Senior breaks scoring record in club ice hockey

Senior Ben Weisburger set an all-time scoring record of points made in a career on the men's club ice hockey team on Jan. 31.

In a game against Christopher Newport University, Weisburger, the team's assistant captain, scored one goal and made three assists to break the former record of 129 points, held by Tucker Blanton, Richmond College '13. After the team's penultimate regular-season game on Feb. 1, Weisburger holds 131 points total.

"It was such a great feeling," Weisburger said. "I knew going into the game that I needed a certain number of points, and it happened after I finished a nice play, which was exciting."

Weisburger's goal for his final season was to beat the record, which had become more attainable over the past three years, he said. That goal is what motivated him each week at practice and during the 19 games this season, he said.

"It was pretty much a known fact that barring an injury or anything like that, [Weisburger] had a real good shot at getting the record this year," senior team captain Wes Harty said. "We all got off to a slow start so it was in jeopardy, but he kept scoring."

Head coach Kevin Silver congratulated Weisburger and noted him as one of the best players the club team has ever seen.

"[Weisburger] has been a great leader on and off the ice for our guys," Silver said. "There will be a big hole left when he leaves us next year."

Weisburger played competitive hockey for four years at the college-preparatory Brunswick School in Greenwich, Conn. He earned the opportunity to play Division III hockey at Connecticut College, but chose to attend Richmond instead.

"It would have been fun to play at a NESCAC school," Weisburger said, "but I came down to Richmond because I knew it was a great school and I would be able to do other things than just hockey."

The team will head into playoffs this weekend. Their first game is Feb. 7 in Loyola, Md., against Salisbury University. They then face Christopher Newport University on Feb. 8, and will earn a spot in the championship game on Feb. 9 if they win.

"We're entirely focused on the conference tournament this weekend," Harty said. "We've played our best hockey of the year these past few weekends and I think the team is hungry to finish the job."

Contact Copy Assistant Meghan Cummings at meghan.cummings@richmond.edu