The Virginia Tech Ice Hockey team is in the midst of another season. In an effort to encourage the Virginia Tech community to attend home games at the Roanoke Civic Center, the team has partnered with Valley Metro and the Smart Way bus to offer the Hokie Hockey Express on Friday, Nov. 20.

This service aims to provide a safe and economical way for the Virginia Tech community to travel to Roanoke, Va., to support the defending Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League (ACCHL) Champion Hokies.

The bus will pick up at the Smart Way bus stop behind Squires Student Center off the Alumni Mall, and it will run directly to the Roanoke Civic Center and back to Blacksburg following the game. For this service, Smart Way will be using their new 45-foot MCI Coach bus. The service will serve riders be on a first come, first served-basis, leaving at 6:30 p.m. and returning to Blacksburg at approximately 11 p.m. The cost of the Hokie® Hockey Express bus is $6 round trip, but free to monthly Smart Way pass holders.

After 5 p.m., free parking is available in the Squires Lot, located at the corner of College Avenue and Otey Street, or the Shultz Hall Lot, located off Alumni Drive near the North Main Street campus entrance. Find more parking information online or call (540) 231-3200.

After winning the ACCHL Championships last year, the team is laying a solid foundation for this year's season. Currently they are 7-2 overall, with a 2-1 record and hold the number one position in the ACCHL Standing.

The ice hockey team has one home game left this semester against ACCHL rivalry opponent the University of Virginia on Friday, Nov. 20. Attendance is free for children under twelve, and for Virginia Tech students, faculty, and staff with a valid Hokie Passport. General admission tickets are $4 each.

Also planned for the Nov. 20 game, the United States Marine Corps will kickoff off their annual Toys for Tots Drive. Donating fans will receive a DVD and a Miss Virginia 2008 Schedule Poster. The HokieBird will also be present to cheer on the Hokie Hockey team. Intermission contests include the annual Big Wheel Race on Ice, the Sumo Slide and Shootout contest, and Chuck a Puck. The Virginia Tech Ice Hockey team is one of 29 sport clubs within the Department of Recreational Sports at Virginia Tech. For more information on the Virginia Tech Ice Hockey team.

Virginia Tech Recreational Sports joins in partnership with the university to enhance the quality of life for all students, faculty, staff, their families, and the community by providing recreational and fitness opportunities throughout the year. The Department of Recreational Sports is a part of the Virginia Tech Division of Student Affairs which encompasses departments dedicated to providing a rich co-curricular experience and essential student services. Virtually every aspect of a student's life outside the classroom is represented through the division's departments. For more information on all Recreational Sports events and programs, e-mail the Recreational Sports' main office or call (540) 231-6856.

For more information about the Smart Way service, contact Smart Way at (540) 982-0305.

Written by Jake Badinelli, of Blacksburg, Va., a junior majoring in marketing in the Pamplin School of Business and Hannah Wilson, of Danville, Va., a junior majoring in communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

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