Love for a certain sport extends well beyond its typical region of interest. Although based in San Antonio, the Roadrunner Hockey team consists of a group of dedicated members who not only love the sport they play, but the people they play it with. Since the last time the Roadrunners put their skates to the ice, the program has grown exponentially. The Paisano caught up with a founding member of the club before the team’s home opener against Louisiana State University to talk about the growth and ceiling of the program.
Roadrunner hockey was initially created in 2007 and lasted all the way up until 2013, when the team was abandoned due to financial issues, and until fall 2023, UTSA was without a hockey club. That was until two friends, club president Noah Dow and Joshua LeComte, came together to create something special.
“Me and my buddy Noah met up through social media and we kind of had the idea of ‘Okay we’re going to found this team and we’re going to make it happen,” LeComte said. “We got together, did all the legal paperwork we were supposed to do to become an official organization. It’s been a long time coming, we have been at this for a year and it’s definitely been a journey.”
A full calendar year later, and support for the team from within the UTSA community is growing. With official jerseys available for purchase, and active campaigning for support on campus, the club is trying to convince fans that they are here to stay.
“When we started this team we realized, ‘this isn’t just about UTSA, this is about San Antonio,” LeComte said. “We used to have some semi-pro teams here, but what we’re planning is bringing back hockey to San Antonio. We want to rejuvenate the love and support for the sport here. We table every day, we’re very involved with the community, we do a bunch of service events and stuff so, [we are] definitely trying to give back to the community because they’ve been so supportive of us.”
Being a club team can be hard, especially at a smaller school like UTSA. When one zooms out and look at how the official UTSA football team is considered “underfunded” in the grand scope of college football, then you realize these smaller programs are scratching and clawing to survive. But when you’re led by people who are willing to fight and weather the storm to continue to play the sport that they love in the city that they love, you’re going to go places.
“Come support, we’re the closest thing you have to a collegiate or semi-pro hockey team for hundreds of miles,” LeComte said. “We’re a growing organization but we can only grow as fast as we’re reciprocated by the public. Come out, enjoy the games, follow our socials, stay updated, and we will match the energy.”
Roadrunner hockey will be back at home taking on the University of Houston Oct. 25 at 9:15 p.m. at Northwoods Ice and Golf Center.
