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July 6, 2004
Dear alumni, family, friends and supporters,
Spring is finally over and the Summer is upon us.
Finals, moving out, scrambling for storage space and
figuring out just where exactly you’re going to live
for the next three months… it’s been a hectic past
couple of weeks. Not least among recent happenings is
the fact that we’ve added several more Gauchos to our
ranks of alumni! So read on in this special GRADUATION
EDITION of our newsletter…
UCSB Roller Hockey’s Class of 2004
This was a tumultuous past season for both our A and B
teams. Regular season records and post season
performances were disappointing, but off the rink
improvements kept the Gauchos optimistic. Through it
all, our seniors brought experience and (relative)
maturity to the mix. The following is a brief
description of each senior…
Loren Cogswell, #14, Forward – South Pasadena, CA –
Cogswell was the four year anchor for our B team.
Dependable, hockey smart and a natural leader, he led
the Gaucho B team to a WCRHL B Division championship
in 2002-03. With a nose for the net and an ability to
see the entirety of the rink, Cogswell was a perennial
scoring threat who could be counted on to make the
right play. Loren was also the intramural roller
hockey coordinator for almost the entirety of his
career here at UCSB, shepherding the program in the
long interim before the construction of the RecCen II
and its indoor roller hockey facilities. Loren
“Smiley” Cogswell graduated with a BS in Aquatic
Biology, and is currently in French Polynesia scuba
diving.
Greg Franks, #13, Forward/Defense – Los Gatos, CA –
Another four year player, Franks captained the A team
during his fourth and final season with the program.
He was a member of the 2000-01 team that demolished
their round robin bracket at Nationals in Upland, CA –
including a convincing defeat of eventual 2001
national champions Rochester Institute of Technology –
before being upset by the University of Central
Florida in elimination play. With a deceptively
nonchalant style, Greg “Garbage” Franks was capable of
notching a point on any given play – especially if he
was around the net. As a versatile hockey player, he
could be counted on as both a forward and a
defenseman, filling both roles during his senior year
when needed. Greg graduated with a BS in Physics, and
will be living and working in the Santa Barbara area
for the next year.
Sean Gillespie, #50, Forward – Sacramento, CA – The
2003-04 year was Gillespie’s only season with the
program. He quickly made his mark as the B team’s
hustle player, stymieing opponents with his constant
forechecking and playing a valuable part on defense
with his willingness to backcheck on every play. He
also made his mark as the team’s most dominant table
hockey player, dethroning the previous champion Alex
Hynes. You definitely knew that when Gillespie was
playing, he’d get two or three rebounds on you
eventually. Quick to laugh and easy to get along with,
Sean was a great presence to have on road trips and
during long tournaments. He was also a great example
for our teams, having his working his way up from the
intramural program and on to the club level. Sean
graduated with a BA in Business and Economics, and is
working and living in his hometown of Sacramento, CA
once more.
Christian Jones, #29, Goalie – Santa Barbara, CA –
Jones was a two year member of the program, having
transferred to UCSB for the Fall of 2002-03. He made
an immediate impact between the pipes for the B team,
and had the best goals against average at the 2003
WCRHL regional tournament on the way to winning the B
division. Jones was an intense competitor with a
strong work ethic, leading the way in every aspect
during games and even practices. Though his quietness
could sometimes be mistaken for shyness, Jones was
simply as laid back as they come. He graduated with a
BA in Art Studio as well as Art History, and he will
attend Michigan State University in the fall, where he
plans to attain his Masters in Illustration, and
continue playing goalie.
Phil Kamhi, #10, Forward – Thousand Oaks, CA – Kamhi
was also a two year member of the program, and proved
to be an always dependable part of the B team. Kamhi
was a true hockey devotee, often rink ratting his way
into playing four or five games straight on intramural
nights. That passion transferred over to the rink
where he was known for his tenacious checking and an
ability to emerge from scrums with the puck. Affable,
responsible and always willing to lend a helping hand,
Phil was a valued member of the team during his two
years here. In a program that’s seen its fair share of
unique puck handling styles, Phil’s will definitely go
down as one of the more interesting, and it will be
sorely missed. He graduated from UCSB with a BM
(Bachelor’s of Music) in Music, and has just bought a
house in Reseda.
