Dislocated shoulder, severely sprained knee, and tonsillitis, these are all injuries that have plagued the Shippensburg University Roller Hockey team thus far in the preseason, but despite these injuries SU looks forward to getting off to a fast start and a return to compete at the national championship.

            SU started play this year in the Rutgers Pre-Season Invitational against Hofstra, West Chester, and Vermont. It was their first action since a devastating 10-1 loss to Nevada in the first round of nationals last year and their first game without key players like forward Nat Barrick, who graduated, forward Jeff Kulp, who separated his shoulder, and defenseman Gary Ehrman, who is no longer with the team. The Raiderâ??s first game of the tournament was against Hofstra and throughout this game SU looked rusty and uneasy on offense and defense and lost 3-2, with both Raider goals coming from defenseman Tommy Hagg. The main story of this game though was the injury to defenseman Simon Lock, who suffered a severely sprained knee in a collision with a Hofstra player.

 â??I was almost certain I tore my MCL, just the way it felt and the way it sounded with that infamous 'pop' sound. Finding out that it was just a severe sprain really brought a sigh of relief, instead of thinking I was done for 4-6 months, I am now thinking about playing opening weekend.â?  Lock said.

The Raiderâ??s second game was against rival West Chester where SU was overwhelmed by mistakes in a 6-0 loss. The Raiderâ??s final game was against Vermont and all though SU showed signs of improved play, they lost 6-2, with goals coming from Hagg and defenseman Tom Cavanaugh.

            The Following week SU also played in the Columbus Day Kick-Off Classic against SUNY Binghamton, Maryland, SUNY Buffalo, and Delaware, although they played without Lock, Kulp, and captain Bryan Lowe, who had tonsillitis. The Raiders lost their first game to SUNY Binghamton 9-6, but won their second game against Maryland in an 11-3 blowout with five power-play goals. However, the Raiders lost their final two games in a 10-7 loss against SUNY Buffalo and a tough 7-2 loss against Delaware where SU gave up 5 third period goals. The Raiderâ??s leading scorers for this tournament were Hagg with 11 goals and forward Bill Bourque with 6 goals.  In addition to the Raiderâ??s first win, SU also played very well and it was a marked improvement over their performance at the Rutgers Invitational.

â??I think that we have a stronger team this season than we did last season. We've got more speed, and more talent but right now we have a lot of players who lack experience and right now that is our biggest problem.  Besides that we just need to get healthy.  Once that happens we should be improving as a team every game we play together.â?  Kulp said.

Goalie Steve Parker also felt that the team played better during the Columbus tournament, â??I was very impressed by the way we played, it looked like the new guys got a little more comfortable with their new surroundings and we started playing like a team.â? Parker said.

            The Raiderâ??s regular season kicks off Nov. 4 in Harrisburg, where they will debut their new jerseys. SU is excited for this season and they believe their young up and coming players will be able to produce and help fill the spots of players like Barrick and Ehrman.  SU also has most of their top players returning, with Hagg, Lock, Kulp, and Cavanaugh and they hope to have all of their injured players back and playing very soon. 

The Raiders have enormous potential with their returning players and with their young freshmen and hopefully they will make a return trip to the national championships.

â??I expect to have the best season as a team since I started playing as a freshman. We have tons of depth, and right now we just need to put it together. I have high expectations especially with it being my senior year. I haven't seen such a talented team until now.â?  Lock said.