Binghamton University club ice hockey wins national championship
Binghamton’s team wins DII AAU College Hockey National Championship with a 6-3 win over Fairfield University
After taking second place in last year’s championship, the Binghamton men’s club ice hockey team brought its full force to the 2022–23 season and won the national title.
Last season, though the team experienced multiple player injuries, the skaters pushed through to the championship game and were ultimately beaten out 5-4 by Babson College. After the close loss, the team was eager for another chance at the top spot.
The club’s winning season started with home games, all played at the SUNY Broome Community College Ice Center. Opponents included Niagara University (6-4 W), Buffalo State University (7-2 W), Massachusetts Maritime Academy (5-4 W) and Hamilton College (13-5 W). The team finished first in the central division of the Upstate New York Club Hockey League, but lost in the semifinal of the conference championship. Binghamton then advanced to the Division II AAU College Hockey National Championship for the second year in a row. In the quarterfinals, the team bested the University at Buffalo, beat the previously undefeated (30-0) University of Tampa in the semi-finals and won the championship game against Fairfield University, 6-3. Binghamton went a perfect 6-0 in the national tournament and finished its season with a 23-5-1 record.
On March 20, the team presented its trophy to President Harvey Stenger, who congratulated them for the accomplishment. Stenger, a hockey player himself, was given an honorary jersey by the team’s alternate captain Owen Rowell.
“This is going to keep all of us bonded for the rest of our lives,” Jack O’Bryan, the team’s captain, said. A senior majoring in actuarial science, O’Bryan is a defenseman in his fourth year with the team. To him, Club Sports are a vital part of the college experience because they let students play without the overwhelming commitment required from student-athletes in intercollegiate athletics. For him, the tournaments are an important bonding experience among teammates. After this historic winning streak, members of the team have come away with a trophy, lifelong friends and memories worth treasuring.
“We can come back in 20 years and have this,” O’Bryan said. “We’ll be able to look back, look at videos and clips, and have all those memories together.” He plans to continue playing with the team next year as a first-year graduate student.
When Stenger asked the team what their plans for next year were, O’Bryan grinned and said they’d “do it again.”
All Club Sports are student organizations under the Student Association and program areas under the auspices of Campus Recreation. Learn more about Campus Recreation’s programs and services by visiting the website, play.binghamton.edu.