Mike Saksen, #16, Forward – Half Moon Bay, CA – Saksen
was elected an alternate captain his junior year, and
has not disappointed since. As a four year member of
the A team along with fellow senior Greg Franks, Mike
led by example throughout each season. Never missing
practices, giving rides to freshmen (and sophomores,
juniors and seniors) and generally proving why the
Class of 2004 was so valuable. Capable of both speed
and power, he could be counted upon to do the things
every team needs done. Perhaps the best summation of
Saksen’s career can be seen in the way he began and
ended it: a hat trick against the University of
Michigan Wolverines in the 2001 National Championship
Tournament as a freshman, and an overtime shootout
goal against Cal Poly SLO this past May during his
senior campaign. Mike graduated with a BS in Zoology
and will be living and working in Daly City, CA.
Other members of the program who also graduated this past year:
Ralph Herbst
Eric Movsessian
Sean Palmer
Ryan Rosemann
Brad Smith
Randy Wright
USAHIL National Championships – Alpharetta, GA
The College Division at the USAHIL National
Championships will run from August 2 to August 5 at
The Cooler in Alpharetta, Georgia. The WCRHL is
looking to fill up at least one slot, and if possible
two, to represent the Western Region at the College
Division. This tournament is limited to Division I A
players.
The Western Region team will be chosen by WCRHL league
director Brennan Edwards. All players are encouraged
to email him at bedwards@wcrhl.com if interested.
The tournament entry fees will be picked up by the
WCRHL, which leaves hotel and air fare to the player.
Hotels (estimated at $49 to $99 per night, USAHIL has
recommended hotels) and air fare ($250-$300 on
expedia.com) should not be booked until your place on
a roster has been confirmed by Brennan. Some of the
hotels will have shuttles going to and from the rink.
The WCRHL will be competing against the other regions
of the NCRHA in this exhibition event.
Summer Hockey
There will be a UCSB only pick up session once a week
on Sundays from 8-10 PM (or 8:30-10:30 PM, depending
on a few factors) at Earl Warren. All players staying
in Santa Barbara for the summer are encouraged to come
out and play, as well as any interested players. There
will be no cost for members of the club. These Sunday
night sessions will be subject to periodic blackouts
from the Earl Warren Showgrounds administration, and
the schedule will be posted soon at the website at
https://ucsbhockey.tripod.com/index/schedule.html.
There will also be pick up sessions at Carpinteria’s
Thunder Bowl (exit right Bailard Avenue off of 101
South) Wednesday nights. The time for this is still up
in the air. There might occasionally be a small fee
for each pick up session there.
A more detailed schedule will be published soon.
Everyone else – keep playing hockey at home! Adult
leagues, pick up, tournaments, anything will help.
The A team may possibly enter a tournament later on
this summer. Keep in contact with me for details as to
when, where and what tournament.
May Wrap Up
May was a busy month for the Gauchos. It started out
with the 4th Annual Hockey Night in Santa Barbara,
back from a one year hiatus. The Cal Poly SLO Mustangs
came down to play the home team at the Earl Warren
Showgrounds as usual, but this year had something
special.
The day began with a hastily organized barbeque at
Girsh Park in Goleta. Though tables and chairs were
lacking, everyone made do because this was the first
time in many years that family, friends, the team and
especially the alumni had a chance to get together
again.
Alumni included club founder Stephen Underhill, as
well as former club presidents Dave Wagner and KC
Douglas. Other alumni: Bill Mulligan, Joey Nagel,
Tristan Emrich, Lucas Novak, Shaun Wright and honorary
UCSB hockey alumnus Noah Smith. If I forgot anyone, I
apologize!
