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Ice BreakersDedicated students take to the rink for Baylor
By John Werner
Photograph by Bill Devoe
When Tyler Tomek (pictured at goalie, with Bryan Wimpee) tells fellow
students that he plays ice hockey for Baylor, some are shocked. Isn't
that a game Canadians play? Don't you have to at least be born in a
state where it snows most of the winter? And where do you find an ice
hockey rink?
"Students have no idea we have a team," Tomek said. "A lot of people
have never seen hockey. But we're surprisingly competitive."
The Bears have a club team that plays in the American Collegiate Hockey
Association, playing other club teams from schools like Texas A&M,
SMU, North Texas, and UT-San Antonio.
Since Waco doesn't have an ice hockey rink, the team practices and
plays home games in Euless at the Dr Pepper Star Center, operated by
the NHL's Dallas Stars.
Though club hockey isn't at the same level as NCAA hockey, it provides
students who grew up playing the game a chance to keep competing in the
sport they love. The 2008-09 team is playing a ten-game schedule, and
had a 3-3 record through November.
"This gives kids who don't go to college in the North a chance to keep
playing," said Tomek, Baylor's junior goalie from Kingwood. "There are
a lot of kids in Texas who really enjoy playing, and the players we
have here are really committed."
Coaching the team is Mike Kelly, a veteran youth hockey coach in the
Metroplex. He got involved three years ago through Bill Devoe, whose
son Jason plays for the Baylor squad. Kelly coaches on a volunteer
basis and admires his players' dedication.
"We've got a great group of kids," Kelly said. "Some are very good
hockey players, and some aren't as skilled. But I always know that
anyone who travels ninety miles to practice has a high level of
motivation."
The team travels by bus from Waco to Euless for Wednesday night
practices and weekend games. Each bus trip costs the team $400, and it
costs an additional $400 to $450 to use the hockey rink.
Bryan Wimpee of Waxahachie, the president of the Baylor hockey club
team, said he has raised money from donors to support the team. But it
still costs each player about $600 per season to compete.
"We've had issues in the past keeping the team together, but everything
has gone perfect this season," said Wimpee, a senior center. "Before
this year, we often didn't have enough guys or enough money."
Baylor has had a hockey club team since the late 1990s, but it's been a
slow building process to reach the current level. Wimpee said there are
seventeen players on this year's roster. During his freshman year,
Wimpee said the team had about a dozen players, but the number dropped
to eight during his sophomore year. He said last year's team had ten
players, but they only played four games.
"We've got more players this year because we got the word out," Wimpee
said. "We put flyers out around campus, and we've got a website [baylor.edu/Hockey]. We were definitely at the bottom before this year, but now we're in the middle of the pack."
"We've really got a mixture of talent," Kelly said. "Some guys grew up
with ice hockey backgrounds, while others have played inline [roller]
hockey and are trying to convert to ice hockey. Most guys are playing
because they just aren’t ready to quit. They have fun, and they want to
win."
Kelly understands the sacrifices his players have endured to make the
trip to Euless for practices, and he believes that’s why they are so
dedicated.
"When you're going to a private school, any kind of increase in your
cash flow can be tough to absorb," Kelly said. "It's also tough to go
up to Euless to practice and get back to Waco by midnight. But they all
do it because they love the sport."
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