Hockey is more than a game to members of the Youngstown State University men’s ice hockey club; it’s a lifestyle.
The hockey club began about 10 years ago, and it has competed against teams from Indiana University and the University of Pittsburgh.
“The club consists of 17 members and is expecting about 21 members next semester,” said Dan Jech, a YSU student and a member of the club. “We practice anywhere from three to four days a week at the Ice Zone, located in Boardman.”
Jech, a junior who is majoring in psychology, plays offense as a left wing and forward. Although he’s been playing with the hockey club for only four years, Jech said he has been playing the sport for almost his entire life.
“I’ve been playing hockey since I was 3 years old,” Jech said. “There’s nothing that I don’t love about hockey — the scoring and, most importantly, the winning.”
Nick Wolf, one of Jech’s teammates, is a junior graphic design major at YSU. Wolf has been playing hockey for 21 years, and he’s been a member of YSU’s hockey club for four years as a right wing on the offense. Wolf said he heard about the hockey club through some friends who attended YSU and decided to transfer from Cuyahoga Community College.
“It’s fun,” Wolf said. “They’re not just your friends; they’re your family. You get to travel. Most teams don’t get to do that.”
Jech said the club is more than a student organization.
“It’s very competitive,” Jech said. “It all comes down to who is ready to play and how you play the game. Fate trumps logic.”
