Le Moyne Club Hockey
Men’s ice hockey season begins in October and ends in February with league playoffs. Ice hockey games are played at the Ice Rink located on the Onondaga Reservation. In 2012 they won the National Association of Intercollegiate Hockey Championship. Over the years, the Le Moyne hockey team has had 3 All-Americans, 5 Scholar All-Americans (w/ 3.0 GPA or higher), and received honors such as Player of the Year and Coach of the Year. The Le Moyne Club Hockey team is an extremely dedicated group of individuals. From late night practices, to weekend long games, each and every member invests their time and energy in order to play the sport they love throughout their college career. |
Proud members of the
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Player Story: Captain Garrett Ordway:
"Hockey is more than just a sport."
Sports can be seen as a simple recreation activity, a way to stay in shape, or a way to get involved and meet new people. However, for some people who partake in sports, it becomes a way of life. Garrett Ordway, Senior Captain of the 2013-2014 Club Hockey team has been playing hockey ever since he was a little kid, “I started playing since I was eight years old. The first time I stepped on the ice, I fell and broke my face open and needed to get stitches.”
Despite his not so successful first skate, Ordway fell in love with the game and lifestyle of hockey. His inspiration came from an older cousin who he looked up to as a little kid. Watching him play, skate around and slam other players into the board gave Ordway a rush he’d never felt through any other activity. “I remember just wanting to be that stubborn kid to his parents. My mom and I would sit at the kitchen table and she would try to convince me to play soccer, or football, and I wouldn’t cave. I just wanted to play hockey, and that was it.”
Despite his not so successful first skate, Ordway fell in love with the game and lifestyle of hockey. His inspiration came from an older cousin who he looked up to as a little kid. Watching him play, skate around and slam other players into the board gave Ordway a rush he’d never felt through any other activity. “I remember just wanting to be that stubborn kid to his parents. My mom and I would sit at the kitchen table and she would try to convince me to play soccer, or football, and I wouldn’t cave. I just wanted to play hockey, and that was it.”
"Our motto is, always hold the rope."
Ordway’s passion for hockey has given him an inside view on a lifestyle like no other. “The best part about the lifestyle is the bonds you make with your teammates. Some my closest friends are people I’ve played hockey with. We have a motto on the club team that hold incredibly true, and really proves the bond we all have. Our motto is to always “hold the rope”. This saying was put in place for the players to imagine a scenario, such as hanging off of a cliff with only one thing to hold onto, a rope. The only way someone can pull you up and help save your life is if you keep holding on. The motto in general asks, “Who do you trust to hold the rope for you? Who will bleed for you and peel the skin off the palm of their hands while holding that rope just so they can save you.”
"Without this sport, I would be so lost." To Ordway, this mentality is the greatest part of being apart of the Le Moyne hockey community; “I know I can trust just about everyone on our team to hold the rope for me.” Not only are his teammates there to have his back, the sport itself plays as a necessary mechanism to keep Ordway level headed. “Club hockey has impacted my life so much. It’s my place to go to blow off steam and distress. Playing hockey, especially in college, allows me to forget about the rest of the world for a couple of hours. I can honestly say some of the happiest moments of my life have come directly from being on the ice. Without this sport, I would be so lost.”
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For Garrett, and many of his other teammates, they view their ability to play hockey in college as a privilege. From escaping school for a little while to just skate, and having games on the weekends to continue, “living the dream” for a little while longer, hockey provides the Le Moyne club team to hold onto what makes them the happiest. “My favorite part about playing hockey while still in college has been the experience as a whole. From winning two UNYCHL championships and playing second in the Founders Cup National Championship to the simple nights of hanging out with the boys over a game of pong. My experience here on the club hockey team has made me not only a better hockey player but into a better person. It’s no joke when I say I wouldn’t be the person I am today without my teammates and coach.”
The Le Moyne club team does not have a rink on campus. They're home rink resides at the
Tsha'hon'nonyen'dukhwa' - Onondaga Nation Arena.
(About 15 minutes from the college)
Tsha'hon'nonyen'dukhwa' - Onondaga Nation Arena.
(About 15 minutes from the college)