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Blue Line Blues

Hockey players maintain optimistic

outlook after another disappointing

season

Photos by Nathan Klok

Jared Nelson | Sports Editor

It’s tradition for the men’s hockey team to have a time of devotion duringtheir Thursday practices. One Thursday early in the season, after the teamhad strung together a few ugly losses, sophomore forward Philip Cameronspoke to his teammates about choosing joy.

For the members of the Royal hockey team, choosing joy has not alwaysbeen easy. After another frustrating campaign on the ice, Bethel’s record is7–39–4 in the last two seasons, and they finished with their thirdconsecutive season among the bottom two in the league.

The Royals won their first two games of the season and were winless intheir next 19 contests. According to senior captain EJ Gann, the optimismthat came after the first weekend vanished quickly as the team’s mindsetwent from “It’s gonna be a good year” to “Oh, crap, here we go again.”

Gann and fellow captain Mitch Hughes said the team’s youth is part of thereason why they’re not able to finish on top in close games.

“We are so young, so it falls on the upperclassmen to perform more, and wecould’ve done more. Looking back, I wish we had,” Gann said.

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“When we’re playing these teams with older guys and established programs,

you’re able to see that these guys are fundamentally sound,” Hughes said.

In addition to the 16 freshmen on the roster, he said that the team is still

attempting to find the “battle back” mindset needed to fight through

stretches of adversity.

“When the other team scores, we gotta say, ‘we’re not outta this yet,’”

Hughes said. Cameron, however, wasn’t concerned with placing the blame

on any particular aspect of their game. He just wants to see the team come

together and adopt what he calls a “winning mentality.”

“I don’t think anyone is out there not trying. Nobody is gonna point fingers,”

Cameron said. “It just comes down to us growing together and finding a

way to win.”

In the midst of their struggles, Gann, Hughes and Cameron all

acknowledged that tensions and frustrations tend to rise, but not to the

detriment of the team.

“When you’re losing, something is wrong with everything,” Hughes said.

“It’s tough and it’s strenuous, but it gives guys a chance to grow up. It has

the potential for a lot of good.”

Hughes said the team views its struggles as a way to develop character and

fortitude that will pay dividends in the future, both on and off the ice.

“Instead of being like, ‘It’s his fault,’ we say, ‘It’s my responsibility to fix

this,’ and we can grow and learn, rather than sit and sulk,” he said.

Hughes was adamant that success will be sweeter after having faced the

trials of defeat. While locker rooms and bus rides after losses were not

always a pleasant place, practices tended to remain positive and

competitive, they said. The upperclassmen and team leaders prided

themselves on putting one another first and preserving the relationships

among teammates, never letting the outcomes on the ice impact how they

treated one another.

“After losing 18 to 20 games straight, guys are gonna be pissed off, but we

never [got frustrated with] each other on the bench. It was never a toxic

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environment with guys hanging their heads and saying, ‘This sucks and we

suck,’” Gann said. “It was more like we were pissed off wanting to battle

and compete.”

Gann, Hughes and Cameron all said that’s what they will remember most

about being a part of the Bethel hockey program. They cherish the

relationships they’ve been able to build and feel that those relationships are

stronger because of the struggles they’ve survived together. It’s what makes

the losing tolerable. It’s what makes the locker room pleasant. It’s what

keeps them coming back after losses.

“It’d be nice to have a national championship, but you remember the

relationships more than you remember scoring the overtime winner,”

Cameron said. “That’s what keeps us coming back. It sucks losing almost

every game of the year, but ultimately I wouldn’t give the guys on the team

up for anything. It’s definitely worth it.”

“I had the opportunity to go to the rink and compete with guys that show up

and work every day, and I’ll have lifelong buddies from that. It’s all good

stuff,” Gann said with a pause. “Besides the record, man. We’ll keep that

out of the conversation.”

Hughes is especially thankful for the experience he’s had through his three

years as a member of the Royal hockey program — for what they’ve given

him in terms of leadership, humility and perspective. Hughes came to

Bethel after a decorated prep career in California and a brief stint on the

juniors circuit where he was on championship teams laden with future

NHL-ers. Hughes ate, slept and breathed hockey and was set on being a

Division I player before embarking on a career professionally.

Hughes couldn’t be happier at Bethel, however, saying it was a “bash of

humility” when he first arrived but that it has since granted him what he

considers to be the most incredible experience of his life that has grown his

faith tremendously.

“Learning what that looks like to play hockey and use my gifts to glorify God

has been my biggest takeaway,” he said.

Hughes referenced times in which he and his teammates have been able to

pray with and minister to opposing teams; something he says has helped

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him realize that there is more tohockey than just winning.Everyone on the team, he said,will benefit throughout theirlives from the character they’vebuilt during their time as aRoyal.

“Leading when things areprosperous, that’s when it’seasy,” Hughes said. “But James1:2 says consider it pure joy

when you face trials, because those trials produce perseverance and thatperseverance produces character. You don’t have that without trials.”

Despite the record, there has been an emphasis on shifting the culture ofthe team and working toward developing a more positive reputation amongthe student body. According to Cameron, many of the players come fromhockey backgrounds that don’t align with Christian ideals — where teamsare active in the party scene.

The team leaders in the last few years made strides at turning thingsaround, setting expectations for how the players will behave off the ice andstressing the importance of being wholesome men as well as successfulhockey players.

“Our goal is to win, but if we can change the culture as we’re winning, thenthat’s what will draw people in and get them to ask what we’re doingdifferently,” Cameron said. “We can shine our light and do it for more thanjust ourselves and our team.”

Though there hasn’t been much to celebrate in recent years on the ice,Gann, Hughes and Cameron were all insistent and optimistic that they’reclose to a breakthrough. Regardless of whether or not the wins come, theirdemeanor will be the same.

“We will choose joy even when things aren’t going our way,” Cameron said.

Freshman Taylor Brown in a game earlierthis season. Brown had 5 points in 10

games.

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