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Students prepare for broomball rivalry game

February 23, 2014

MSU students raced up and down “Munn Ice Arena”:http://www.munnicearena.com/’s rink, breathless and sweaty. Goals were scored, bruises formed and celebrations ensued.

They weren’t playing hockey, though. The students were running — and slipping — across the ice wearing shoes, T-shirts and jeans, while wielding sticks with triangular plastic ends.

The broomball game was a casual event put on Sunday by the MSU chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and was the culminating event of Engineers Week.

The rules and game play are similar to hockey, but hockey sticks, pucks and ice skates are traded in for special broomball sticks, a rubber ball and good old-fashioned shoes.

Engineering societies across the Midwest host broomball events, including those on the campuses of Penn State, Illinois and Michigan.

Last year, engineers from Michigan beat MSU in their first-ever rivalry game. MSU broomballers this year are determined to win back the trophy, a “house divided” flag, to put on display in the Engineering Building.

U-M has a broomball intramural program, which gives them an advantage, said American Society of Engineers president John Pasko.

Pasko, a mechanical engineering senior, said that this year’s team has potential but they need some practice. Sunday’s game was intended to be the second annual rivalry game against U-M at the Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor.

Unlike Munn, Yost Ice Arena is difficult to rent out, so the game was pushed back to March. An official date hasn’t been set yet, but the game will happen, Pasko said.

“Ideally, we’d like to go back and forth every year,” Pasko said about transferring from the Munn to Yost Ice Arena.

The game itself on Sunday was very casual and intended for engineering students to get an interest in the engineering society, said American Society of Mechanical Engineers Membership officer Jacob Brandon.

“There’s no set positions (and) really no defense or offense,” Brandon, a mechanical engineering sophomore, said.

The game itself also is surprisingly fun and challenging, he said. In particular, the aspect of forgoing ice skates for normal shoes was particularly difficult.

“(Wearing shoes) is definitely harder than skating. With skating you can control your momentum,” Brandon said.

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