Hockey is a sport that Mississippi State, let alone the South, is not known for.
When MSU students Alex Palmer, Patrick Swartz and Mike Miller were placed on the same team within a Starkville in-line hockey league in 2006, the three formed the idea of a club team to represent the university.
Now in its second season, the Ice Dawgs still face two factors that have limited the team’s growth: money and the dedication of time needed to practice and play.
“We started talking to Coach Mayhew to see how many practices we could have and talked to other teams about travel,” Palmer said. “We looked into how much we could get from sponsorships and merchandising and did our best to get a budget.”
The cost of playing is $850 for returning players and $1,000 for new players. The additional $150 applies to the purchase of new uniforms and accessories.
“Look at other teams in the league and we have the cheapest dues, and we give more,” Palmer said. “Ole Miss charges $1,000, and they make you drive yourself and pay for a hotel room.”
The closest skating rink is located in Tupelo, but it is not a year-round rink, leaving the Pelham Civic Center outside of Birmingham and the Point Mallard Park in Decatur, Ala., as the only options for practice or what is considered a home game.
“The biggest advantage a good team has is there is a rink within an hour of them,” Swartz said. “We’re jealous of that.”
Vanderbilt is privileged to have access to a few rinks within Nashville along with an NHL team, the Nashville Predators, helping to cut traveling costs.
“Our home rink is a few blocks away,” Vanderbilt junior left wing Matt Maggiore said. “It’s kind of surprising to see how many people come out to the rink. There’s definitely hockey interest.”
However, like MSU, Vanderbilt receives little money from the university. The program is primarily student run, Maggiore said.
One positive for the Ice Dawgs is players seem to appear after hearing about MSU hockey.
“People have been finding us,” Palmer said. “Even if they’re not choosing a school for hockey, they’ll check to see if it’s an option. After training camp, a kid from Alaska came and found us.”
Preparing for their first season, the Ice Dawgs had to primarily use sources such as Facebook and posters to spread word about the team. Now, with a season in the books, recruiting players has become less of a hassle.
“It’s a lot nicer to not have to work as hard to get our name out,” Swartz said.
In order to gain more funds, the Ice Dawgs hope one day the university will recognize the team is bringing in students who would not be enrolled at MSU or in school at all without having the opportunity to play hockey, Palmer said.
So far this season, the Ice Dawgs have faced stiff competition, losing to Vanderbilt, Georgia and South Carolina by a combined point spread of 39-4.
“We’re playing a lot better; unfortunately, so is everybody else,” Palmer said. “We’re playing teams that are far beyond our talent level.”
The Ice Dawgs faced off against Ole Miss this weekend, snatching a come-from-behind win, 6-4, after erasing a 3-1 deficit in the second period.
However, the Ice Dawgs dropped game two in Sunday’s 5-1 loss. The lone goal came by way of Will Walker, assisted by Josh Miller, who was diagnosed with a minor concussion the night before.
Ole Miss is in its first year of competition, bringing with them an Egg Bowl rivalry to the ice. The Ice Dawgs are in the process of having a trophy made that will resemble a mix between the Stanley Cup and the Egg Bowl that will feature the roster of the winning team along the base.
The victor will be determined by which team wins a best-of-three in the first three of four games in the series. The final two games will be played prior to the authentic Egg Bowl on Nov. 20th and 23.