Sacramento State ice hockey players are back on the rink two years after the club team was disbanded over allegations that the team captain created fake school identification cards for nonstudents.

The hockey team, which officially split in February 2004 after it was discovered that only three of the 28 members were eligible to play, has returned to Sac State in the form of a campus recreational team instead of an official collegiate sports club team, like they had been before.

Goalie Jeff Dailey, president and captain of the Hornets hockey team, was a member of the previous club team and worked during the fall semester to try and get the team back together.

“It was something I wanted to do because hockey is my passion,” Dailey said.

During the fall semester, Dailey wrote a petition to the Recreational Sports Department to try and get the team reinstated. Once he was able to get eight student signatures for the team, the team was approved as a club and Dailey began to post fliers around campus to recruit more players.

“It’s pretty cool. I never thought I could get the team back together,” Dailey said. “It’s a really big accomplishment.”

According to a March 5, 2004, State Hornet article, former team captain Chris Perry was accused of fabricating student OneCards, and Recreational Sports Director Ken Morton canceled the team’s remaining games after it was confirmed the 25 members did not meet eligibility standards. University regulations require that club members be enrolled in at least six units at Sac State in order to play.

Morton said the current team can be approved to play again at the collegiate level if more student interest is shown.

As of right now, the team can have nonstudent players, but once the team enters the collegiate league again, the players will need to be students. Once the team plays at that level again, an emphasis well be made on student eligibility, Morton said.

One of the nonstudent players, Jason Clarke, found out about the team a week before the season started. If the team starts playing on the collegiate level again, Clarke plans to help out as a coach.

“It’s good the team is back again,” Clarke said. “You can never have too much hockey.”

The Hornets are playing in the North Star Adult Hockey League with hopes to make it back to Pacific Collegiate Hockey Association by the fall semester. The league plays its games Wednesday nights at the Vacaville Skating Center, and their league consists of four teams: Hornets, Jets, Chiefs and Scouts.

Among the attendees of the Hornets fifth game was Dustin Warford, a communications senior and Dailey’s roomate.

“Jeff was upset about the cheating on the team,” Warford said.” It didn’t stop him, he went from one rec team to another until he got the team back together.” The Hornets won their first game of the season Feb. 22, a 5-2 victory over the Chiefs, which put their record at 1-3-1. The Hornets lead the Chiefs 2-1 by the end of the first period. After a scoreless second period, the Hornets went on a shooting spree scoring three goals in the third.

Bringing some experience to the team is forward Mike Redgrave, a senior in marketing and member of the previous Sac State hockey team. Redgrave said he was disappointed that the 2004 season had to be cut short.

“It feels nice to get the team back together and playing again,” Redgrave said.

The team isn’t holding practices, but Dailey is hoping to recruit enough players to hold at least two practices a week in the summer. If the team enters collegiate play by then, they will hold their games in the Vacaville Center so that students will be able to attend them, Dailey said.

The team is finding the arena expenses to be costly and is looking for sponsorship in the Vacaville area.

Anyone interested in joining the Hornet hockey team can e-mail Jeff Dailey at [email protected].

Matthew Beltran can be reached at [email protected]