Photo by Alex Kolstee The JCC men’s hockey team hosts its inaugural home game this Saturday at Northwest Arena in Jamestown.

Hockey returns to downtown Jamestown on Saturday night in the form of the Jamestown Community College hockey team. The Jayhawks open their inaugural home schedule by hosting SUNY Niagara at the Northwest Arena at 7 p.m.

“The team is super excited to play in front of a home crowd. The excitement for collegiate hockey to come to Jamestown has been building, and we can’t wait to finally get our community behind us,” said Jayhawks head coach Tommy Gerace.

Added Jamestown CC athletic director George Sisson: “I was shocked to see 75 or more Jayhawk fans make the trip to Erie for our first-ever game against Mercyhurst. Those fans were loud and proud, and our Dirty Birds treated them to the game of their lives.”

Sisson isn’t hyperbolic in his statement about Jamestown’s first game. The Jayhawks scored the game-winning goal with just 13 seconds left on the clock to beat Mercyhurst University 3-2. The late winner was scored by Jamestown native Cooper Bergman. In net, another Jamestown product, Collin Norlander, stopped 38 of 40 shots to seal the dramatic memory for all involved.

The victory was sweet, but getting hockey back in Jamestown through Jamestown CC wasn’t as simple as just lacing up the skates.

“It’s been a complete full-time job getting this program off the ground. We first presented the idea to the school last September, and George (Sisson) was incredibly receptive and supportive of the idea,” Gerace said. “It took months of conversations, calls, planning, preparing and researching to even get the green light. Then the recruiting, scheduling, logistics — it was a ton, but worth every minute.”

“From the top down the JCC community, faculty, staff and my amazing team in athletics, everyone involved has been extremely supportive,” Sisson said. “What people don’t know is this was a year in the making. There was a lot of hard work and dedication poured into getting this team up and running. When I saw how prepared and excited Tommy was, I knew we had the ingredients for a successful recipe in the form of Jayhawks hockey.”

While the team is only one game into its inaugural season, both Sisson and Gerace agree that one of the main priorities is for a program that not only starts fast, but also builds long-lasting roots and stands the test of time as not only a proud program within JCC but also as something Jamestown and the surrounding community will be thrilled to see flourish.

“The bottom line is that I worked to bring this proposal to JCC because of my pure passion for the game of hockey and the growth I want to see it have in our community,” Gerace said “It’s no secret that we’ve seen numerous higher-level teams come and go, but every single one was supported. People love hockey in our area, and with this team, we aim to create a sustainable team for the community to rally behind — one that can grow, keep more kids local and provide student-athletes a new avenue to pursue a college education, all while playing the greatest game on earth.”

Echoing Gerace’s thoughts, Sisson said it’s not “just hockey.”

“These kids are getting a first-rate education at JCC as well,” he said. “They are part of the community; most played hockey in this barn (Northwest Arena) their whole lives. When you’re part of JCC athletics, you’re part of something bigger. You’re a Jayhawk. That means something to me, and I hope it means something to the athletes, their families and fans.”

That leaves one question: what can fans expect on the ice?

“Fans of hard-nosed, hard-working hockey will be pleased with our group,” Gerace said. “Our boys have accepted the mentality of being a hard team to play against. Relentless forecheck, physicality, hanging onto pucks, taking hits to make a play. There’s a blend between old-school and new-school hockey that we’re trying to deploy with this team. While we have plenty to improve on and learn, I can promise our boys will work hard night in and night out.”

“I’m no hockey savant,” mentioned Sisson. “You don’t need to be one to enjoy what I saw last Sunday. The team was fast, hard-hitting, just flying all over the ice. The Dirty Birds were pretty in those Green and Gold jerseys.”

The roster includes Coleson Barber, Spencer Bell, Bergman, Evan Bishop, Joshua Cooper, Conner Degnan, Raymond Embler, Jacob Guimond, Jed Hirliman, Stefano Isabella, Kaden Johnson, Mason Lobb, Tristan Meyers, Collin Norlander, Tyson See, Nathan Sercu, Brandon Smith, Nate Stephens and Christian Wilshire. Bell is the lone sophomore.

As for getting into the game, tickets are $5 for adults, JCC students and faculty are free with their ID, youngsters under 18 are also free, and kids wearing a youth hockey jersey will also receive a free chuck-a-puck.

“Throughout the season, fans can expect the best of everything from local teams of the past,” Gerace said. “Affordable tickets, promo nights (Teddy Toss is back!), intermission games, giveaways, postgame skates, meet and greets with the players, and more. We’ll have a magnet schedule giveaway for the home opener. Between our locally constructed roster, ticket prices and the novelty of being the first college team in JCC’s history, I think the community will show up to give us a jolt of energy on home ice this weekend and throughout the season.”

The team is back on the ice at Northwest Arena on Friday, Oct. 4, when it hosts Allegheny College at 7 p.m.