During the 20 minute drive from Norman to Oklahoma City, senior Doug Gebbie doesn’t experience a quiet moment. He is always clowning around with his teammates on their carpool to hockey practice, either telling a story about his day or blasting the stereo to his favorite songs.

The guys are doing more than just saving money and trying to stop global warming from melting the ice at Blazer’s Ice Centre. They are building chemistry.

“We just like to hang out together, not just in the locker room and in the rink, but outside the rink,” Gebbie said. “We like hanging out together and that’s what a good team does, they enjoy each other’s company.”

The No. 6 Sooner Hockey Club (3-1-0) has a lot to enjoy these days.

The Sooners have outscored their opponents 21-10. Seven of those goals were given up in a heated weekend battle against No. 5 Liberty University during the opening week of the season. OU won one of the two games.

OU has also been able to control the puck for long stretches in games. Coaches credit that to a strong defense.

“We are holding a lot of teams to under 20 shots per game, which is pretty high standards,” head coach Tom Murphy said. “So, as much as we like the offensive part and getting shots on net, I like the fact most that we are holding shots against us down.”

Players believe their strong effort is due to their strong camaraderie. The Sooners have 22 returning players this season.

“We are here a lot more than last year and it’s not that we have to be here, it’s that we want to be here,” Gebbie said. “[It translates to] effort on the ice and drive and tenacity. You can see it in the player’s eyes. They want to play their best not to let the other guys down. In turn, that makes everyone want to play their best.”

The hockey club will have its home opener today at 7:30 p.m. versus North Dakota State (0-3-0). Students get in free with their student IDs for tonight’s game.

The Bison are coming off a three game series against No. 2 Lindenwood University where they were dismantled, giving up at least 10 goals per game. This is the first ever meeting between OU and NDS.

Though this weekend’s matchup may not look challenging on paper, the Sooners are preparing for the match as though they were playing Lindenwood or any of the other top teams the Sooners play later in the season.

Gebbie says this week provides OU with a chance to build up their key factor; chemistry.

“I think in the middle of the year, when December comes around and our season is just pounding on us, that is when that key factor on our team is going to come into play,” he said.