A small but mighty group focused on working hard to overcome the obstacles ahead of them as a united team

Laurier Brantford Men’s extramural ice hockey team is small but mighty. Captain Mitchell Hartman has played for the team for three years and says this year is the best yet. For a roster filled with rookies, the hockey team has held their own in all tournaments, giving the larger teams a run for their money.  

“ [Fanshawe] has had our number the last couple of years. They’ve beaten us pretty good and they’re a big school and one of the best teams we play every year. We tied them in their own rink at the last tournament,” said Hartman, a third-year digital media and journalism student as well as captain and center on the team.  

Tying with longtime rival Fanshawe is just one of the ways this team has been able to boost morale and develop a strong bond, “It was one of the best games we’ve played and one of my favorite games that I’ve played in,”  Hartman said. 

Another highlight of the season so far for Ryan Goldberg Rogers, second-year criminology student and assistant captain, was when teammate Matthew Chiu scored his first goal. “Everyone went crazy when he scored,” said Rogers. 

Coming from a smaller school, this team has not been handed any freebies,  Rogers said. The team size is small, they practice less than larger teams, they have a brand-new coach and this year the roster is stacked with first years who are new to the team and the dynamic. They don’t let this get them down, Rogers says this season has been full of learning, “our team is the best team I’ve ever seen, we’re just one half a step behind and we know we can change that.”  

Hartman says the team feels like a family, and after the first tournament, the players bonded quite a bit. Daniel Ferrante, who plays goalie, is a very positive leader on the team, both on and off the ice  Hartman said.  

Other standout personalities on the ice are Ethan Liu and Jack Wibbs, chosen by Hartman and Rogers as the funniest members of the team.  

There are a lot of big personalities on this team, but Hartman and Rogers agree that Matthew Chiu has the most interesting personality.  

Heading into a big game, Hartman and Rogers have different approaches to getting prepared.  

Hartman likes to start stretching the week leading up to a game, do some light cardio and eat as clean as possible.  

Rogers chuckles as he says he is the complete opposite. His pre-game ritual is to relax, not focus on the upcoming game too much. Unlike many student athletes, Rogers is not superstitious in his pre-game ritual and switches up his routine before each game.  

The biggest rivals of Laurier Brantford’s extramural men’s hockey team are Fanshawe college and Humber college. The team played in a tournament with them on Feb. 28 and the results were a 3-0 loss. Hartman said the game went well, Lincoln Humphris tied the game with 38 seconds left in the third period off an assist from Ethan Cabral, before losing a shootout in the final round. 

The team has faced their fair share of obstacles, losing games being the biggest. However, Hartman and Rogers make a point to put a positive spin on their shortcomings on the ice, “There are aways things to be proud of with each game and there are always things we know we can work on going forward,” Hartman said.  

No matter the outcome of the game, the team has an honoured post-game ritual; the passing of the flag. A Laurier flag is given to a member of the team after each game, who has been chosen as ‘player of the game’. This player is chosen by the team when they made a good play, had a great attitude or scored a goal.  

A major part of being a student athlete is the student portion, balancing sports and academia. Hartman has been a student athlete since his first year, so he has grown accustomed to making a schedule around his extracurricular events and making sure his assignments are done before a tournament. Rogers prefers to focus on the game and catch up on anything, the day after a tournament.  

As the season ends for this team, they have maintained their positive attitude and growth. They look forward to seeing what next season will bring and encourage students to come watch them on the ice. As captain Hartman says, small but mighty and managing to keep up, “the odds are stacked against us and we’re persevering.”  

This story was originally published in Volume 24, Issue 7 on March 6 2025