By Clara McConnell

Shouts of “Let’s go Scots!” and “Hey Pappo!” could be heard throughout St. Paul Academy’s Drake Arena on Saturday night as the Macalester men’s club hockey team took on the Minneapolis Piranhas. The men showed tenacity and ambition as they took the ice, eventually giving in to fatigue and letting the game slip through their fingers, losing 6-1. The Scots’ only goal came in the third period from Lubos Bosak ’06.

Macalester enjoyed a home rink advantage due to the nearly 250 raucous fans that made the journey to the Saint Paul Academy ice rink. In addition to cheering and jeering, two students played trumpets and one gave it his all on the bongos. The rowdy atmosphere seemed to energize the players. According to Mark Jackson ’07, “The fans were great. They really took my mind off the fact that I was getting served by a 42 year old grandpa on skates.”

Shortly after the Piranhas’ first goal in the first period, excitement abounded as a fight broke out on the ice. Apparently, the Piranhas are used to playing with a no-check policy, which came as news to the Scots. The squabble quickly ended, and the teams eventually became accustomed to each others’ styles of play.

Recognition must be given to the club’s coach, Raphael Kaplan ’08. Dressed in a dashing powder blue suit, Kaplan did his best to motivate his players, shouting inspirational and profane comments from the bench.

Not surprisingly, the recently formed team’s play seemed scattered and disjointed throughout most of the game. Only about half of the club’s players have competitive hockey experience. Adam Wedwick ’07 and Anthony Berglund ’07 are among the few who played high school hockey, and many of the players haven’t skated in a game in years. Despite these setbacks, the Scots showed some moments of promise. Noteworthy performances came from Bosak, Chris Papalia ’07 and Jeff Swick ’09.

The status of the men’s club hockey team changes over the years, as interest in the program fluctuates. This year, a group of interested students worked to form a schedule of games to give the Scots experience with competition. According to Berglund, this year the club had more money to work with and more interest, so they could schedule more ice time for practice.

Berglund is pleased with the progress the club is making. “It’s great because me and a friend of mine [Peter Christenson ’07] got the team off the ground, and then to have a game and to have so many fans there to support us, that was just such a great feeling.