The end of the 2023-24 season will be memorable for San Diego State University men's ice hockey, as it was only its second year as an American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division I (DI) team. .
The team is one of 22 varsity athletic club teams run by Aztec Recreation, an affiliated student program that began in Division III in 1972. They were then promoted to Division II. In November 2021, we were able to register as a DI League club.
“Competition has become a lot of fun.” Luke Desmarais, alumni ambassador and team member. “Last year it was more like a test of how fast I could run without getting too many points, but this year it’s a lot more fun.”
philip batemanThe head coach says he made the request to move up from Division II to DI because his team was ready for a more challenging competition and atmosphere.
“After a year of talking and going through the application process, the team decided it was the leap we were looking for,” Bateman said.
The team welcomes local talent as well as international athletes who come to SDSU to combine their dreams of pursuing higher education with their passion for ice hockey.
This year's team consists of 29 people, including 20 first-year students.
“I think it's something valuable for them to be able to grow together,” Bateman said of the team's young players. “It's a very close-knit group, growing together, going through challenges together and finding success together, and this is also about the long term. So it's worth investing in.”
“We have some really good local talent who grew up playing in California near Chula Vista,” Bateman said. “And, as I've said before, [we’re] Bring your children to play…We support many foreign children and local children. ”
SDSU ice hockey has welcomed players from all over the world, including Sweden, Germany and Austria. This year's team includes eight Canadians, nine of them including Bateman, a Toronto native.
“Ironically, the recruiting process last year was really helped from a brand standpoint by the success of basketball programs because they were always on TV,” Bateman said. “All of a sudden, everyone started paying attention to San Diego State, and then a lot of freshmen wanted to take advantage of that brand and wearing his SDSU logo.”
The same was true for players. max cassole, from Alberta, Canada. He recalls traveling to San Diego to watch his SDSU hockey team on Thanksgiving 2022. He said his experience inspired him to apply to SDSU, even though there were only a few spectators at the game due to the holiday.
My dream of earning a college degree while playing hockey in sunny Southern California has come true. He enrolled at SDSU and was named the team's starter.
“My ultimate goal is to play hockey and go to school,” Kasol said. “I came to SDSU with that thought in mind. It would be great if I could finish hockey and move on, but that's not my main goal. I want to focus on school right now.”
SDSU Ice Hockey Player Luke Desmarais Reacting with the crowd during a home game at KROC Center Ice Arena. (Megan Ellis/SDSU Hockey)
“Noisy”
Nearly 700 fans, nearly 300 of them students, pack the rink for the SDSU Aztecs' home games at the KROC Center Ice Arena on University Avenue, about three miles south of campus. Most of their marketing is done on Instagram, where they have over 12,000 followers. This season, the team will host several competitive and well-funded DI hockey programs, including the University of Colorado, Arizona State University, and the University of Oregon.
Bateman describes the infectious atmosphere and energy of the student section that surrounds nearly half of the rink.
“The students who come to our games always love the games,” Bateman said of the fan experience at the arena. “They're loud. Visiting teams always say how much fun they have because of the atmosphere created here.”
This season is undoubtedly a pivotal moment for the hockey player, a key point in the team's history, and fan support continues to grow. The team aims to continue existing partnerships and build new relationships with companies who want to support the team through donations and sponsorships.
SDSU posted a 5-11-1 record in the final week of the season, adding four more wins to last season's inaugural ACHA DI record (1-20-1). But it's not over yet. The team will play four home games before the end of the 2023-24 season.
“As the year goes on, we'll be adding more and more home games,” Bateman said. “It just gives fans more opportunities to come to the park and see us and talk about home games.”
