AU Hockey Club sells new jerseys ahead of fall season

CORRECTION: The Plainsman’s social media posts promoting this story called the club’s hockey team intramural team, which it does not. We apologize to our readers for this error.

The Auburn University club hockey team is quite atypical compared to the college-level core of the sport – the atmosphere on the Notre Dame campus when the hockey team is playing contrasts with the relatively microscopic change when the team Auburn lace the skates. The Tigers are a South Eastern Collegiate Hockey Conference club team and haven’t touched the ice since the end of the 2019-20 season, so the team doesn’t have as many fans roaming the campus as the college football or baseball teams.

Currently, the Hockey Club is holding its annual jersey drive to raise funds for next season. This year’s campaign features newly designed hockey jerseys and will end on March 16. Brandon Weis, junior in business administration and club president, said the team believed it was time for a facelift for their uniforms, which are designed by clothing manufacturer Rebirth Sports.

“Our white jerseys looked a bit old so I called Rebirth and asked them if they could design something similar to our football team jerseys,†Weis said. “They wrote it up and sent it, and we liked it.”

The team is selling orange and white jerseys to fund their next season, with name and number personalization at no additional cost to buyers. All proceeds will be used to fund team member dues and club overhead costs. The hockey club is hoping that fans find the jerseys useful for the cold weather of the fall semester, and that the jerseys fit a hoodie or jacket perfectly.

Hockey Club forward Zach Roos said the team will aim high in their next season in the new jerseys.

“It’s an electrical plant,†Roos said. “We’re one of the best teams out there, and we’re going to be racing for the [championship] This year.”

Weis agreed, saying the Hockey Club is hoping for a stronger year with new recruits.

“Next season will be the best Auburn hockey team ever in our club’s history,†he said. “We had a tough loss to Ole Miss in the semifinals last year in overtime, but we only got three degrees and made eight, nine, ten more. We are going to be even deeper and better.

Mike Lafferty, a newly signed Hockey Club defenseman, said he had “high expectations†for the team’s next season. As the University slowly returns to normal, so does the team; the players have trained a beach volleyball quad and regularly hang out off the ice. Outside the ice, the club’s players consider each other to be good friends.

Fans can purchase the jerseys in white or orange colors, featuring either a personalized name and number, or a specific player’s name and number. Each jersey costs $ 125 and can purchased from the Hockey Club online store.

Auburn University Hockey Club hopes to start its next season in September. The team play their home games in Columbus, Ga. At the Columbus Civic Center, but fans can follow WEGL’s radio coverage if they’re not able to make the commute.