SRJC Announces PCHA Tournament Schedule

Santa Rosa, California (February 15, 2017): The Santa Rosa Junior College Ice Hockey team announced today its official tournament schedule for the 2017 Pacific Collegiate Hockey Association Playoffs. The team will play up to three games Feb. 17-19 in South Lake Tahoe against five PCHA teams and an invited guest.

Playing in this year’s tournament are Santa Clara University, Cal Lutheran University, SRJC, UC Davis, Stanford University, UC Santa Cruz and San Jose State University. SJSU is a guest at this year’s tournament to round out the numbers, as PCHA member UC Santa Barbara declined its invitation to playoffs

“It is really positive to have the [PCHA] tournament grow from the two teams that we had in the final last year to seven teams now. It helps solidify college hockey in Northern California, and mirrors how the PCHA used to be when there were 12-16 teams,” said PCHA Vice President and SRJC General Manager Tom Billeter. “Being able to recruit other teams to come and play for something, to win a trophy, it is really beneficial towards the growth of college hockey up here. 

As the No. 4 seed, the Polar Bears face No. 5 UC Davis at 9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17. SRJC is 2-2 against the Aggies, having beaten them twice in November 2016 and taking brutal 15-0; 16-6 losses in the second half of the season. SRJC is, however, used to coming in second to UC Davis during the regular season, but outshine the Aggies when it matters most. The Polar Bears are 3-0 in PCHA Championship games against UC Davis, having won their first Adams Cup against Davis in 2013, their third in 2015 and their fourth in 2016.

If SRJC wins Game One it will play at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 against San Jose State University. SJSU holds a 2-1 season record over the Polar Bears, beating SRJC 16-5 in its final game of the regular season at Snoopy’s Home Ice Feb. 11. 

A win in Game Two puts SRJC back in a familiar place on Sunday, Feb, 19: battling for the coveted Adams Cup in the PCHA Championship Game. Since its induction into the PCHA in the 2012-13 season, SRJC has made it to the Championship Game for four-straight years. It beat UC Davis three times and Santa Clara University in 2014. Playing in Sunday’s game puts SRJC in line to make PCHA history as five-time consecutive champions.

“We are going for our fifth-straight title. Just to be a part of a league is something to be proud of. For a number of years we [SRJC Hockey] operated as an independent team and didn’t have a league to call home. But now we are defending champs,” Billeter said. “I look forward to the weekend; it’s going to be a great tournament. There are a number of high-caliber teams and we fit right in the middle. Hopefully, we can make some noise and upset some people.”
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The SRJC Hockey team will have full coverage of the PCHA Tournament with live updates via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Head to www.santarosahockey.com to find links to the team’s social media sites.