When the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex arrived in Cranberry Township, everyone knew hockey around here would benefit.

The Pittsburgh Penguins practice there.

The United States Hockey League just held a premiere junior tournament there.

The PIHL has been able to hold its all-star games in the facility.

That complex is only beginning to reach for its potential in terms of what it can bring to hockey in the immediate area.

But who would have guessed the Slippery Rock University hockey team would be among the facility’s benefactors? SRU’s club hockey team is playing its home games at the UPMC Lemieux Complex this season.

Don’t be fooled by the word “club.” SRU plays in the highly touted American Collegiate Hockey Association, which houses numerous Division I club teams. In fact, The Rock hosted Ohio State on Friday night.

Upcoming home games include Youngstown State at 9:55 p.m. Sept. 30 and 8:45 p.m. Oct. 1, St. Bonaventure at 9:55 p.m. Oct. 21 and 8:45 p.m. Oct. 22, and Liberty at 9:45 p.m. Oct. 28 and 29.

Five former Butler County high school players are on the SRU roster. They include Butler graduate and Rock freshman Connor Scott, who led the Golden Tornado with 18 goals and 25 assists last season.

Fellow Butler grad Sage Strezeski, Seneca Valley graduate Josh Jones and Mars grads Joe Bender and Mike McCann are also on the squad.

Other players dot this roster from Ohio, Colorado, Alaska, North Carolina, Florida, Oklahoma, New York, Minnesota, Michigan, New Jersey, Maine and California.

SRU’s coach is Joe Honzo, a guy who has more than 30 years of coaching experience. Part of that time came when he was head varsity hockey coach at Butler.

Honzo believes the UPMC Lemieux Complex can serve as an effective recruiting tool for the SRU hockey program and he’s probably right. There are plenty of guys graduating from high school programs who still want an opportunity to play competitive hockey.

SRU hockey has improved in other areas besides on the ice. Troy and Patty Strezeski have spearheaded fundraising efforts to land the team a bus for road games.

“I remember these guys splitting up in cars to go play a game at West Virginia University last season,” Patty Strezeski said. “They had to fight a snowstorm while driving back.

“We felt like we had to do something to help fundraising. The buses cost about $13,000 for an entire season, then there’s ambulance service, referees, ice time ... It runs up quite a bill.”

A successful golf outing in August and a Night at The Races coming in November is helping to defray some of those costs. And Rock hockey has become a viable option for students who still want to play.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle