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Each year, Steve Cady Arena draws thousands of fans for an extreme display of athleticism: Miami's varsity ice hockey team. The varsity team has notorious success year after year, perhaps overshadowing the immense success of Miami's club hockey team.

The Miami club hockey team has played for a national championship 11 out of the past 13 years, winning it once. Coach Dan Daikawa attributes his team's success to more than just athletic ability.

"I think that a successful team is a team that does well academically as well as on the ice," he said. "If you have a team that does well off the ice that usually means that they will understand what it takes to win on the ice. You win games through systems and understanding how they work and discipline."

Despite the team's proud history and hard work, the vast majority of the team's crowd consists of the players' family and friends.

"I think that fans help get teams fired up and into games," said Daikawa. "I'd like to get more fans, but it's hard when you have a varsity team that is ranked No. 1 in the nation for most of the year."

With another hopeful season approaching, the club team will attempt to make up for two key loses from last year's roster, All-American and All-Region Second Team Andrew Stowe and Team Captain and President Sean Sutphen.

Several key players from last year will be returning and Daikawa is optimistic that there are some good prospects with a lot of potential that will also be joining the 2008-09 club team.

Tryouts will begin in September. Daikawa will hold one practice and four scrimmages to choose 24 players out of the 80 that will try out. The final team will be picked after the Red and White game on Sept. 27, and practice will start Sept. 30.

For Daikawa, another successful season means playing for a national championship for the 14th time and, better yet, bringing a national championship title back to Oxford.

The first game of the 2008-09 season will be on Oct. 3 at 9:30 p.m. at the Nutter Center in Dayton.

The following day, Oct. 4, the club RedHawks will take the ice at Steve Cady Arena at 1:45 p.m. for their first home game of the season.