ACHA Team Sportlight - George Mason University
Location: Fairfax, Virginia
Enrollment: 35,000 - 26,000 Undergraduate & 9,000 Graduate students
ACHA Level: Division 1
Conference/League Affiliation: Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association
Head Coach: Steven Hyjek
Assistant Coaches:
Alex Grose, James Vuillemot, Keith Fagerquist, Derrick Wong
Contact Info: GMU Ice Hockey Recruitment Form
Other Support Staff:
Thomas Shaw (General Manager)
Mae Whitesides (Social Media)
Last Year's Record/Ranking: 20 - 4 - 1 – 1/Ranked #2 in Atlantic ACHA D3
Players Lost/Returning: 5 graduating/18 likely returning
Roster Size: 25-30 players, including 3 goalies
Roster Size: 25-30 players, including 3 goalies
Roster Composition:
25+% Tier 3 Jr.
20% AAA
25% AA
5% HS
25% Transfers ACHA
Region Where Most Players Come From:
Eastern seaboard from New England to Florida; many from New England & the Mid-Atlantic, some Northern Tier states (I.e. Michigan)
Cost to Player to Play: $2,750
Equipment or Gear Provided: Sticks, gloves, team apparel, gear bags
Number of Games on Schedule: 24 plus postseason
Big-name or Ranked Programs on Schedule:
Navy, West Chester, Villanova, Cornell, Grand Canyon State
First Practice Date: August 31
First Game Date: September 18
Regular-season End Date: Feb 13, 2021
Regular-season End Date: Feb 13, 2021
Conference or League Tournament Dates: March 6-7
Practices Per Week & General Times of Practices:
9:10 - 10:30 p.m. every Monday & Wednesday as well as every other Thursday (10 practices per month)
Games Per Week & General Times of Games?
Average 6 games per month. Game times are Friday & Saturday 9:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Off-ice Training in & out of Season: Yes, player led
Film Sessions Per Week: Goalies weekly, skaters as needed
Other Team Commitments:
Caps College Hockey Fair, December benefit game
Team Locker Room for Equipment Storage:
Consolidated team facility for locker room, meeting space, coaches’ offices, trainer space and storage under financing & construction; projected completion in early 2021
Locker Room Size & Amenities:
47’ by 20’ with individual player lockers, AV, IT, cable TV, player lounge with seating and options for table games & video games
Number of Home vs. Road Games: 13 home, 11 road
Number of Overnight Trips Per Season: 6
Travel Accommodations:
Charter bus, except January trip to Arizona, which will be via commercial airlines
Academic Disciplines Known For:
Engineering, Business, Justice & Homeland Security, Computer Sciences, Sports Management/Communications
Average Test Scores/GPA: 1155 SAT, 27 ACT, 3.7 GPA
Campus Location: Fairfax & Arlington, VA
Largest vs. Typical Class Sizes: Largest 100, typical 25 or fewer
Job Placement Information:
GMU Hockey offers Internship Program Assistance for juniors and seniors, providing a unique leg up for players in the program for career-placement opportunities prior to graduation. Internships are available in defense and aerospace, engineering, homeland and cyber security, business management, sports management and communications.
Program Philosophy:
The objective is to field an elite roster capable of competing with any ACHA team in the country. To do this we need to have high-quality and capable prospects come to George Mason. We have continued to improve the quality of our program each year on and off the ice. An example of this is our ongoing construction project to provide a first-class, dedicated facility for our players. Add to that a coaching staff with playing experience in juniors and the NCAA, the full package of benefits players should expect from a good program (quality gear, top-drawer travel and lodging), an excellent academic program, our proximity to Washington, DC; and finally a career-transition opportunity via our Mason Hockey Senior Internship Program, and we feel like we offer a solid and comprehensive package.
Yearly Performance Goals:
On the ice the goal is to provide fans with an exciting hockey experience as well as to compete for our conference championship while earning a berth in the ACHA National Championship tournament. Off the ice GMU Hockey strives to support quality community-service organizations via an annual benefit game as well as to sustain the team’s academic performance, which saw more than 1/3 of the players named Academic All-Americans.
Campus Support:
Campus Support:
Average attendance exceeds 125 for evening games and 150 for afternoon games. The bigger rivalries and annual benefit games draw in excess of 200 fans, and the online fan store sold more than $5,000 in GMU Ice Hockey items in less than a month. On social media, the GMU Hockey Facebook account has more than 1,000 followers, while the Twitter account has more than 900 followers.
Practice and off-ice facilities:
Games and practices are at the Prince William Ice Center (about 35 mins from campus). It is one of the newer rinks in the area, with Olympic and NHL-sized rinks. Mason Ice Hockey and the rink are collaborating on the construction of a new locker room and team facility for GMU Hockey.
Player Characteristics:
We seek players with high compete levels who understand their roles on the team and go out every shift to meet their teammates’ and coaches’ expectations. Team chemistry is key, so we are also keen to understand the personality of a player before committing a roster spot to him.
History and Future:
Mason Ice Hockey just celebrated its 30th anniversary during the 2019-2020 season. We focus on having a program (not a team), which includes recognizing what our alums have brought to the table as we continue to build a program that is recognized for its quality of play, the player experience provided and the overall team management as we strive to be one of the top ACHA programs in the nation and a pillar of our community.
Other Interesting Facts:
Mason Ice Hockey’s unique career-transition program – Due to the professional careers of the coaching staff outside of its Mason Hockey responsibilities, the team places no fewer than 40% of the senior players in a career-path-oriented internship during their senior years. The other 60% either secure internships on their own or choose not to take this path.
Internship program assistance (juniors and seniors) – Offers a unique leg up for players in the program on career placement opportunities prior to graduation. Internships are available in Defense and Aerospace, Engineering, Homeland and Cyber Security, Business Management and Sports Management/Communications.