Former player returns home

Kevin Kenealy
Online Interactive Editor

He is a second lieutenant in the United States Army, is stationed in Georgia and made the three hour flight to Champaign and the ride to Danville's David S. Palmer Arena to watch his old hockey team play.

Mike Kowalski, aka 'Kwal,' a nickname he pointed out to me by shaving the 'o' off his name on his military name tag, was a center and assistant captain on Eastern's RSO hockey team just last year. For the first time since leaving the game, he has returned, in uniform, to watch and support his team.

"I flew a total of three hours and 700 miles to be with these guys and I wouldn't have it any other way," Kowalski said. "My only wish is that I could have made the game yesterday and make more games later on in the season. It's definitely worth it."

Kowalski, who played EIU hockey from 2003 to 2006, believes that this team, made up of 12 rookies, is one that will keep coming together throughout the year.

"I think there's a lot of raw talent that needs to be well-coached and the team seems to be coming together well so far and I think by mid-season and into the playoffs they'll be a very, very strong team."

Although he's only seen the team play their home opener Saturday night, Kowalski said he could tell this was the best team at Eastern he's seen play yet.

"This is one of the best teams I've seen to ever play for EIU in all my three years and all the years before that," he said. "Every year just keeps getting better and this team just keeps getting better than any team I've seen so far."

On his base in Georgia, he says he works from 4:30 in the morning until about 4:30/5 in the evening and by that time is too tired to still play any hockey. But someone who travels 700 miles to watch a hockey game is obviously not out of the game.

After the first period, Kowalski went into the locker room to try and give the boys advice on what he thought they could improve on later in the game.

"What did you tell them?" I ask as we watch the zamboni clean the ice.

"Eh, I just told them some things that I thought they were doing wrong, like they could be controlling the puck a little better, rebounding, stuff like that."

At one point in the third period on Saturday, Kowalski so rattled behind the team that he threw his beret, not once, but twice onto the ice after an Eastern goal.

Janelle Blocker, sophomore and secondary education major is a regular at Eastern hockey games and knew Kowalski well.

She said he was the type of person that was a leader on and off the ice, and one that the team really looked up to.

Just in the few minutes that I talked to him, I could see where she was coming from.

Kowalski is set to go back to Georgia now and nodded his head grudgingly when asked if he was going to miss watching his old team.

"K-wall is just a natural born leader," defenseman and current assistant captain Richie Nelson said. "Whenever I have a question about anything that happens on the ice, off the ice, or just about school, K-wall is always there for anyone with any questions. I try to imitate his actions as a leader on and off the ice."