ALBUQUERQUE – Hello Ice Wolves fans and welcome to the latest edition of the Ice Wolves Den. This week is a very special edition. We are featuring Nayan Pai, Francois De Villiers and Sean Gibbons, all 3 have committed to play college hockey at one of our service academies. Pai and De Villiers are going to Air Force in nearby Colorado Springs while Gibbons will be joining Ice Wolves Goaltender Brendan Holohan in going to Army in West Point, NY.
Education was a major factor for all three in their choices, for De Villiers it was one of many, “My decision to go to Air Force was a no brainer once I saw the facilities, brotherhood and the connections I’ll get out of all of this.” De Villiers said, “They really emphasize whole person development. That’s honestly what I was looking for out of a school I want to choose. Academics always comes first and the stats don’t lie when it comes to their academics. They also have a great hockey program that develops their players.”
For Pai, the major factor was location, “I’ve played in Colorado Springs pretty much my whole high school career, so I was right in their backyard. I never really thought of it until this last summer when I went on a visit there. All of the facilities and programs just sets you up for life.” Pai said, “It’s a lot more than just hockey. Hockey is great, it’s a big part of it. It wasn’t even a hard decision for me to make.”
For Gibbons, the choice to go to West Point was the leadership, “On my visit, seeing the upperclassmen that are already on the team and seeing men that they are, the leaders that they are, that really drove by decision to go there. Gibbons said, “I could see myself becoming one of those leaders in a couple of years. It’s like they said, the academics are really important to me and my family. I have a good connection with the coaches which is nice.”
While military service is going to be required, it’s too far into the future for either one to think about, “I’m going to go into it with an open mind.” Gibbons says, “I’m going to try everything and not have any reservations going in.”
De Villiers has the same mindset, “Going in, I have no expectations with the military. I’m going to give 100%. If my path leads me to serve more than 5 years, so be it.”
Pai understands it’s nice to know your future after college, “It’s kind of the same thing, obviously when you decide to go there, you know what you’re getting into and it’s a great thing. You just kind of go into it without expectations and you can just go with it.”
The NAHL Ice Wolves split both series this past week, pulling off an epic comeback Monday against El Paso winning 7-5 breaking the team record with 6 goals in the third. El Paso would rebound taking the game on New Year’s Eve 4-3. The weekend against Shreveport started with Jackson Fuller’s second shutout of the season, knocking off the Mudbugs 4-0, while Saturday they would come up just short, falling 2-1. They are in action at home again this weekend against the defending Robinson Cup champions Lone Star Brahmas, puck drop Friday and Saturday night is 6:30.
The 3HL Ice Wolves return from their long holiday break on the road for 3 games this weekend against the Texas Roadrunners, you can catch the action on NATV.
