ALBUQUERQUE – Hello Ice Wolves fans and welcome to the latest edition of the Ice Wolves Den. This week, we have a very special feature, Adrian Marek, he was of the new Ice Wolves, but now he’s decided to follow another calling, Surgeon.
That’s right, Adrian Marek came to the Ice Wolves this season, but he has made a huge decision, to go to Medical School, in his parent’s home country of Poland, “Out of school I tried the best I could in school, I read a lot of books and obviously a lot of hockey. It’s been my dream to be a surgeon, hockey is coming to an end, I’m not sad about it, I’m happy it happened.” Adrian said, “My parents were born and raised in Poland, the medical program there is quicker, it’s only 6 years, where in the US it’s 4 years of undergrad and 4 years of medical school and it’s a lot cheaper.”
Head Coach Hartzell couldn’t be more supportive, “I’m super proud of Adrian. First of all, he’s been a great teammate, this had to be in the back of his mind for some time, but you would have never known it. Most adults if they’re just thinking about leaving for another job, they won’t do the same level of work, not Adrian. I never knew this was coming, but I’m so proud of him, I can’t say it enough.” Hartzell said, “This is really what Junior Hockey is all about though. Finding out where this sport fits into your life, because it’s hard and it doesn’t get any easier. The lights don’t always get brighter when you move up, so he’s making a great decision for his future. I love that kid and again, I’m proud of him.”
Ice Wolves play by play announcer Jason Thomas got to spend a lot of time talking to Adrian, “This is terrific, I found out after the game Saturday from one of his teammates so I had to find him right away. So I walked down to the locker room and asked him what’s going on. He told me he what’s wanted to be a surgeon, it was his dream. I told him I’m living my dream here, he should go live his dream there and I’m incredibly proud of him and wish him nothing but the best.” Thomas continued, “He’s a phenomenal young man off the ice and one of the nicest guys. He was a rookie and being a rookie is never easy in hockey, but he accepted it and did whatever he was asked to do, always smiling. I sat next to him on the bus and got to spend a lot of time talking to him and getting to know him. I just couldn’t be prouder.”
This wasn’t a decision Marek took lightly, “This is something I’ve always dreamed of, I always had good grades. At the end of the day, hockey was eventually going to come to an end. I want to help as many people as I can. Leaving here is so hard, the guys are so amazing. They’re the best group of guys, I’ll still be watching them.” Marek continued, “This is a great organization, I want to thank Stan Hubbard, he’ll do anything for these guys, he goes to bat for them every single day, and the fans. You guys are just great, keep going, you’re awesome. I was watching Saturday and you guys were screaming ‘GO ICE WOLVES’, you’re so loud and definitely the best fans in the NAHL. It’s so hard to leave, but it’s the best thing for me. I’ll be watching and when they make the playoffs, I’ll definitely be coming back to watch.”
The NAHL Ice Wolves swept the rival Oklahoma Warriors, 5-2 on Friday and 2-0 on Saturday. They head to Oklahoma City next weekend riding a 7 game winning streak for a rematch against the Warriors.
The NA3HL Ice Wolves were off, this weekend they travel down I-25 to take on the El Paso Rhinos.
Photos courtesy of Scott Adamson and the New Mexico Ice Wolves.
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A beloved member of our PHN family has suffered a tragic loss this past week. Our Ice Wolves Den photographer Scott Adamson’s son Chris passed away unexpectedly this past Wednesday. Pro Hockey News sends our deepest condolences to Scott and the entire Adamson family and they will be in our thoughts and prayers. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas 66675-8516.
