WILLISTON, N.D. -The Williston State College Men's hockey team, which will compete for the first time in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) during the 2016-17 season, will begin fundraising with its first annual golf scramble tournament Friday, June 3.

Registration will be at 9:00 a.m. at Eagle Ridge Golf Course. The scramble will begin at 10:00 a.m. With the transition to the ACHA, a more competitive division, recruitment for the Tetons has increased. This event will help fund the Tetons for the next year.

The recruitment process has been in full swing since the announcement was made to move to the ACHA conference.

"Our initial thought on the process is that it is easier to make the calls and recruit," Bowkus said. "We are still, however, selling the benefits of attending Williston State College based on the academic programs and costs that are associated with coming to Williston. We like the recruits that we have so far and hope that we can land a few more blue chip players."

WSC hockey has been part of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) since 2012, making five trips to nationals and taking the national championship home to Williston twice.

The move to the ACHA came with some benefits that will be seen right away. The Teton home game schedule has grown and WSC will be hosting 16 games this upcoming season compared to the 10 to 12 games the Tetons have played in past seasons. 

Each game will now have more meaning. In a league with over 200 teams in the ACHA, only the top teams from the Division will make it to the West Regionals and only two teams will continue on to the National Tournament. The downfall is that it will not be an easy task to make it to Nationals as it has been in the past.

"Our biggest incentive to switch leagues is we will now be able to start playing different teams each year. There were many schools in the past that would not schedule games with us just because we were in the NJCAA," explained Bowkus. "I recently attended the ACHA Coach's Convention and the number of different colleges that have ACHA teams surprised me. I am looking forward to playing those different teams in the upcoming years ahead."

Teton hockey is offering three types of sponsorships in the scramble.

A Tournament Sponsor, valued at $600, is recommended for local businesses and will include advertisement at the tournament and placement in all printed advertisements throughout the season. Each business can field a team of four to play in the tournament.

For $250, businesses can sponsor a hole, have their company advertised in all printed materials throughout the 2016-17 season, and can have one player compete for free in the tournament.

Single golfers can play the tournament for $85.

All participants will have a chance to win the Longest Drive, Longest Putt, and Closest to the Hole contests. Each Par 3 hole gives participants a chance at a prize, one including a chance to win $10,000. Prizes for first, second, and third places finishes are also offered.

If interested, please reach out to John Bowkus at 701.774.4288, john.bowkus@willistonstate.edu
Or make checks payable to:
Teton Booster Club
1410 University Ave
Williston, ND 58801