On any Sunday, Monday or Tuesday night in the past month, one could find intramural floor hockey played on the rubber courts of the Spaulding Gymnasium. Among the many intramural sports offered by Keene State College, floor hockey may not seem particularly special, but it offers an alternative to stuffy dorm rooms for its devoted participants.
“I used to play hockey, so this is nice,” sophomore Tyler McKelvie said. “It just gives you something to do.”
There can only be a maximum of two club hockey players on each team, but McKelvie said he doesn’t think ice hockey experience gives one much of an advantage.
Sam Lewis / Equinox Staff: The goalie braces for impact during a semi-final match Wednesday, October 16, in the Spaulding Gymnasium. KSC provides jerseys and sticks for each team.
“It’s actually pretty similar to real hockey, it’s just as much fun, but it’s just a lot slower-paced,” McKelvie said.
McKelvie, who had never played with the intramural team before this year, didn’t know what to expect when he began, and said he was surprised how seriously most people took it.
“It’s pretty competitive, I was honestly surprised,” McKelvie said. “I see why though, the more you play the more you get into it.”
Junior Ben Johnson, who has played floor hockey all three years he has been at KSC, agreed that games can get intense, but said sometimes you get teams that don’t take it as seriously.
“It can be somewhat competitive,” Johnson said. “Sometimes teams are awful and that slows it down, but it can definitely get competitive.”
Coordinator of Intramural Sport and Sports Clubs, Taylor Tully, said the reason for the occasionally dull game is that there is only one league this year.
In past years, the school offered two leagues, one for the competitive teams and one for the teams that just wanted to have fun.
Unfortunately, this year, not enough people signed up and they had to merge the leagues.
“You definitely have teams that come out and play that are more for the recreational aspect of it,” Tully said.
“They just want to go out and have fun, and then you have the teams that are much more competitive. You know, every team is a little different in what they’re trying to get out of it.”
At this point in the season, however, the only teams left standing are competitive. On this night the semifinals are being played, and within minutes all the players are in deep sweats.
With just five people (including goalies) on the floor for each team, one would think that there would be ample space to stick-handle, however it is immediately evident that is not the case.
Defenses play tight man-to-man and close out on the puck quickly, suffocating the offense and making the player with the puck work for every inch he gets.
Johnson said he gets a workout out of it. “It’s actually a good way to stay active,” Johnson said. “And it’s obviously fun to play with your friends.”
Tully watches these matches with amusement, but also understands the importance of intramural sports.
“It’s an amazing opportunity for the students to be involved on campus as well as participate in the sports that they either grew up playing or are just learning,” Tully said. “A lot of students are looking for this, something to be part of on campus. It’s great.”
Zach Winn can be contacted at zwinn@keene-equinox.com