Club hockey team reflects on players’ unity

IU’s club hockey team, currently 10-13, plays from October to February and has games every weekend. Jan Jas became the head coach last season, when the team switched from Division II to Division I.

“My goals are to improve the program to the highest possible level,” Jas said.

Jas grew up in Slovakia, where he said hockey is very popular. His older brother was a hockey player, and Jas started playing when he was just two years old.

“It’s just the intensity and adrenaline of the sport, the fast pace of it and the excitement,” Jas said. “It’s an irreplaceable feeling for me.”

All of the players are undergraduate students, many of whom first got involved with hockey at a young age, most starting between the ages of four and seven, and following in the footsteps of their family members.

Junior Alex Handy’s father played hockey professionally, so Handy first learned to skate as a two-year-old.

“I’ve always had a passion for it,” Handy said. “It makes me happy and always has.”
The team’s most recent game was last weekend against No. 7 Iowa State.

The game was tied at 4-4 as it progressed into a five minute period of sudden death, after which the game was still tied. Then commenced the shootout. Each team picked three players to shoot a penalty shot. Iowa State made its first two shots, as did IU. Iowa State missed its last shot. Handy was up next.

Handy took the last penalty shot and scored.

“It was awesome. That’s the best highlight I have,” Handy said. “All the guys were jumping up and down, and they rushed the ice. It was pretty unreal.”

Handy said he hopes more students will start taking interest in the games.

“We want to market the team better and get more students to come to the games,” Handy said.

Handy transferred to IU this academic year but said he hasn’t had any trouble connecting with his teammates.

“It’s kind of like a brotherhood,” Handy said. “I’d compare it to being in a fraternity.”
“We spend so much time together practicing and playing games, you naturally get along off the ice, too,” junior Nick Dobrez said.

Dobrez said very few of the guys who came in his freshman year are still playing on the team, and many of the guys live together in houses.

Just like Jas and Handy, Dobrez took after his dad and older brothers, all of whom played hockey.

“I love it, so I just kept playing it,” Dobrez said. “It’s just a different sport.”

As for this weekend, the players and coaches said they all hope for the best.

“All we can do is wish that everyone is healthy and ready to go Friday,” Jas said.

The team has now beat two different top-10 ranked teams. Handy said Miami is a good team, but he has confidence in his team’s ability to perform.

“It’s going to be a battle, but I’m expecting a win,” Handy said.