Instead of Sno-King Ice Arena, were it played last year, the UW Ice Hockey Club will be lacing up its skates at Olympic View Arena in Mountlake Terrace and has set its sights on the Pac-8 Championship.

    The Huskies will have a number of qualifying games against Pac-8 opponents, as well as their local American Collegiate Hockey Association slate.

    "We are really working on going to the Pac-8 championship," said volunteer coach Cindy Dayley, who is in her second year with the club. "And why go if you don't believe you can win."

    Dayley, one of very few women hockey coaches for a men's team, has turned around the hockey program and expects them to qualify for both the Pac-8 and ACHA championships. Last year the team set a new club record by winning its last ten games, finishing 4-4 in the Pac-8 and 11-6 in the ACHA.

    "I have been coaching in the area for a while along with my assistant coach Zoe Harris," Dayley said. "We were organizing and coaching in an in-line hockey league, when someone turned around and told me that if I started coaching the UW team they would start winning games."

    Friday's opener against Western Washington at 10:15 at Olympicview will be the UW's first test of its skating ability and the physical play of its defense.

    "We have to play our top game together as a team," Dayley said. "We have to make good passes and skate hard."

    Along with its on-ice goals there is a significant off-ice hurdle the club will have to overcome. The hockey team, sponsored by the Department of Recreational Sports, will have to raise $8,000 just to break even from steep rink fees.

    "We are working on fundraising," Dayley said. "Therefore, we are charging $5 at home games. We know that students are broke, but it is hard-hitting and a lot of fun."

    One of the leaders on this year's squad will be grad student Jim Helfield, who is in his first year as an assistant coach and fourth year overall. Helfield, a native of Montreal, Quebec grew up watching a team with a rich history, the Canadiens.

    "For me, I grew up with [hockey] and started [skating] as soon as I was able to walk," Helfield said. "Just getting a chance to play was fun and playing on this level is really exciting."

    Helfield is not the only Canadian on the club, joining him are players from Alberta and British Columbia.

    Along with the Canadians are a number of senior team leaders, including center Sam Kim and wing Steve Hyun, who will be on UW's first line. Club representative Kris Ossenkop from Alaska will head the defense and guarding the net will be goalies David Moore-Reeploeg and Scott Southard. .

    The Ice Hockey Club is open to all current UW students and provides a beginners team known as Team Husky.

    "I was on campus for a few months and did not know there was a team," Helfield said. "It is one of the best kept secrets at the UW."

Game Schedule - Home games are at 10:00pm or 9:15pm, unless otherwise noted.

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