Are you a big hockey fan? Waiting for the NHL season to start up again? Or are you just looking for something different to do this weekend? Then the solution is to go to the Case Ice Hockey Club home opener.

The Case Ice Hockey team opened their regular season on the road against top rival Carnegie Mellon, losing a hard-fought game by a score of 5-2. As a club sport the team plays in the College Hockey East Conference, a Division III club sports league rather than the UAA of the varsity teams. However, this in no way detracts from the excitement of collegiate hockey.

Forward Jonathan Greenberg, led the Spartans offensively with both a goal and an assist in the loss. Goaltender Patrick Thomas played a strong game in holding off the CMU attack stopping 63 of the 68 shots he faced.

The first period saw the Tartans pounce following the face-off from center ice as a Carnegie Mellon forward found the back of the net a mere 46 seconds into the game. This was followed up by a score off a misdirection to make the game 2-0 after just five minutes of play. The Spartans were able to settle down however and climbed back into the game with five minutes left in the period. Greenberg took a quick shot from the right circle, which rebounded off the right pad of the Tartan keeper before landing on CWRU forward Mark Lewandowski’s stick. Lewandowski buried the puck into the back of the net for his first career goal. When the period ended, the Spartans found themselves behind by a mere one goal.

However, the Tartans firepower continued to test the Spartans and extended their lead to 3-1 two minutes into the start of the new period. Greenberg capitalized on a Tartan turnover only one minute and 30 seconds later and scored his first goal of the season to return the Spartan deficit to one. The Tartans continued to push offensively and found the back of the net two more times to bring the game to the final score of 5-2.

The Spartans will be looking to rebound in their home opener Saturday night at 8:00 PM against the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg, the reigning conference championship. The Case Ice Hockey Club competes at the Cleveland Heights Rec Center a short drive or walk up Mayfield Road from campus. Those without a car who still want to attend the game can catch a Greenie from Fribley, which will leave at 7:40 and 7:50 for the 8:00 game. With that in mind, there is no excuse to not come out and support the Spartans.