Go Joe Bruin Interviews UCLA Ice Hockey

It is almost that time of the year ladies and gentlemen… HOCKEY TIME!!! Here at Go Joe Bruin, we cover several UCLA sports teams, but also want to show love to some club teams that bust their behinds, like any other student-athete, for those four letters: U.C.L.A.  We recently interviewed Jacob Muller of the UCLA Ice Hockey team who gave us the inside scoop on the what, where, why, how and when of one of the best sports in the world and its connection to UCLA.

Go Joe Bruin: For those that do not know, what is UCLA Ice Hockey (though it seems pretty self-explanatory)?

UCLA Ice Hockey: UCLA Ice Hockey is a competitive club sports team at the University of California Los Angeles. There is no NCAA team so we are the hockey representation on campus, traveling around California and the Western United States playing other collegiate programs.

GJB: There are some big things coming this year for UCLA Ice Hockey, tell us about it?

UIH: This year we will be much more involved on campus and become more professional organization. We are attempting to transfer to a new rink, have began advertising more on campus, will be hosting social events such as philanthropies and meet the player type things, will be playing a game at Staples Center, and have many more opportunities for our fans to get gear such as t-shirts, jerseys, and signed paraphernalia.

GJB: You guys play at the Los Angeles Kings Valley Ice Center in Panorama City. What is your relationship with the Kings?

UIC: The team is generally split between Kings fans and players from outside of the LA area. We are obviously thrilled at their success in the past decade and what it has done for the recognition of Ice Hockey in the Southern California region. We would love to do some promotional events with the Kings organization is possible this year.

GJB: Do you have any try-outs? When and where will they be held?

UIH: We have tryouts coming up on September 26th, 29th, and 30th. They will be held at the Los Angeles Kings Valley Ice Center in Panorama City.

GJB: Where does the team practice?

UIH: The team practices at Valley Ice, but is pursuing other options where ice time can be more reasonable, considering we are full time students.

GJB: How has the evolution of west coast college hockey, well, evolved?

UIH: West Coast Hockey in general has sky rocketed. The youth leagues produce more college talent and professional prospects every year, even the high school teams are going to nationals and taking on teams from the East and Midwest. Collegiate hockey has been slower to develop as there are no NCAA organizations on the west coast. However, some of the club teams have been absolutely dominate and are looking to become NCAA in the future. We are optimistic the level of play will continue to rise. Sunshine and hockey are a hard combination to turn down.

GJB: Who on the team should we be looking for this year? Any Anze Kopitars on the club?

UIH: We have a lot of players to watch this year. David Giroux and Kevin Lystad are two seniors who we are very optimistic about as team leaders and talented players. We have 6 players entering their second year season, all looking to improve and play with a lot more confidence this year following a up and down rookie season. Brandon Hsiao, Zak Putlak, Jacob Muller, Travis Martin, Mitchell De Keyser, and goalie Quentin Schiess create a young line that could be a staple in this roster. Furthermore an entering class with a lot of promise and a few grad school studs from back east promise a new and ready-to-make-a-statement UCLA Hockey Team.

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GJB: You guys have some sweet jerseys, where can Bruin fans get one?

UIH: Throughout the season we will be advertising where to buy jerseys along with other items of clothing for our fans. Everything a UCLA hockey fan needs.

GJB: What rule differences are there from the NHL?

UIH: The main things that distinguish our rules from the NHL’s are that we are not allowed to fight and we wear cages to avoid damaging our pretty faces. Other than that there are just a few technicalities such as shoot out and overtime rules, but from a viewers stand point there is nothing all that different.

GJB: Where can fans get tickets and general information about the season and schedule?

UIH: You can find our schedule on our website UCLAHockey.com or via any of our social media sites on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. UCLA Club Sports also has great resources about how to contact us for our schedule and other information. Tickets are $5 for general admission and $3 for students at the door! We will often provide buses to the games as well from the UCLA campus. We hope to see a rise in attendance and overall recognition on campus.

Thank you very much to Jacob Muller and UCLA Ice Hockey!

Go Bruins!