The WSU men’s ice hockey club team has started off its season on some thin ice. The squad is winless in Pac-8 play with a conference record of 0-5.

This ranks the Cougars last in the league. The Pac-8 consists of all the Pac-10 teams, with the exceptions of University of Arizona and Oregon State.

On Nov. 6-7, the Cougars took a break from playing against conference opponents and squared off against Western Washington two times. The Cougars lost both games. The first loss was 12-2, and the second match’s end result was 11-1.

Of the Pac-8 teams, the Cougars have only played Washington and Oregon. Their most recent game was against UW and was played at the Cougars’ home rink, Eagle Ice Rink, in Spokane. The game ended 14-1 in the Huskies’ favor. The Cougars’ lone goal came in the third period.

Although the Eagle Ice Rink is considered WSU’s home rink, the players don’t regard playing in Spokane as an advantage. Mike Fox, senior co-captain of the squad, said he would rather travel to play.

“In reality, it is almost cheaper for us to play road games,” Fox said. “And we usually stay at a hotel that is close to the rink, so road games are almost preferred.” Due to the team adding 14 freshmen to the roster, it has taken some time for players to develop unity on the ice.

“With a young team, most of the guys haven’t played together before,” Fox said. “So as the season goes on, we really hope that the lines will start clicking together and the chemistry will improve.” WSU’s next contest is in McCall, Idaho, where they will be competing in a tournament that starts on Thursday at the Manchester Ice and Event Centre. The Cougars are scheduled to play Boise State, Utah and UW. WSU will look to redeem themselves against rival UW and turn the season around.

Fox sees the tournament as a chance for the team to make progress. But regardless, Fox said he will try to learn from the experience.

“When we win, I try to look at things we need to improve on. And when we lose, I try to find some positives that we can take away,” Fox said. “Usually, it’s easy to take positives from wins and negatives from losses, so I try to look at things differently.” The first game of the tournament for the Cougars is at 7 p.m. Thursday against the Boise State Broncos.