By FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
Conrad Ebbecke, Matthew Johnson, Henry Livingston and Charlie Moore all play a cool sport.
They are on a high school-age hockey team.
The four Mahomet-Seymour students are members of the unbeaten Champaign Chiefs (14-0-1), who play their home-finale tonight at 7 against the Glenwood Titans at the UI Ice Arena, in Champaign.
Members of the Chiefs play for love of the sport and maintain a strong commitment.
Practices are usually late in the evening.
“It’s very tiring,” Johnson said. “Every practice is 45 minutes away, one way and usually late at night.
“It’s tough to balance with school. We also play travel games in Chicago and tournaments in multiple states.”
When possible, the players try to make good use of their travel time.
“I have to do homework in the car sometimes,” Livingston said. “We get back from games late, so sometimes I don’t get as much sleep as I want.
“Since we’re the oldest players, we get the late ice times at the arenas.”
Sometimes, the M-S players share rides to and from practices or games.
“It’s fun to carpool together,” Livingston said.
The M-S athletes are veterans of the sport now.
Livingston got his introduction while in kindergarten.
“I got started playing at the ice rink at the park near my house in Minnesota,” he said.
Moore, who also plays soccer for the Bulldogs, enjoys the similar aspects of both sports.
“I like how fast paced the game is and how intense it can get,” Moore said.
Among their teammates on the Chiefs are athletes from Catlin, Champaign, Danville, Rossville, Savoy, Sidney and Tolono.
“I like having friends from other towns,” Livingston said.
Moore said when he took up the sport five years ago, it was helpful to have others from his hometown participating.
“It’s kind of important when I first started playing with the organization to be able to have someone that I knew” Moore said. “Starting out, it would have been much harder.”
The Chiefs are the defending state champions in the high school league.
This year’s team has outscored its first 15 opponents 80-18.
Moore ranks second on the team in points (19) with 10 goals and nine assists.
“We’ve played really well this year,” Moore said. “We’re not just relying on our star players, and everyone is doing really well.
“Lots of people are putting points up, even in tight games.”
Experience is a key factor.
“We have a lot of team chemistry, individual talent and multiple players who have played varsity for three to four years now,” Johnson said.
Johnson, who moved to Champaign County in 2015, nurtured his interest in a form of the sport a decade ago.
“I started playing roller hockey in 2009 in El Paso, Texas,” Johnson said. “I was 7. I started ice hockey when I was 8.
“I got started playing roller hockey because a mutual friend of my brothers was playing and it looked fun.”
Johnson said it’s enjoyable to have hockey teammates from his school, but he was accustomed to not having that luxury.
“It’s nice to see your teammates at school, and we all wear our warmups on game days,” he said. “It would not be harder for me actually. I started playing hockey in Texas and none of my teammates went to my school.”
Seniors Ebbecke and Johnson are defensemen.
Juniors Livingston and Moore are forwards.
Of the four M-S students, Ebbecke is the only one who hasn’t missed a game this season. Ebbecke has five assists.
The Chiefs are in first place in the seven-team Lincoln Land High School Hockey League. The regular season ends on Feb. 4.
“I enjoy how it takes a lot of skill, but also mental toughness to play the game,” said Johnson, who is playing for two teams simultaneously.
He is also a member of the Bloomington Thunder AA travel team.
Livingston’s other sport is also one which is not mainstream at M-S.
“I play lacrosse, which is similar in that our players come from all over Champaign-Urbana,” he said. “It’s another really fun, fast-paced game.”
Johnson is a member of the M-S swimming and track teams, and also plays on the Champaign-based lacrosse team.
Livingston, who has scored four goals and has three assists for the Chiefs, encourages anyone with an interest in hockey to start sooner rather than later.
“Kids should try hockey when they’re young, because the hard part is learning to skate,” he said. “It’s hard to learn to skate when you are older.
“Hockey programs start for kids at age 5, and you can learn to skate even earlier.”
