Sacramento State’s men’s hockey team is set to play the University of California, Davis in the Frozen Causeway Classic at home on Friday. When the Hornets last played the Aggies on Nov. 14 in Davis, the team lost 4-5.

“When we played them… we were lacking in the effort department,” said Justin Ellison, president of the hockey team. “We powered them in the second half, but they beat us in a shootout.”

Goalie Gukalp Gerer said the loss has motivated the team to try and redeem itself by beating Davis at the Frozen Causeway Classic.

“Anytime you lose a close game, and you lose it by two mistakes or by a goal, then you can’t wait until the next time you play that team again,” he said.

Gerer said he feels more confident this time around and can’t wait to play.

“I’m not nervous. I’m just confident, and anxious to play,” he said. “I just want to go out and destroy them.”

Ellison said he anticipates that the game will be aggressive.

“The game is going to be very fast paced, very physical, lots of trash talking, and hard hits,” he said.

Team member Kevin Bean said the close proximity between Sac State and Davis has created an intense rivalry between the two schools.

“The more you see them, the more contempt you have when you play them,” Bean said. “You see who gave you all the cheap shots and you want to give those people a little payback, you just want to take their heads off.”

Ellison said the home game against Davis is called the Causeway Classic and is named after the game that has been played between the two schools’ football teams. Ellison said the team added a twist to the name by including the word “frozen.”

“We’re on ice, it’s ice hockey,” he said. “So it’s got to be ‘frozen.'”

Ellison said he believes that this time, Sac State will have a greater advantage over Davis.

“There’s going to be a lot of Sac State fans out there cheering for us, and so we are going to have the home advantage,” Ellison said.

In order to create a frenzied atmosphere, Ellison said the team is encouraging all fans in attendance to wear white.

“It is a white-out, because the ice is white, and the jerseys are white,” he said. “Seeing all the fans wearing white will psych the other team out.”

Gerer agrees, “We’re going to be wearing white, and the fans are going to be wearing white, and it is going to be intimidating for Davis and they’re going to feel so alone.”

Ellison said the team is also planning to make a grand entrance and is bringing the Sac State dance team to the game in order to pump up the crowd.

This will be the seventh game Sac State has played against Davis in the past three seasons. The team’s overall record against Davis is two wins, three losses, and one shootout loss. The team is 2-1 against them on its home ice.

The game will take place at the Hornets’ home in the Skatetown Arena in Roseville.

If Sac State wins the Frozen Causeway Classic, it will also be its first win of the season.

Zaki Syed can be reached at [email protected]