During their last games as Bulldogs, Drake Club Hockey seniors who had revived the club years ago saw the culmination of their work. For their last games, the team that won against Wheaton College twice in a row, 14-0 on Friday night and 13-0 on Saturday.
Feb. 21 at Recplex was Senior Night, and Coach Jessie Rudin introduced each of the four seniors — Paxton Reading, Jimmy Fiasche, Sean Sommerness and Dominic Cook — and honored them with a personal statement honoring their commitment. Most had played hockey since peewee leagues.
Drake scored nine points in the first period and the remaining five in the second period. Many goals came within seconds of each other, and most of the match took place by the Wheaton goalie.
While the seniors scored and defended throughout the match, new players also shone. First-year Everett Bridgeman scored his first point on the team, while First-year forward Nicholas Aguilar and first-year defense Matthew Garcia took on offensive maneuvers throughout.
Head Coach Todd Henderson said that while he was feeling great after the match, it was uncomfortable at points, especially since the Drake team has been in that position.
“They’re a relatively new club,” Henderson said. “They’re continuing to grow. Anything we can do to help them — we’re going to put them here next year, and we’re going to go to Wheaton as well, so we’ll have a home-and-home series. As their club grows and gets better, a rising tide lifts all boats.”
Drake Club Hockey returned from dormancy only a few years ago, propelled by this year’s current seniors. As sophomores, they banded together to bring life back to the club.
Senior goalie Cook has been playing hockey since he “learned how to walk.” After he switched to being a goalie, he said that making big saves kept him hooked. During his senior night game, Cook made 14 saves, not allowing Wheaton a single point.
Drake Club Hockey now has two goalies — Cook and first-year Cole Jackson — but Cook played on senior night.
“At the beginning, we really didn’t have much traction at all,” Cook said. “It was just kind of us showing up on the ice, but it’s kind of crazy to see how it progressed from just an idea.”
Henderson said that most of the team members came to Drake for their academics, rather than hockey skills.
“They just happened to be really awesome hockey players,” Henderson said. “We are very few in number, but the ones that we have are extremely talented, as you saw. They’re fast, they’re skilled, and most importantly, they’re great hockey teammates. There’s not a bad athlete in the bunch, and I love every single one of them.”
Henderson said that he’s going to miss the seniors as they leave the University and hopes they come back to watch games and coach.
Recently, Reading transferred the club’s presidency to the next generation. The club will gain ten more first-years next year, players that the team recruited for their hockey skills.
“I’m just glad the club has continued to grow,” Reading said. “Last week we had a big win against Nebraska-Lincoln, who’s a very good team. So that was a big step forward for the club.”
This will be the last competitive team for many of the seniors, as they graduate and look for jobs.
“I’m just looking forward to having fun with the guys and just continuing my life,” Reading said.
While these matches mark the end of this year’s club hockey season, information about future games can be found on their Instagram at @drakeclubhockey.
