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Boise State establishes itself in world of college hockey
Josh Rasmussen
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JOSH RASMUSSEN/THE ARBITER - Bronco netminder Dan Beaudrea prepares to stop a break-away shot from a University of Montana forward during a home game Nov. 6. at Idaho Ice World.
Boise State University football may make national headlines, and the women’s soccer players may call themselves Western Athletic Conference Champions, but none of their accomplishments came on ice.
The BSU hockey club, however, is in full swing, taking the ice by storm and has already played 13 of its 38 games this season.
Club president and team captain Dalton Smith, and his father, Lee, claim responsibility for starting the club 3 years ago.
“A lot of these kids came up together and want to play hockey,” Lee says. “They had nowhere else to go.”
It’s no small project to start a club either. It takes more than $40,000 yearly to play a full season. Lee is no longer designated the head coach though he handled those duties for the first two seasons.
JOSH RASMUSSEN/THE ARBITER - Boise State center, team captain and club president Dalton Smith extends toward the net during a shot in a home game against the University of Montana Nov. 6. at Idaho Ice World.
“I basically dumped my American Express into the first year just to prove we were serious,” Lee says.
To make matters more difficult, head coach Ken Beaudreau, in his first year coaching the Broncos, says, “I volunteer. The parents volunteer. The team manager, the assistant coach — no one gets paid. We are self-funded.”
He adds, “We’re always looking for sponsors. We’re always looking for support.”
The Broncos play as part of the ACHA (American College Hockey Association) in division II. The Broncos may play DII, but a DII hockey team doesn’t carry the same second-tier connotation as a DII football or basketball team. Other notable ACHA DII teams include Harvard, Ohio State University, New York University, Virginia Tech University, Arizona State University and the University of Idaho.
The rules most closely compare to those of the NCAA. Players must wear a full-cage on their helmets and fighting is forbidden. That doesn’t mean fights don’t happen. The penalty is an automatic ejection with a 1-game suspension as well as a 5-minute major another member of the team must serve during the game.
Like many sports, hockey demands a great deal from its players. To keep eligibility, each student must be a full-time, degree-seeking, with a minimum of nine credits and maintain a 2.0 GPA.
“It’s definitely been taking its toll on the whole team with grades, being gone every single weekend,” Dalton says. “It’s definitely intense. I don’t think somebody could hold a full-time job, go to school and play for a team. I personally don’t think it’s possible.”
But the reward is worth it to the players, most of whom grew up playing hockey. They manage themselves like any other hockey team.
“We don’t really allow any kind of drama between the players,” Dalton says. “Everyone shows a certain amount of respect for each other.”
BSU junior and 3-year-veteran of the WHL (Western Hockey League) Aaron Roberge’s several-team, multiple-league, hockey career came to an end 3 years ago in Canada but he maintains a love for the sport. Because of a by-law disallowing players with professional experience (WHL included) to play college hockey, he is ineligible to play with the Broncos but practiced with them a few times prior to receiving the news. The ACHA is not the WHL but some things never change.
“When I stopped playing hockey, I took a good, couple years off so … ya know how it is with guys on hockey teams — everyone’s really good, close friends,” Roberge says, “and there’s good camaraderie and everyone seems to get along. You get a feeling of being on a team and being with a group of guys who like to have fun and compete together.”
While athletes are often most-known through their sports, they are still responsible for daily life.
“Everything that happens at Boise State, the club sports, the varsity sanctioned sports — all of it’s important,” Ken says, “They’re all student athletes. These are people who are putting an enormous amount of time into their game, practice, school work and trying to get a degree. To me, they’re the finest of the finest.”
Ken has been coaching for 15 years at a variety of levels in multiple leagues including Peewees, Bantam, U-18 and the Idaho Rattlers. Youth soccer and YMCA roller hockey also help account for his coaching history.
“The game is almost secondary to what we’re trying to do,” he says, “which is make better men out of them — get them ready for the world.”
Ken’s son Dan Beaudreau, also the club vice president, serves as a 6’, 220-pound goalie for the Broncos. Coaching him has been really easy according to Ken.
“I’ve coached him for so many years and so many different teams that when we’re on the ice, he’s not my son and I’m not his father. We have kind of zoned that out, because I don’t understand goalies. They’re a totally different breed than anybody else. You’ve got to let him be who he is and trust him.”
The Broncos have a 23-man roster including former Idaho Junior Steelheads forwards Kevin Costello and Tyson Barnes and former Junior Steelheads AA defenseman Blake Englund. Boise is listed as the hometown for 13 of the 23 players.
A couple of the more-experience players are Dalton and brother Cortland Smith who combined for 54 of the team’s159 points in the 2008-2009 regular season. Cortland gets credit for leading the team in both goals (12) and assists (20) last season though he was followed closely by Dalton who tallied 11 of each.
Dalton’s hockey resume includes time with the Columbus Blue Jackets Midget Major AAA, an affiliate of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets.
Dalton says the team looks for “experienced players who are passionate about playing hockey.”
The club doesn’t only benefit players and fans. It also gives medical staff a chance to familiarize themselves with a new sport and learn its challenges. Gen Ludwig, the coordinator for injury prevention and care through Boise State says some of the most important differences are the rules and procedures. Also of educational value to new trainers are the pads and the order in which they are put on and likewise, taken off, should it be necessary during the treating and/or diagnosing of an injury.
The Broncos practice once a week on Wednesday.
The Broncos’ next home games are Friday and Saturday at Idaho Ice World at 10:00 p.m. against BYU.
To those who are new to the sport, Ken says, “Come out and learn the game. Come out with somebody who knows the game, learn it and (you) will fall in love with it when (you) see it live.”
[...] State’s hockey club found its first pair of wins in Spokane, Wash., but dropped two games at home against BYU Friday, [...]