A club hockey player at the State University College at Oswego leads the nation in goals for Division I club hockey, and a second player on the team is tied for fifth place in assists.

As of Friday, Ryan Hawthorne, a senior from Baldwinsville, had scored 11 goals in the first six games of the season. Matt Warren, from Mercyhurst College, and Kyle Dodgson, from Liberty University, each have nine.

Tied for fifth place in assists in the American Collegiate Hockey Association is Jamie Shutts, a junior from Fulton. Shutts, who has six assists, is tied with 13 other ACHA club hockey players.

"This is the first time that a player on the team has achieved the No. 1 ranking," said Carla Peacock, whose husband, Jay, coaches the Oswego team. "To be ranked No. 1 in the country is quite an accomplishment, considering the team has only been in existence for four years."

Club hockey, Peacock explained, is for athletes who want to continue playing after high school but don't feel they can make the commitment to a varsity team.

"A lot of the kids on our team were former high school stars who still wanted to play an organized sport, but either they didn't make the varsity team or they chose not to play a varsity sport," she said.

Before Friday night's game against St. Bonaventure University, for which results were not immediately available, the team's record was 4-2.

From 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 28, the Oswego State team will host a free hockey clinic at the Fulton War Memorial for members of the Fulton Youth Hockey Association.

Suzanne Ellis can be reached at sellis@syracuse.com, 592-7140 or 470-3233.