For the Love of the Game

                                                 FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME

Player profiles: Student leaders Matt Schultz & Sean Smith

Student leader and team captain Matt Schultz laced up his skates for the first time when he was just four years old. That was in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. He’s now in his third year of playing defence with the UVIC Men’s Hockey Club. In the 2003/04 season he played Junior A with the Penticton Panthers; the Calgary Canucks were his team from 2004 - 2006, and in 06/07 he played for the University of Regina.

Schultz speaks highly of the team, and of the BCIHL as a whole. He’s taking Recreation and Health Education at UVIC, and the level of play in the league allows him to balance his studies with his time on the ice.

"The best part is being a member of a team, to be able to play hockey while I’m going to school."

Schultz says it’s faster hockey than Junior B, and he loves the environment. "It’s college hockey. It’s more family oriented. There’s no fighting."

The team practices two morning each week and the league schedule includes 24 games. Schultz says at times it’s tough because the ice time they get is often early in morning, or when many team-members have classes. As a result, some of the guys only manage to get in one practice each week.

As part of his studies, Schultz is working to put together a manual that student captains who come after him can follow. He says there’s a lot of work that goes into running a hockey team, and the book will detail everything from getting referees for home games to everything that needs to be done before a road trip.

Schultz says right now many of those details fall on the shoulders of head coach Harry Schamhart. "He’s the reason we’re still going," he says. "He’s kept this team alive."

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You can hear it in his voice – the passion student leader Sean Smith has for the game of hockey. The 21 yr old centre has been with the UVIC Men’s Hockey Club for three years. His goal is to be finished his Bachelor of Commerce in August, and after that, he says he could almost consider staying at the University for another year simply because he loves being a part of the team.

Smith grew up playing Minor Hockey for West Vancouver and Hollyburn. When he was 18 he skated for Western for a year, and then turned his attention to UVIC. "It’s a chance to do something I love, as well as pursue an education," he says. "I can do both and play at a high level, have fun and go to school."

Smith takes his duty as one of the two team leaders seriously. He’s forced to play different roles, depending on what the situation entails. One challenging situation is dealing with the University. Right now the team gets practice ice two mornings each week, and game times at the Ian Stewart Complex are 10:15 Friday nights and 9:30 Saturday nights.

"The game times reflect on the students’ dedication," says Smith. "This shows how much love students have to play hockey. You have to want to be there. 100 percent of the responsibility falls on the student."

Part of that responsibility if fund-raising. Each player must pay $250.00 each semester to be part of the team. The bulk of the $50,000.00 team budget comes from sponsorship, donations and fund-raisers. Smith wants to see the team have a stronger presence in the community, adding his team-mates would love to mentor younger players.

And Smith has a lot of respect for head coach Harry Schamhart. "It’s been amazing what he’s been able to do. At the end of the day it’s people like Harry who make it work."