Moving up to a bigger division calls for a bigger level of responsibility.

The CSU men’s hockey club team has taken on the title of being at the Division I level for the first time heading into the 2013-14 season. The Rams are now in their exhibition play before the official season kicks off, and are moves concerning the program. CSU has started the preseason out with two victories over the Cheyenne Jr. A stampede. Now, the Rams enter their third exhibition with another junior-A squad, this one with Boulder.

Going into the game, the Rams are thinking about the community. All of the proceeds benefitted from Friday’s matchup at NoCo Ice Arena will be donated to the Red Cross’s branch for Colorado flood relief.

“The guys basically decided that they wanted to help support flood relief in Colorado, so we decided to play the (Division I) Friday as a maturity game with 100-percent of the proceeds going to the American Red Cross,” head coach Kelly Newton said.

The Rams are more focused on giving back than the elements that accompany their exhibition match. CSU hockey begins their regular season on October 11th with a weekend tournament in Cleveland, OH before returning to Colorado to face in-state rival CU-Boulder at Pepsi Center for the Rocky Mountain Center Ice Showdown.

“We thought (Friday) would be a good way to give back to the community when needed most,” Newton said.

Sports Editor Quentin Sickafoose can be reached at sports@collegian.com and on Twitter @QSickafoose.