Most students and faculty don’t know that CSUN has a hockey team and the ones that do know probably know because of the many signs all over campus saying try out for the hockey team or come watch CSUN against so and so.

After reading the hockey signs you most likely tell yourself, “What? CSUN has a hockey team, but no football team? Well that’s dumb.” Others say to themselves, “Its probably a recreational team”

Friday night I decided to go to my first CSUN hockey game. I wanted to see how it compared to the other Northridge sports and I was quite impressed with what I saw.

First things first CSUN hockey isn’t a recreational team; they play in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) division three. Northridge is in the same league as UC Irvine, UC San Diego and many other California universities

CSUN has their home games six miles away from campus at the Valley Ice Center in Panorama City.

When I got to the rink I was expecting to see a small crowd but there were many people in attendance. Northridge forward Chris Gale is used to playing in front of a large fan base and enjoys playing at home.

“Being at home is the best…we have the absolute best fans,” Gale said. “Having the fans behind us really give us a lot of momentum. The more people we can get out here the better.”

The recently discovered CSUN hockey fans had a lot to cheer about during the game.

The Matadors won the game against the LMU Lions 7-2, scoring four goals in the first period. On his 23rd birthday Gale had a hat trick and two assists. The crowd went crazy when Gale scored his third goal.

What most hockey fans love about the sport is the hard hitting and that’s exactly what I saw during the game. It was exciting to see a bunch of players being slammed to the wall. It shows the teams are competitive and serious about winning.

My experience wasn’t perfect. There was just one negative. I noticed the center had their other ice rink open to the public and it created a distracting atmosphere.

Overall my experience was better then some sporting events at CSUN. It was intense and exciting hockey.

Head Coach Steve Gale loves the energy the fans bring and wants more students to come check them out

“Come out support us…have some fun watch your fellow students rock and roll on the ice. It’s a great experience,” Gale said.