As the New Mexico men’s hockey team practiced in preparation for the upcoming season, a prominent figure at UNM recently showed up to check things out at the Outpost Ice Arena.
UNM men’s basketball head coach Paul Weir arrived before the practice and stuck around, seemingly enjoying the energy of the guys on the team.
He said he thought it was phenomenal that UNM has a hockey program and plans to take his son to some games.
“Just to feel their passion and excitement for their program was really fun to be around,” Weir said. “I look forward to following them and supporting them any chance I get.”
Weir said he looked up the roster before he went over to meet the team and noticed there was a player from Buffalo, New York. He said he grew up in Toronto, Canada, which is only about 45 minutes away and asked if he could meet the Buffalo native.
The man Weir was looking for was Austin Short, the team captain entering his fifth season with the team and second year as the captain.
Weir said he and Short shared some stories and told the captain he remembered going to Buffalo one year to watch game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals.
The head coach said the stereotype that Canadians having an affinity for hockey may be an accurate one. He said growing up there, playing and loving hockey was just something you did — and he is excited that he’ll have chances to see it here in Albuquerque, too.
Weir, when asked what he remembered feeling being around the game again, said there were some things that really stood out.
“Just being in a hockey arena — the smells, the memories — a lot came back,” he said. “It’s a very exciting sport.”
Playing sports can come with a lot of sacrifice and rewards. Weir said student-athletes, no matter the sport, both contribute and receive a lot. He said the players go out and make the community better but also pick up a lot of experience in the process.
Community involvement is something both Weir and Short seemed to place a lot of emphasis on. Short said the team planned to take part in an animal rescue effort and have several other community projects.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Short, a computer science major, said he also works as a student-intern at Sandia Laboratories. He said he has been able to put his skills to use, building the team’s website and serving as the president and vice president in past seasons.
Working while attending college is commonplace for many students, but dedicating so much additional time to train and play for a sport is something not everyone is willing to take to task.
The hockey practice that Weir attended began at 9:45 p.m. on Wednesday, which means many players probably had the challenge of balancing homework and attending class the following day.
Short said funding the team is also a big challenge, because it is an expensive sport, but UNM has done well taking care of that aspect. There are significant costs associated with rented “ice time” for practice, equipment and travel expenses.
But he must think the sacrifice is worth it to continue coming back season after season. Short appeared to be motivated, in part, by the prospect of making the regional playoff.
The team captain said New Mexico competes in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), and has narrowly missed qualifying for postseason play — something he hopes the team can accomplish this season.
“We’re always just right on the cusp,” Short said. “That’s a huge goal for us. Obviously if you win the regional tournament, then you get to go to the national tournament, which is the ultimate goal.”
Short said the team feels well-supported by fans, estimating that the average attendance is around 300 for games. He said there is a lot of student support, which is nice, and he hopes one day he can help successfully transition hockey into an official UNM sport.
Anyone interested in joining the team can attend practice or find one of the contacts on the team’s website to schedule a tryout. Information can also be obtained through the recreational services department in Johnson Center.
“We require that you know how to ice skate and have some sort of a hockey background,” Short said. “We are always looking for new people.”
The new schedule, found on unmlobohockey.com, begins with the Lobos traveling to take on Grand Canyon to begin the 2017 season. That game is scheduled to take place Sep. 29 at 8 p.m.
Robert Maler is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers basketball, football and tennis. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @robert_maler.
