ALBUQUERQUE – Hello Ice Wolves fans and welcome to the latest edition of the Ice Wolves Den. This week we feature one of the new NAHL Assistant Captains, Max Matthews.
Matthews got a later start than most, “I grew up in Arlington Heights, IL, a suburb of Chicago. I started playing hockey when I was 9, I got a late start compared to the other guys. My life was filled with hockey and golf.” Matthews continued, “My favorite player growing up was Drew Daughty of the LA Kings, he’s a gritty hard working defenseman and I’ve tried to play like him. My Mom and Dad supported me and both of my brothers through our careers and I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”
This past weekend Matthews was named the newest Assistant Captain, in his third season with the Ice Wolves. The weekend was made even better when he scored his first career goal in 112 games. “It was unreal, the energy from my teammates and the fans after I scored was unreal. It was absolutely worth the wait. When I got back to the bench (Assistant Coach Kyle)McKenzie was chirping that it only took a hundred something games. Everybody was giving me crap for it, but it was amazing.”
Kyle McKenzie says it was special, “It was great to see him get that monkey off his back. Being a third year guy, he’s put in a lot of work in this League. To see him get that goal fired him up and it really got the boys fired up.” McKenzie says, “At this point in his career I don’t think it would have mattered where he got it, but it’s always better to get it at home. Max has taken a big step this season compared to last season, he came to go to his season.”
Assistant Coach Vinny Bohn recruited Max, so this was even more special for him, “For me on a personal note this was special because I remember recruiting Max 3 years ago when I was in El Paso. Seeing him come to camp as a 17 year old kid, then sending him back to U18, I’ve been through a lot with Max, it’s about time. It was a special night for sure, any time in Junior Hockey you get a letter on your chest is special, especially when it’s voted by your teammates. Then to get that first goal in front of a sold out crowd at the Outpost. It doesn’t matter if it’s your hundredth game or your first game it’s still amazing.” Bohn continued, “You could see the confidence in his eyes and his skating. I’ve seen him grow as a player tremendously, but the most underrated thing about Max is how he acts off the ice. He’s a great person and an even better teammate. As a coaching staff we get these kids and yeah, we want to win games but it’s more important to see them develop as a person.”
Head Coach Kevin Hartzell says his discipline has been on point, “Max is a heart and soul type of player, he’s played real disciplined and he earned that letter he’s wearing. He’s been consistently good and I’ll emphasize that he’s been incredibly disciplined. He’s got that streak in him where he can get feisty but he’s controlled that beautifully. He’s earned that honor of being one of our captains.” Hartzell said, “He earns it every day just by going out there. The whole team stayed positive through the rough losses and now they’re reaping the rewards.”
Matthews knows the team has a lot more work to do to build on their past success, “The boys have really put themselves together, it was hard to see what Coach Hartzell wanted in us. I think we were a little confused, but he talked us through it.” Matthews said, “It was hard to see Coach Fox go, everybody loved him, but Hartzell came in and did his job perfectly and we’re absolutely rolling right now.”
The NAHL Ice Wolves completed a huge 2 game sweep of the Oklahoma Warriors, now they head down I-25 to take on the rival El Paso Rhinos riding a 3 game winning streak. You can catch those games on NATV.
The NA3HL Ice Wolves return home this week after taking 2 of 3 on the road from the Austin Ice Bats, as they take on the undefeated Texas Brahmas. A rare Thursday night matchup starts the weekend, all games Thursday, Friday and Saturday night start at 6:30.
Photos courtesy of Scott Adamson