There was plenty of food, lots of first meetings and
constant reminiscing. Noah Smith, Media Relations
Director for Hockey East, presented the team with a
Hockey East jersey. The cap the barbeque off, the team
then presented a new UCSB Hockey jersey to Stephen
Underhill on the occasion of the club’s 10th
anniversary. Steve sported the new look during the
alumni game, complete with his #31 on the back.
The first game of the day occurred between the Cal
Poly SLO and UCSB B teams. It was a hard fought match,
with SLO arriving short of a few players and adding
UCSB’s Ricky Matulac and CP SLO club president Pat
Moyer to their roster. Though SLO would eventually
win, UCSB kept the game interesting throughout with
several hard fought goals.
The alumni game also went off great. When a few alumni
cancelled at the last minute, the teams were filled
out with seniors Mike Saksen, Greg Franks, Jeff
Rieden, Phil Kamhi, Loren Cogswell, Sean Gillespie as
well as myself. The team led by goalie Underhill and
the triple threat of Nagel, Emrich and Wagner
dominated another team made primarily of current
seniors. Recent graduate Lucas Novak manned the other
net. Absolutely no score was kept, but all the
young’uns learned quickly to make sure they started
skating backwards as soon as Dave Wagner got the puck
and a good time was had by all.
The night was concluded with the third and final game
between the SLO and UCSB A teams. A good mixture of
UCSB students, player family members, alumni and local
community members came out to watch these two talented
teams go at it.
The level of play was a great representative of the
WCRHL in general, with both teams skating hard and
showing great puck movement. Scoring was a seesaw
affair, with both teams scoring one after the other.
The intensity of the play was also very evident, as
several scuffles and fights broke out between the
always bitter rivals despite the game’s status as
exhibition.
Juniors Greg Snelling and Derek Kokubun each notched a
goal, with sophomores Yu Matsumoto and Gordon Jack
also scoring.
Due to the number of fights that occurred in the first
and second periods, it was decided between the two
teams to call the game short tied at 4-4 and instead
finish it off with an “overtime” shootout.
Snelling, Kokubun and Jack were each called up to take
a shot, as well as senior Mike Saksen. The Class of
2004 would come through as Saksen would be the only
Gaucho to score. After the Mustangs also managed to
score on only one of their opportunities, the stage
was set for sudden death shootout.
Sophomore Evan Markgraf was tapped to take UCSB’s
first try, and he came through with flying colors.
Speeding down the empty rink in his usual high flying
style, Markgraf buried it past SLO’s goaltender Chris
Herbert to make the score 6-5.
After giving up only one goal throughout the game,
stellar freshman goalie Sean Seal watched as fellow
freshman Jason Green took his turn at stopping the
Mustangs. Green, looking a bit shaky during regular
period play after the long layoff since the end of the
season, came through spectacularly with the game
winning save to give the Gauchos a thrilling 6-5 (OT)
win.
After the high of Hockey Night, the Gauchos would
settle down during the weekend for a game of poker to
fundraise money for the Jack Canfield Chicken Soup
Fund, a medical resource for UCSB students
encountering health problems. The tournament
volunteers put in hard hours setting up the event, but
it was worth the estimated $1500 worth of prizes
players were playing for. After a short turnout, it
was decided that in order to increase the amount of
money generated for the Chicken Soup Fund members of
the team would be allowed to play instead of merely
dealing. This turned out to be ironic, as senior
captain Greg Franks took in second behind yours truly,
with several other Gauchos finishing “in the money” to
take home some of the great prizes. Thanks to the
generous donations of several of you as well as the
Santa Barbara community, we raised hundreds of dollars
for the Fund.
Thanks again to everyone who made May possible,
especially the families who came for our barbeque and
the alumni who revisited us.
That’s it for now. Keep checking the website within
the next few weeks for more updates and new pictures
of the RecCen II.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Tu
President, UCSB Hockey
All images and text are the property of UCSB Hockey
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Watch as the Recreation Center II and our indoor SportCourt facility develop. This picture album will grow as the construction progresses. The opening date is set for Fall/Winter quarter of 2004-05. |
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