ALBUQUERQUE – Hello Ice Wolves fans and welcome to the latest edition of the Ice Wolves Den. This week we feature one of the original NA3HL Ice Wolves and current Alternate Captain, Liam Mooney.
This past weekend, Mooney reached a major milestone playing in his 100th career game, obviously it’s a special moment, “It’s big, especially being only the second one in franchise history after Zak Wentworth. Having been here for 3 years helping build this program from the start, it feels great.” Mooney said, “Getting the A is great, I really appreciate it from the boys, I always thought of myself as a leader. It’s also important for me to make sure the guys know you don’t need a letter doesn’t mean everything, just because you don’t have one doesn’t mean you’re not a leader, anybody can be a leader. Just because I have a letter doesn’t mean I’m above anybody else.”
Head Coach Darren Banks says Mooney is a vital part of the team, “He’s a big part of our locker room and a great leader. He works hard and being from Philly he has a big personality, he’s a huge part of the leadership group. On the ice all 3 years he’s been a huge part of our penalty kill, he’s been a consistently hard worker.” Banks said, ” I can’t believe it’s been 100 games, that’s a testament to not only his commitment, but staying healthy and staying prepared.”
For Mooney, being from Philadelphia, having the support of his family is important, “To be able to send me out here and to have my back from however many miles away it is, that’s huge for me. It’s also a different pace here, Albuquerque is so much slower than Philadelphia, it’s so chill and more laid back, it’s good to get away from it. The food is interesting and different, East Coast and Philly food is just something you can’t replicate, it’s one of the first things I miss out here. I do like red chile more, it has more flavor. I’m not a big green chile guy and I always get lit up for it.”
The common thread between every player, is their admiration for the fans, “Some of the new guys who come in ask about the fans, I tell them you just don’t know how big you are in the community. I’ll be at Chipotle or something and someone will come up to me and say ‘Hey, you’re Mooney’. It’s awesome the support here, the crowds we get.” Mooney said, “I like walking in and seeing our banner up there, it’s a huge testament for the team last year, even though we came up short, which still haunts us. It shows the new guys, what we’re working on works and we just need a couple more pieces to finish the job.”
The 3HL Ice Wolves took 2 of 3 from the Texas Roadrunners this past weekend. They were wearing special jerseys to raise money to repair the ice rink in Taos, after it was damaged in a fire. Saturday was also their second annual Teddy Bear Toss. They head to Blaine, MN next weekend for the 3HL Showcase. On Sunday the 15th, they take on the Alexandria Blizzard, puck drop at 4:15 pm, the 16th they face the Northeast Generals at 11:45 am and the 17th they take on the Great Falls Americans at 8:30 am. All games can be seen on NATV.
Use CodePHN15 That Ice Wolves logo would look really cool on a chair.
The NAHL Ice Wolves were unfortunately swept by the Colorado Grit. This weekend the Grit will visit the Outpost for 3 games, puck drop Friday and Saturday 6:30, Sunday will be their second annual Teddy Bear Toss, puck drop 2 pm.
Photos courtesy of Scott Adamson and the New Mexico Ice Wolves.
