Collegiate roller hockey ready to crown champions at Cedar Rapids Ice Arena

CEDAR RAPIDS – Are you ready for some … roller hockey?

Beginning Wednesday, the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena will host the National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association national championships, where more than 50 teams from all four levels (Division I, II, III and junior college) will compete to crown a champion in the popular club sport.

'Many of these kids have migrated from travel teams, whether it be in-house in their particular cities or some of them play on competitive teams that travel around the country to play the sport of roller hockey,' Lindenwood University Coach Ron Beilsten said. 'The college or university provides an organized team that you can still go where you want for school, but continue the sport that you love. That's the kind of kids we see.'

This is the 18th year of the NCRHA tournament and its first appearance in Iowa. The sport utilizes nearly identical equipment to traditional ice hockey, with the exception of inline roller skates, longer pants and a hard, plastic puck that provides fast movement on the plastic, tiled playing surface.

There are currently no Iowa schools in the NCRHA. Iowa State last fielded a team for the 2003-04 season.

'You'll see a big, high-profile school like Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, Miami of Ohio,' Beilsten said. 'You'll see really big-name, high-profile schools playing at the same level as a smaller school that maybe no one's ever heard of.'

Beilsten's Lindenwood Lions fit that profile, but only to those unfamiliar with the sport. In his 13th season at the St. Charles, Mo. school, Belstein has won eight Division I titles and 11 in Division III. Lindenwood is one of several schools with a large enough player pool to form teams in more than one division.

'Initially, the school had the foresight to make the sport one of their supported club-level sports,' Beilsten said. 'Our team gets supported by practice and travel and things like that. Once the kids are admitted into school and in good standing, they get to play the sport at basically what a Division-I ice hockey kid gets.'

The tournament runs through Sunday.

NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ROLLER HOCKEY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Cedar Rapids Ice Arena

Competition — 58 teams will play in four divisions (24 in Division 1, 20 in D-2, 12 in D-3, 2 in junior college)

When — Wednesday through Sunday

Schedule — Action from 7 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday; 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday

Tickets — $12 to $25 for adults, $10 to $22 for college students with ID, $5 to $10 for those 6 though 18

DIVISION I

Arizona State University, Bethel University, Eastern Michigan University, Farmingdale State College, Florida Gulf Coast University, Grand Valley State University, Kennesaw State University, Lindenwood University, California State University Long Beach, Miami (Ohio) University, Michigan State University, Missouri State University, University of Missouri, Neumann University, University of Rhode Island, Rowan University, Slippery Rock University, Temple University, Texas Tech University, University of Colorado - Colorado Springs, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Missouri St. Louis, University of Nevada Las Vegas, West Chester University

DIVISION II

University of Akron, University of Arizona, University of Arkansas, California State University Chico, State University of New York at Cortland, California State University Fullerton, University of Denver, East Carolina University, University of Florida, Kansas State University, Louisiana Tech University, University of Massachusetts, Michigan Technological University, Missouri University of Science & Technology, Robert Morris University, St. Joseph's University, Syracuse University, University of Tennessee – Knoxville, University of California Irvine, Western Michigan University

DIVISION III

Arizona State University, Bethel University, Farmingdale State College, Florida Gulf Coast University, Grand Valley State University, Lindenwood University, Michigan State University, University of Missouri, Neumann University, Slippery Rock University, Texas Tech University, University of California Santa Barbara

JUNIOR COLLEGE DIVISION

St. Charles Community College, West Valley College

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com