This issue’s athlete spotlight goes to a hockey player who had been very busy winning multiple Rookie of the Week awards and leading the MASCAC in goals, Michael Imala. Michael had a unique upbringing when it came to hockey because “No one in my family ever played.” He grew up in Illinois and after the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup his dad asked him if he wanted to try hockey. Michael gave it a shot and even though it did not start off great, he was playing club hockey by the time he was a sophomore in high school.

I asked him what the biggest difference is between club hockey and Division III, and he stated “The game pace is a little faster, everyone has better sticks.” As of right now, the hockey team is 5-1-2, but the most impressive part of this record is that they are undefeated at home and undefeated in the MASCAC. Michael attributed the record to his teammates who he praises constantly throughout the interview. “We sat down before the season started and we wrote down some goals on the season, we want to be as close to perfect as we can be at home and when it comes to the MASCAC we want to win every series.”

The culture of this team has been a huge part of the 2nd place standing in the MASCAC. Michal said that this group has “One of the best cultures I’ve been a part of.” The culture starts at the top and this team has a player-led locker room which Miachal prefers, “I love the player-led locker room, a player-led locker room leads to a tighter-knit team and great chemistry.” The team has great aspirations for the rest of the season with plans to “get ranked, and obviously go to the tournament.” With a little more than 20 games left in the season, they still have plenty of time to establish their dominance over the MASCAC.