As many of you know this is the first time in about 5 years since the university has had a club hockey team and we are happy that we were able to bring such a beloved sport back to the university.  With currently being 7-4, we are off to a great start to the season. This can be attributed to our hard work on and off the ice. Our team culture highly upholds the RISES values. In particular, the value of Reverence is a key component to our culture and success. Our team defines reverence as being appreciative of every member of our team and respecting one another on and off the ice.

On the Club Ice Hockey team, we value what each individual member brings to the team. Everyone is sacred in their own way because each one of us has been blessed with different talents and skills that are distinctive to that individual.  During a game, officials can be viewed as sacred because they uphold the rules of the game to keep us safe, even though sometimes we don’t get the calls we want. On the other hand it is difficult at times to see God in our opponents because we are looking through the lens of a competitor.  Just as God has blessed my team with talents, I have also been blessed with the talents of my own. I view myself as sacred because I know God is with me during my successes and failures. I acknowledge that I am not perfect and that God allows me to see where I need to improve on as a person and where I can help our team improve.  Where one man lacks, another man can step up. Each member is valued and crucial to the success of the team because individually we all fill a role that is needed. Whether it be scoring all of the goals, playing great defense, or just being the hype man, all of those pieces must come together as one, just like a piece of machinery, for it to function properly.

In addition, our ice rink is a sacred space because it is a place where I can go to be myself and it is also a sense of comfort knowing that I can go to the rink as an outlet to relieve some stress. Aside from this and getting away from the world, it is also a place where we all come together to better ourselves as a team, and build a stronger relationship between us, our coaches, and our chaplains.  The rink allows us to create a brotherhood that will last forever. For example, whether a player must step away from the team or we just added a new player to the roster, they will always be a part of the Neumann Club Ice Hockey team. We exemplify Reverence by taking care of one another on and off the ice. Just like a family, we love each other just as much as we love playing the game. As we say after practices and before the start of every period during games “Knights on 3…Family on 6”. This represents the unity, respect, and love that resonates throughout the team.