around the rink.”
A mere five years after its inception, KSU won the American Collegiate
Hockey Association (ACHA) Nationals — the sport’s championship — for Division III.
After being upgraded to the more competitive Division II, they reached the ACHA Nationals
twice in three years, posting regional tournament wins this past season over highly
ranked powerhouses No. 3 Miami of Ohio and No. 4 University of Maryland, Baltimore
County.
“People are shocked that a school in Georgia can compete at this level,”
said head coach Ken Honeyman, a 31-year veteran of the sport. “When we go to tournaments
in New York, St. Louis, Chicago and they see us play, they start asking, ‘Where is
KSU?’”
That same question is being asked north of the border by potential Canadian
recruits who are courted by current and former players and by team volunteers who
specialize in Canadian player development. The team presently boasts 25 percent of
the Canadian students who are registered at KSU, and there are at least three more
in the pipeline for this season.
Two recent finds from the Great White North have helped to cement the
KSU hockey reputation with notable post-season honors.
In June, team captain Jerry Holden, a senior from Stoney Creek, Ontario,
was hand-picked from among 3,500 potential players to join an ACHA Division II international
traveling select team that will tour Europe this winter to compete against semi-pro
squads in five different nations. KSU hockey alumnus Curtis Morrison, a product of
Winnipeg, Manitoba, earned this same distinction two years previously, and both
were also selected to ACHA All-Star teams.
A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 41,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the second-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 126 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.
