Pro shop supplies Eastern

Kevin Kenealy
Online Interactive Editor

Jason Power, the manager of the USA Sports Complex Pro Shop in Fairview Heights, Ill., used to play for Southern Illinois at Edwardsville hockey and has been working part-time at the shop since the rink opened 10 years ago.

The complex is home to the McKendree College Bearcats and the pro shop is where Eastern buys their equipment.

According to Power, the pro shop draws around 200 people
a week from the two youth associations that come in, the high school teams and the teams at the college level.

Power sells everything from tape, laces for skates, sticks, blades, pads and sharpens skates at a cost of $6 per pair.

"That's our focus [skate sharpening]," Power said. "I'll probably do 40 pairs tonight."

He said that although seven to eight years ago, his pro shop was mostly full, now skate sharpening is the primary business.

Power attributes the slack in business to both the other pro shops in the area and with more people going to the Internet for equipment.

"It's probably been about five/six years that it's been like this," he said.

While liking the wooden sticks in his shop, most of the players on Eastern's hockey team prefer the new graphite models.

Power admits that the one-piece stick is just the technological advantage.

"Everybody has to have them," Power said. "A wooden stick you can actually feel the puck better but it's one of these things where, especially at the college level, those guys are out there somebody steps on your blade and breaks it. That stick is broken; you have to toss it."

Eastern forward/defenseman Joe Kopca said the McKendree Pro Shop doesn't have all that much to offer, but he said he is very picky about his equipment.

"I don't like new things unless it is a stick, because then you have to break it in and get used to it," Kopca said. "The biggest thing with hockey players is their stick. Once they find one they like they will stay with it; there's different factors."

For Kopca, it's the 100 flex, Forsberg toe curve blade composite one-piece synergy stick.

"All in all, hockey players have preferences and once they find them, they stick with them," he said.

Power also coaches midget hockey (a league just below the college level for those in the high school age range) on the side, and once coached one Eastern goalie Nick Maggio.

"Jason is an extremely knowledgeable person," Maggio said. "He helped me out a lot with my skills and training. He has also invited me to help out with a few clinics set up to help out younger goalies. Jason also donates some of his time to the MACHA, which is the league we play in."

Eastern's hockey team will face off against Northern this weekend and then will come home against the University of Cincinnati the following weekend.