The Saint Joe Hockey team has started off the year with an excellent season, with a record of 17-5-1. They have come out strong and are displaying excellent teamwork and general communication skills on the ice that make them stand out from their opponents. They are a competitive, driven, and hardworking team overall. However, something that makes the hockey team stand out more than an impressive record ever could is the service they have completed together. The hockey team, along with their coaches, have placed great emphasis and importance on the value of working together along with multiple service groups and organizations to contribute to the hockey community and to those in need. I caught up with the 2022-23 season captain Stephen Eckrich, along with his teammate (who plays center) Teddy Hosinski.

What service organizations has the hockey team partnered with so far this year? 

Stephen- We have partnered with Adam Milani Memorial Sled Hockey, Adopt a Family (through the Compton at Notre Dame), and the Learn to Skate organization.

The hockey team has been helping these 3 charities for many years, and each year it has been an opportunity to bring the teammates closer together and to give back to our local community. 

What did you do for Adam Milani Sled Hockey? 

Stephen- We helped organize, referee and keep score for the hockey games of athletes who are paraplegics or disabled 

Teddy-  We also had the opportunity to help them on and off the ice and spend time with them

Adopt a Family- 

Teddy- We sponsored two families in need and brought them Christmas presents for their whole family. We also assisted other families by leading them to whichever Notre Dame team was sponsoring them with gifts. 

Adopt a family is a yearly charity sponsored by Notre Dame where a multitude of athletic teams (predominantly from ND) help get gifts for families at Christmastime

Learn to Skate- 

Stephen- From ages 3-8 we helped teach little kids to skate, and lay down the foundations of how to play hockey so that they will have a good sense of the basics when they are able to begin playing.

What would you say working with these organizations has taught you? 

Stephen- “I think it has helped make me feel a lot more fortunate and thankful for how lucky we all are to be able to play hockey, and that we have the facilities to do so on our team” 

Teddy- “It increases my gratitude for everything I have in my life, especially during the holiday season”

What is your favorite part about being on the hockey team? 

Stephen- “My teammates are some of my closest friends so being able to spend time with them everyday while playing the game I love means a lot to me, I couldn’t ask for anything better”

How has the service your guys have completed positively impacted the team?

Stephen- “It has made all of us more responsible and better leaders overall. Being able to help others has formed us to be role models for the next generation of hockey players”

Throughout this interview the close friendship and bond that Teddy and Stephen share was clear and stood out to me, and it is a testament to how their time on the team (and specifically the service they do) has brought them closer together and created a lifelong friendship any athlete would be lucky to have.