FLINT (WJRT) -
(03/05/13) - It's March Madness on ice. For the first time ever, the UM-Flint Club hockey team is heading to the national tournament.
"It's pretty exciting. It's a once in a lifetime thing for us. We've been working on it for five or six years now and finally accomplished it, so let's hopefully go out there and come home with a championship," said UM-Flint hockey player Cubbie Van Wagoner.
The guys hop on the bus this weekend for Springfield, Missouri. They'll face Pennsylvania University of California in the first round, and let's just say they've been letting it all grow out.
"Since most of us can't really grow a beard, we've got to go with the playoff hair," said Van Wagoner.
"Some of us can, but some of us have controlling girlfriends that won't let us grow the hair out. I've been fortunate. I don't have a controlling one," said UM-Flint hockey player Kirk Allen.
All that aside, the team has great pride in not only wearing the maize and blue, but in representing their hometown as well.
"It's a tremendous honor for us recognize our university and the Flint area on a national level. We have a tremendous amount of support from our parents, and our professors. It would be great to be able to bring something home for them," Allen said.
And with success on the national stage, the hope is that the university will eventually consider promoting the team from the club level to an actual NCAA Division Three team.
"The more that we continue to do that, the more they're going to accredit us for that. We're very excited to keep pursuing what we've been doing and keep going for national championships, and who knows where we'll be in three years," Allen said.
