A lot goes into being a student-athlete that most students and fans don’t get a chance to see firsthand; their only exposure to the players is going to the game and watching their favorite team or player compete.
From Jan. 18-20, Weber State University’s hockey team traveled to Colorado to compete in a four-game hockey showcase against Metropolitan State University, the University of Denver, Sault College and the University of Texas.
These road trips are a good time for team bonding since there are fewer distractions and the players all get a chance to eat together and stay in a hotel as a team. However, it can also be a grind because after an eight-hour bus ride and different sleeping arrangements than what players are used to, it is time to play four games in four days before the long drive back home.
In addition, the athletes are also students who have assignments that need to be completed. When working as part of a group for a class, communication becomes even more challenging because of the long bus rides and inconsistent schedules.
The different game times and the inability of the players to get into a standard game day routine can throw them off.
For a typical home game, I try to do everything at the exact same time every game day. From the moment I wake up, eat, shower and nap to the moment I get to the rink, which includes stretching, eating and mentally preparing, it is a full-day process leading up to game time.
It can be a challenge to be physically fit to play the games at a continuously high level with the grind that they are putting their bodies through.
Most athletes have a specific game preparation and a recovery routine in their training. This includes working out, eating well, proper hydration and sleeping well. For road games and long trips, the players don’t get the same luxury because games are at different times and they don’t have the same access to facilities.
The routine in hockey is unique; everyone has a different way of mentally, physically and emotionally preparing for games. Every hockey player does something different, but we all get ready to play the game we love. Even on the ice, whether it’s stickhandling a puck a certain way or doing a specific movement just to get focused, every athlete has something they’ve been doing for years.
The Wildcat hockey team split the four-game showcase in Denver, going 2–2. After winning their first two games, one being a shootout win and the other in regulation, they struggled with the weekend’s second half.
The top scorers from this weekend were Caden Hunter, Jaden Hewes and myself. Heading into the weekend, the Wildcats were ranked No. 2 in the West region and scheduled themselves to face strong competition all weekend.
Going 2–2 could hurt their ranking, but they lost in competitive games to two very good teams. The long eight-hour drive back home was made tougher by the loss and with several players getting sick over the weekend.
Weber will be back home at the Ice Sheet to play against Utah State University on Jan. 31.