The University of Colorado Hockey Team hosted an alumni game on Jan. 9, in hopes of reconnecting with the many talented players who have played in the program since its beginning in 1967.

"We haven't done one for two or three years," said CU club sports director Kris Schoech, "I think we're going to start doing it every year now because of the guys coming back, and their seems to be a lot of enthusiasm for it."

Schoech said he is hoping to have the next alumni game in the fall during Alumni Weekend, as more former players would be able to participate.

"My goal is to get a lot more out," Schoech said. "This year I think we had 15 or 16, and we need to get a few more former players."

Schoech, who played for the program from 1982-87, decided to play in the game as well, and said the hardest part was keeping up with the faster varsity players.

"The hardest part here is when you're playing against the varsity club team, there are a lot of good athletes and you can see their speed versus some of the alumni who have been away from the game," Schoech said.

The game consisted to two teams, with both being made up of a mix of varsity and alumni players.

The white team did end up winning the contest, beating the black team 9-8.

The game resembled an old pickup hockey game with a relax atmosphere that's rarely found in the CU Ice Arena on a Friday night.

However, there was some order in the game as ACHA referees were on hand during the event.

Some changes to the game included 90 second penalties instead of the normal two-minutes, and three shortened 15-minute periods.

For current head coach Ken Fikis, he said it was good to see some of the players who had played for him in the past.

"It was fun, and I think the kids had a good time," Fikis said. "It was nice to see some of the players that played for me back in 2003. I thought it was a fun game, that's all we wanted."

Some of the former players who relaced their skates for the event other than Schoech included Jeff Neitenbach, junior varsity coaches Shawn Sullivan and Jon Pfeiff, varsity assistant coach Zach Sanner, and the 2007 varsity captain, Matt Ridens.

Ridens said his favorite part of the game was being with and having a good time with some of his former teammates.

"It's always fun, joke around with the guys, some of these guys you haven't seen in a couple years," Ridens said. "It was fun to get out there with them and skate on the old ice."

Even current players, like senior captain Daniel Coloccia made the same remark, as they got to skate with their friends from past teams.

"The best part is basically seeing your buddies you played with years ago and guys before that," Coloccia said. "It's kind of like the history of the program."

Though the next alumni game doesn't seem to be scheduled until next fall, Fikis said he expects the game to only get better. He also said that his players may not have to wait that long to play against some more alumni.

"I think it's only going to get better," Fikis said. "We're trying to get a game going in February with the 2003 national champion team, and a lot of those kids want to come and play in that."