Ending the 2015-16 with high expectations, The West Virginia Hockey Club had more than its fair share of turnover coming into the 16-17 season. Starting with the 2 catalysts for the club's major turnaround the last 4 years. Head Coach Brian Boehm stepped down as Head Coach to become the full-time General Manager, after a 3 year run that saw the club improve from 5 wins to 11 and become a player in the Regional and National Rankings. Coach Boehm restructured the recruiting process and was critical in building the talent that exceeds any on campus. "Turning around the losing and toxic culture was step one. Building the talent and a winning atmosphere was step two. Now its up to someone else to take it the final step and finally bring the hockey championships to Morgantown no one else could." Replacing Coach Boehm is former Mountaineer player and assistant coach, Cole Warner. Cole gained valuable experience during the club's run last season and is confident he can fulfill Brian Boehm's stated goals. "I am excited for the upcoming season, playing a long, nationally relevant schedule will give us the opportunity to make it to Columbus in March". Coach Warner went on to say "The returning players, plus our talented recruiting class, will give us the opportunity to win and win a lot". 

Along with Boehm's resignation, 3 year Captain Sean Meyer graduated in the Spring but remained in town and was added to Coach Warner's staff. Brian Boehm, as usual, spoke in glowing terms of his former Captain; "Sean was a the backbone of the cultural turnaround here and became the standard bearer for leadership at the rink in Morgantown. While the leadership of other teams was concerned about media days and t-shirts, Sean lead by example and showed that nothing else mattered but performance on the ice and in the classroom". Meyer stated, "It means a lot to me after serving as a player the last 4 years. Now I have the opportunity to relay my knowledge of the game and the ACHA to young, talented players. I'm excited to help this team perform at it's highest level and along with the other staff members, develop and place players into situations where they will help the team succeed".

Coach Warner will rely on New Club President Matt Strober (Sr.) and New Team Captain Tyler Richardson as key pieces to the success of the team this season. Strober said "We are all pretty excited and focused to get back on the ice this season. We gained the talent that we needed and have the right people leading the way to bring our game to the next level. Our schedule gives us the opportunity to control our own destiny and we are ready to take advantage of it". Aside from Strober, the team returns leading scorers Ben Monroe (So.), Ryan Agner (So.), and Brian Dickman (So.) up front. To compliment these players, the team will look to returners Jason Conroy (Jr.) and Matt Epperly (Sr.) for leadership and the consitent play they have been known for. That leadership will come in handy with a huge Rookie crop looking to push returners for playing time and provide the sorely needed depth. Jake Cooper, Mike McElhenny, Matt Brestensky, Jacob Boucher, Jeff DiGuiseppe, Greg Pointek and Matthew Torres are all players looking to add to the Championship mix. Defensively, Richardson (Jr.) will be joined by returners Kevin Arvay (Jr.), Brett Dolan (Sr.) Wyatt Hughes (Jr.) and Jack Hayes (So.) while counting on Rookies Jacob Morris, Eric Dickman, and Jake Hubler to carry lots of minutes and develop quickly. In goal, the lone returning goaltender Hunter Ivey (So.) faces stiff competition from newcomers Garett DePippo (So.) and Bryce Guay (So.) as all compete for the opportunity to lead the team to Nationals.

The team will host its CHE league opponents including CalU, RMU, UPJ, IUP, PSU-Behrend, and Fredonia as well as Atlantic region foes Maryland, George Mason and D2 opponent Youngstown St. They travel to perrenial Atlantic powers Rowan, Bryn Athyn, and Delaware. The club will also play for a berth in the NCHA nationals in Buffalo. The NCHA schedule includes trips to Buffalo, LeMoyne, St. Vincent, and PSU- Altoona. The club will also be making its annual trip to play Virginia Tech and Liberty.

It all gets underway September 24th @ 9 PM with in-stte rival Marshall. Tickets can be purchased in advance and at the door.

See you at the rink!