In the ongoing drama between the ISU Men’s Ice Hockey Club and the ISU Research Foundation, it’s hard not to paint the university as the bad guy.

After all, it looks like a greedy association intent on smashing anyone who commits copyright infringement.

Back in April, the All-University Judiciary Committee found the hockey team responsible for contempt, misrepresentation and violation of using the ISU logo. The hockey team used university logos on its jerseys, in its letterheads and on warmup suits.

The ISU Research Foundation, which checks and approves anything bearing resemblance to the ISU trademarks, suspended the hockey team.

It did what?

Why is it going after the hockey team? Every student-run organization at ISU uses the ISU name and trademark material.

Why should Iowa State shackle the hockey team, especially since it brings in loads of money to Ames and puts on spirited games loaded with profanity-laced team chants?

But after a careful look at the facts, it’s necessary to grit our teeth and admit the university is right.

Basically, the hockey team broke the rules because it wanted to look more like an NCAA hockey team than a student club. After all, competing against the “ISU Men’s Hockey Team” sounds more intimidating than the “ISU Men’s Ice Hockey Club.”

In one of the more notorious cases of identity crisis, the team tried to inconspicuously use the university’s logo on its jerseys. In January, the ISU Research Foundation found out and told former coach Al Murdoch it couldn’t use the current jerseys, since they were labeled with ISU trademarks.

Murdoch promised the jerseys were only for sale. However, it was discovered later the team wore several of those jerseys taken from the team’s souvenir stand.

The most misleading case was the hockey team using the university’s logo on its letterheads to junior hockey players. Calling itself the “Men’s Hockey Team” could have fooled players into thinking they would play at the NCAA level.

The hockey team is a club team. Never mind that it has a budget of $300,000, which composes 50 percent of the entire student sports club budget.

It can’t pretend to be a university team while receiving the benefits of being a club team, like avoiding NCAA compliance rules and using money from boosters.

Like all other sports, the hockey team can’t live in the best of both worlds.