Chapman on ice: a club hockey team in California

Chapman’s club ice hockey team often goes unnoticed, but the players invite anyone to come watch an upcoming game. Photo courtesy of Dexter Corley

As fall approaches, not only do pumpkin spice lattes and sweaters in cooler weather draw an appeal to students across campus, but Friday Night Lights and volleyball games start to take action. In the midst of these sports starting up, it’s not commonly known that Chapman’s club hockey team is a part of the mix. 

Ice hockey is a club team that plays in the West Coast Hockey Conference. Dexter Corley, a player on the team, said that they play opponents like California State University, Fullerton, the University of Southern California, the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of California, Irvine. 

“Most of the time I’ll get the same response from people which is, ‘That’s cool, I didn’t know we had a hockey team,’” said Corely, a senior business finance and analytics major. “I always will recommend people to come to our games though because they’re a ton of fun and a great atmosphere to be a part of.”

Corley is also the team captain of the hockey team and sets a standard that is recognized by not only the players, but the media team as well. Kyle Kyer, a senior broadcast journalism and documentary, does broadcasting and media for the team.

“Hockey is a demanding sport, and if you're not committed to putting in the same amount of effort as your teammates, you’re leaving them out to dry and leaving yourself vulnerable to injury,” Kjer said. “It all starts with the captain. Corley sets the tone in the locker room and at practice. He leads the drills and competes in everything he does.”

Kjer has the analytical eye and long-driven passion for hockey, which allows him to see strategic components of the team. There are certain aspects that make a player stand out from being good to great, Kjer said. 

“Willingness to put the team before yourself and contribute to the team is what matters,” Kjer said. “Skills and techniques can be taught, but that team mentality and understanding how to be a cog in the machine is crucial, everything else comes second.”
Corely leads the team through the highs and lows of many games, displaying grit and hard work on the ice. He told The Panther the inspiration behind him being able to play with excellence started from the moment he tightened his skates for the first time. 

“I got involved as a kid; my family is all really into hockey so I just followed suit. I got my first pair of skates on my third Christmas and was obsessed from then on,” Corely said. “I think for me, hockey has become therapeutic and has been something that’s kept me grounded while being in college. I’ve always looked up to my coaches and teammates while playing, and I think feeding off of their energy also helps keep me motivated.”

The Chapman club hockey team kicked off their season Sept. 22 at 9 p.m. at the Anaheim Rinks as they competed for the OC Cup, and unfortunately did not have a great outcome out of the tournament, ending with a score of 9-2 against CSUF.