Missouri goalie Michael Christopher, left, lays on a bench in the locker room as teammate Charles Walker fixes the tape on his hockey stick before an inter-squad scrimmage on March 4, 2023 at the Washington Park Ice Arena in Jefferson City, Mo. For Missouri club hockey players, the sport is more than just a club activity. Despite receiving fewer resources than other Missouri collegiate teams, its players continue to skate for the love of the ice and each other.Hockey has been at MU for almost 50 years thanks to volunteerism, donations and sponsors. Club sports, like Missouri hockey, are considered student-run organizations, meaning they do not receive the luxury and benefits that a NCAA or NAIA team would receive. It’s not uncommon for Missouri club hockey players to give more than their fair share of blood, sweat and tears, as they have to support themselves and the team financially while balancing their academic and on-the-ice duties.
Kyle Juhala holds his hockey skates and a cup of coffee as he waits to depart for the ice rink on March 17, 2023 in Berlin, Mass. Juhala, among others, departed for the rink hours before his game to scout Missouri’s opponent for the following game.
Hope College’s Luke McKinch, center, get into a scuffle with Missouri’s Nicholas Trainor on March 18, 2023 at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Mass. Missouri would lose to Hope, ending their run for the national title.
Missouri Hockey players Cole Morris, left, and Andrew Cacioppo wrestle in a hotel pool on March 17, 2023 in Berlin, Mass. The players maintain their friendships off the ice as well as on.
Ben Schroeder listens to music while wearing peering through the ice rink’s plexiglass on March 18, 2023, at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Mass. It is Schroeder’s first year at Missouri.
The Missouri Tigers celebrate their win over Central Michigan on March 17, 2023 at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Mass. The win over the Chippewas raised their win streak to 15.
Miles Morris heads off the ice after taking one last stroll around the rink on March 18, 2023, at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Mass. It would be Morris’s final moment on the ice for the Missouri season.