Vikes Second Term Start-up

With a new term in full swing, the Vikes have an exciting semester in store for them. After getting a well deserved Christmas break, the young men are back at it this Saturday evening against the Trinity Western Spartans and they have a New Years Resolution in place for this season; to bring home the championship.

Rookie forward Landen Matechuk from Fort. Langley, B.C. was acquired from the Timmins Rock of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League this summer, adding a young playmaker with incredible vision to the line-up. From early on, Landen’s talents were noticed and it seemed to help with his transition into student-athlete life. “It was easy to transition from junior hockey to university hockey, mostly due to the welcoming support of my teammates and coaching staff,” Landen expressed, adding that “living in Victoria near the ocean and going to a school at such a respected institution is an added bonus.” The student-athlete life seems relatively easy; however, it hasn’t been easy adding full-time education to an already busy hockey schedule, as Landen explained. “While playing junior hockey, the team was your only responsibility. Adding the responsibility of school on top of that was challenging in the beginning; however, as I found out quickly- school and hockey compliment each other very well. In times of physical fatigue and frustration, school became a form of relaxation and meditative focus. In times of stress created by school, hockey has become an outlet that allows time for social and athletic activity.”

Looking toward the second half of the season, Landen stressed that the addition of blue liners Noah Henry and Shane Kumar have restored life and excitement to the team. “We are extremely confident in our ability to bring a championship back to the university, and we are all incredibly excited for the months ahead.”

New to the team Noah Henry made the move to the University of Victoria to complete a degree in Environmental studies and was lucky enough to already know Landen Matechuk personally, who helped Noah make the decision to join the Vikes. Henry comes to the Vikes from Seattle where he was born and raised. Although he might be new to the team, Noah is no stranger to the world of competitive hockey as he had the pleasure of playing for Powell River in the BCHL, and more recently, he spent his time playing Division 1 hockey for Union College in the NCAA. “I’m excited to take classes in a field of study that’s completely new to me and to get to know the team,” Noah stated when asked about the new term.

Shane Kumar is new to campus and is studying to get his business degree. Like many, Shane is from the Vancouver area and started out playing for North Delta in minor league hockey then moved on to playing in junior league hockey for the Flin Flon Bombers as well as the North Vancouver Wolfpack. After a conversation with head coach Harry Schamhart, Shane decided that the team was the perfect place for him to grow and succeed within a team complex. As Landen mentioned, it isn’t always easy to make the transition into full-time school with a heavily athletic schedule but the Vikes have already set out to make both Noah and Shane feel a part of the team. “I was completely lost my first couple of days at school but the guys on the team have been really helpful taking time out of their days to show me where my classes, the library, and gym were located,” mentioned Shane. Shane is looking forward to meeting new people and capturing memories as he moves towards exploring the university atmosphere. When asked Shane expressed his commitment to being a team player, “I give it my all every game and do whatever is asked of me night in and night out.” Shane’s goal on the team is to help bring home one, or multiple, championships. To further prove his dedication, Shane continued to say “If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all?”

You can look out for these three men on Saturday night, January 14th, at the Ian Stewart complex when the University of Victoria Vikes take on the Trinity Western Spartans at 7:30PM. The Vikes are pumped and ready to take on the second half of the season, are you?