Letter to the editor

Student expresses dissatisfaction with Student Voice sports coverage

In the Nov. 5 edition of the Student Voice, I was shocked to see how one of the columnists does not support the Falcon’s athletic program. In the article “Penalty kill, defense hinders men’s hockey” the author criticizes the men’s hockey team. I was at the Oct. 30 game and saw a completely different game from the one described in the article. The Falcons came out with a lot of energy. As an avid fan of Falcons hockey, I have seen both the ups and downs over the past three seasons. It is too early in the season to be having a negative outlook on the season. This was their first conference test in conference where every game—no matter what place the team is in—can have a different outcome.

As stated in the article, UW-Superior was the NCHA’s last place team, but if the author would have done his research and gone to tge NCHA’s website he would have found that Superior did not lose a conference game by more than four goals and half of their losses came by one goal. The article points out that UW-River Falls allowed three goals in 12 power play opportunities to Superior. If the author would have done his research he would have found that UWRF is 10th in the nation in penalty kills, which is better than No. 6 in the nation Manhattanville and better than NCHA foe and No. 3 in the nation St. Norbert. Yes, the Falcons take a lot of penalties but they are able to kill them off, according to ucsho.com.

This is not the first time this columnist has written negatively about Falcon sports. Even if the season is not going as planned, as a student newspaper we should be supporting our teams that provide enjoyment for out student and community. UWRF is a division III school. The athletes do not receive scholarships to play and don’t deserve to be torn apart by the newspaper. Tearing down teams shows complete unprofessionalism, especially by a fellow student.

Go Falcons.

John Hanley IV
student