Icecats make nationals after ASU is disqualified

The Arizona State Ice Devils club hockey team was suspended from postseason play yesterday for use of an ineligible player, paving the way for the ninth-ranked Arizona Icecats to slip into the top eight and earn a bid to the national tournament.

Only the top eight teams make it to nationals.

"We were very saddened by the fact that Arizona State has been disqualified because of the use of an ineligible player," Icecat head coach Leo Golembiewski said. "At the same time we're very excited to go and put our young players under fire in that kind of atmosphere."

The Icecats, who have a sizable freshman contingent, lost four times to the Ice Devils this year, but because of the suspension, ASU has forfeited all its games.

With their new record of 14-7-1 the Icecats accepted a bid to the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Tournament yesterday afternoon. It will be the Icecats' record 14th straight appearance in the tournament.

"It's phenomenal that we're going with all the youth we have," Golembiewski said.

Ice Devil head coach Gene Hammond explained the problem as a "breakdown in communication" between the team, the school registrar and John Drum, the commissioner of the ACHA.

"This whole thing was so gray, it's just unfortunate for our kids," Hammond said.

The problem was centered around a player who was taking classes at Mesa Community College. By ACHA rules Hammond explained that the player was not technically an ASU student.

"The guy who really screwed up was the ACHA commissioner," Hammond said. "He had all the information in front of him for a long time and he didn't do anything."