Following a team suspension for the 2022-2023 academic year, the Men’s Hockey Club has returned to the ice and has altered its organizational structure, now becoming a fully student-run organization.

“The main goal of Iowa State club hockey is to give students the opportunity to play hockey at the collegiate level,” said team captain and senior in agricultural business Everett Bestland. “We have an amazing school and the opportunity to play hockey and we just want to give that to as many other students as we can and set up a team that can kind of be strong enough to run in perpetuity and just bring students together.”

Bestland grew up playing hockey in Manitoba, Canada, and played in Manitoba’s Junior Hockey League before being recruited by Iowa State coaches to make the move to Ames. He recalled that his favorite memory playing for Iowa State was a game against Central Oklahoma which went to five overtimes before ultimately coming up short.

“It has been such a cool experience, especially coming from Canada and playing most of my hockey up there,” Bestland said. “I get to check out lots of new places and all the guys here have been some of the best guys I’ve played with.”

Jacob Schuldt is a senior in construction engineering and currently serves as the team’s assistant captain. Schuldt played high school hockey in Minnesota for Minnetonka before playing three years of junior hockey and being recruited to play for Iowa State. Schuldt also recalled the team’s five overtime games as one of his favorite memories in addition to selling out crowds and simply spending time with his teammates.

“We just transitioned to being a fully student-run organization at Iowa State,” Schuldt said. “We get some funding help from Student Government, and there’s a possibility that we’ll get some funding help from the university, but for the most of it, we players have to pay the dues and we’re trying to get those as low as we can.”

While the university’s athletic budget covers funding for “varsity” teams within NCAA Division I, club teams like Iowa State are responsible for putting together and financing the team themselves. Some of the various costs factored into player dues include ice rentals, equipment and travel fees.

To counteract these costs and allow players to play the sport they love at an affordable price, the team fundraises through several different methods. Ticket sales and merchandise profits are the first of these avenues. The team also receives sponsorships from local businesses which aids in lowering costs per player.

Prior to its suspension in 2022, the team employed three coaches who handled tasks of fundraising, setting the team’s schedule with the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) and travel planning.

“All of that stuff started to fall on us where now we’re setting our ice times with the city, doing our fundraising, setting our schedule, making full travel itineraries for every weekend we’re on the road, setting up everything for when teams come here to play us,” Schuldt said. 

To transition to a fully student-run organization and be eligible to receive funding, the team had to endure a lengthy process and meet the university’s requirements for a student organization.

“It was a lot of work with the school to be honest, and mostly just the fact that a lot of stuff that used to be done by our coaches,” Schuldt said. 

Now an officially recognized student organization, the Men’s Hockey Club continues to raise funds in efforts to lower the player fees and make the opportunity of playing college hockey affordable for all at Iowa State.

The team is currently raising funds through the ISU Foundation and with an event running through April 12. Schuldt said that donations are accepted year-round and can be done either through the ISU Foundation website, or by contacting any of the organization’s officers.

The Cyclones will kick off their 2024-25 season at home on Sept. 14 against Midland University. Bestland said that the team typically plays its games Friday and Saturday nights and tickets can be purchased at the door. Bestland also mentioned that home games are live-streamed via the team’s YouTube channel. 

“We absolutely love it when we get a good student section on our games,” Schuldt said. “I mean, it makes all the difference having students in the stands, getting loud, getting rowdy, we have our cheerleaders, we have our pep band and when Ames/ISU Ice Arena is packed, it makes all the difference for the players on the ice.”