The WSU Hockey Club is gearing up for the grind that stretches into February in preparation for what they promise to be a big season.

Coached by former WSU Hockey goalie Chris Soriano, the hockey club plans to make a run towards the Pac-8 playoffs, a feat that the club hasn’t accomplished since the 2008-09 season when they finished fourth.

Currently the hockey club has seven members all living together, and club Co-President Devon Plewman, a junior from Spokane in his third year with the club, said this year’s team is bonding well.

“Most teams I’ve been on, there’s always a couple guys that don’t really mesh well with the team,” Plewman said. “With this one, everyone seems to get along well.”

Plewman said his time playing hockey with Spokane inspired him to keep playing.

“We were underdogs,” he said. “We ended up going to the finals and blowing out Seattle and we got to go down and play in Los Angeles for regionals.”

Club Co-President Zack Sonnichsen, a junior from Calgary, Alberta, described his love for the sport of hockey.

“I just love the game, everything about it, skating, shooting, scoring, hitting,” Sonnichsen said. “It’s a battle; it’s fun to watch.”

Second-year member Shayne Barrett, a junior from Seattle, attributes his childhood hockey days as his main motivation for continuing his passion.

“Back in banums, it was 3-3, 30 seconds left in the game,” he said. “I took the face-off and won, weaved through a couple guys, took the shot and scored. Game over.”

Although Plewman and Sonnichsen both agreed that the University of Washington is the hockey club’s rival, the hockey club plays the University of Idaho regularly.

“They (UI) just want to fight every shift and we can’t afford that because we’ll end up losing the game every time we fight,” Sonnichsen said.

All three players praised coach Soriano for his determination to win a game at all costs.

“He does what it takes to win,” Barrett said. “It is a club sport, but if we’re down a goal he won’t keep playing time equal, he’ll do what it takes to win, and that’s what I like about him.”

Sonnichsen said having a coach who used to play for the WSU team has helped the club. He said Soriano knows the system and is currently enrolled in coaching classes.

Practices for the hockey club start next week. Off-ice training sessions are on Mondays and Tuesdays at UREC along with on-ice sessions on Thursdays at the Lewiston Ice Arena.

All three players said that since practices are usually at night, they still have plenty of time to keep up with school. Students interested in trying out should contact Plewman or Sonnichsen.

“It’s the fastest game on Earth, lot of hitting, really aggressive, lot of fighting, if you want to have fun watching a sport, watch hockey” Barrett said.