Andrew Mossbrooks
Staff Writer

In Millersville, it is easy to bring up the accomplishments of the sports programs this school has to offer. Somehow, the strides the club, non-NCAA affiliate ice hockey team has made over the past several years is worth commending and an in-person look from the Millersville community.

Millersville is a Division II member school of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA). They are one of 10 teams who play in the Colonial State Collegiate Hockey Conference (CSCHC). The club ice hockey league consists of elite schools such as University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University and, Rutgers University.

The CSCHC began play in the 2014-15 season with seven teams. Since then, it has since expanded and matured into a more balanced and competitive conference that has become increasingly difficult each and every season.

In the first year of the Colonial Conference, Millersville dominated the league during the regular season, finishing with 11 wins and just one tie across the 12 game slate. Overall, the black and gold have skated in 62 regular season games in the CSCHC, going 36-19-5-2 to sport an impressive .633 winning percentage.

Outside of league play, Millersville has hosted several non-league contests at the Lancaster Ice Rink. Match-ups with Rowan, Temple, Liberty, Georgetown, and St. Joseph’s were among them. This past season saw the Marauders play their best opening month of the season in a decade, when they went 4-2-1 in September, all against non-league opponents.

The Millersville Ice Hockey club’s season ended with a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime loss in the semi-finals of the Colonial Cup Playoffs on February 17 to Scranton University. 

One of the most exciting non-league wins of the season came on November 10 on  Military Weekend against the George Washington University Colonials.

After a scoreless third, the game went to overtime where Millersville captain and leading scorer Matt Iehle notched the overtime winner to knock off the Colonials, who entered the game ranked #14 in the Southeast ACHA. The goal marked the first non-league overtime win for the Marauders since September 2014.

Iehle, who also serves as club president finished fourth on the year in CSCHC scoring with an astounding 24 goals and 44 points; a career high for him.

 

Iehle, forward Nick Capasso, defensemen David Andrews, Ben Flocken and goaltender Jeff Pelkowski will represent Millersville at the CSCHC All-Star Game which makes its’ debut at the Lancaster Ice Rink on Saturday, March 3 at 1 p.m. Admission for Saturday’s game and all Millersville games are free and no student ID is required.

The expectations for this team have been raised for next year. These young men have put together impressive statistics that showcase not just their talents as individuals, but as a team that represents Millersville University with pride.