from an Illinois State forward in Bradley’s homecoming victory. Photo by Shelby Caruso.
One of the best hidden gems of Bradley athletics isn’t actually associated with the university athletics department. The Bradley club hockey team has garnered a lot of student support over the past few years, and although it’s not a university sanctioned team, you’d probably never realize it if you took a visit to the Owens Center.
The club hockey program at Bradley started their season with a bang beating I-74 rival Illinois State 4-1. Led by a blend of experienced players and newcomers and backed by a raucous student section Bradley club hockey has managed to create a very exciting off-campus sporting atmosphere.
“It’s an awesome experience – most teams we play don’t get half that crowd,” sophomore defender Cody Esposito said. “It’s a huge advantage for us playing at home because you get excited to play in front of all those people. [It] speaks volumes for our management and the job that players and coaches over the past couple years have done in promoting our club.”
Club hockey presents an opportunity for student athletes at Bradley to play against big schools that many other teams don’t ordinarily compete against. Last weekend the Braves played at Iowa, and this weekend they will host another Big Ten team, Northwestern.
through his opponents zone, looking for a lane to take a shot on net. Photo by Shelby Caruso.
“It’s pretty fun playing against bigger schools like Iowa and Northwestern considering I grew up in a Big Ten household,” freshman defenseman Devin Servin said. “Coming to a smaller school, I thought maybe we wouldn’t be able to get out there, so playing against Big Ten schools is pretty fun.”
The team has gotten out to a 2-2 start, but things are quickly starting to come together as the players get more and more familiar playing with each other.
“There are always going to be growing pains for any team especially early in the season, but I think our team is coming together seamlessly both on and off the ice,” Esposito said. “The on-ice chemistry is coming along, it just takes repetition, but off the ice we have really come together as a group. You would have no idea that half of our players are newcomers.”
Esposito, an experienced player, said the younger players still have a lot to learn, as he experienced last year.
“I learned a lot from my first year,” Esposito said. “You’re playing against older competition and guys that have played in this league before. It was a learning curve, but I learned a lot about how to handle controversy, whether that be losing back to back or being able to bounce back after having a bad game. This season I am more prepared for what is to come and how to handle different situations.”
For the rookies, this season is more about getting used to a new playing style and adjusting to the workload that college life brings.
“It was definitely a learning experience,” Servin said. “It took me a few weeks to get used to it, but play was a lot faster and a lot more physical. Now that I have my feet under me, I feel like it’s going pretty well, and I look forward to playing and getting better as the year goes on.”
While the hockey team isn’t a Division I sport, it is still very much a big time commitment. The season is long, running from September into March, and players are expected to exceed on the ice as well as in the classroom.
“The season is very long, especially if you make it far in the postseason,” Esposito said. “This takes a toll on you both academically and physically. You need to be organized and have good time management skills. The key is to just keep going. Not everything’s going to workout the way you want it. All you can do is work your hardest both on and off the ice, and at the end of the day, you want to be able to look back and have no regrets.”
Bradley will host Northwestern at 7 p.m. tonight as well as at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Owens Center.
