CSULB roller hockey is steam rolling the competition. For the first time in school history, the club has captured the Division I National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association (NCRHA) championship in Middleton, Wis. “We are so proud to be the first university in NCRHA history to bring the national championship to the West Coast, and we couldn’t have done it without our coach, Bill Burrows,” said team president Travis Benson, a junior kinesiology major.
Roller hockey is played on “sport court”, which is similar to plastic tiles, in a standard size rink. Games consist of three, 12-minute periods with four players and a goalie competing for each team. Team rosters generally carry up to 16 players so they can have fresh substitutes throughout the game.
“Not too many students know that we have an elite roller hockey club here at Cal State Long Beach,” he added. “So, for us to get this recognition and support feels great.” The roller hockey club has been highly recent years. They made the Elite Eight at nationals the last two years and have been ranked among the top 10 in the nation. To get to the finals, the 49ers had to defeat the season favorite and top team, Lindenwood University. Lindenwood has been to finals the past 10 years and had a undefeated season of 28-0. Long Beach beat them in a tough game 5-4 clenching a spot in the finals.
The championship game was played against Cal Poly-SLO, setting the stage for the first ever West Coast team final. Both CSULB and Cal Poly-SLO compete in the Western Collegiate Roller Hockey League.
Cal Poly led 1-0 after the first period with CSULB tying up the game 1-1 in the second period. CSULB went on to win in the third period 4-3 in a shocking victory, with game winning goal scored by junior Sklyer Hoar.
In the tournament the team defeated big schools from both coasts. The 49ers defeated the University of Missouri-St. Louis, 5-2, in the second round, and the University of Tampa, 7-3, in the third round to advance to the semifinals against Lindenwood who they defeated 5-4 to advance to the Cal Poly final.
Photo coutesy of CSULB Roller Hockey
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