Two Saturdays ago I received a phone call from my older brother, who I hadn’t spoken with in several weeks. He told me he was having a drink at a new restaurant in some trendy part of LA, to which I replied, “I’m at a roller hockey tournament drinking a Slush Puppy”.

“A what?”

“A Slush Puppy”, I said, “It’s a bit like an Icee but anyone in the know would say it’s closer in consistency to a Chilly Willy.” Apparently he was referring to the roller hockey part, however, and that was not as easy to explain.

After being pestered for months by Ian Gallogly PO ’13, I finally agreed to attend a tournament and watch Claremont’s intercollegiate roller hockey team, the Centaurs, in action. Over the years, I had heard whispers that such a team existed, but figured it was more likely that I’d see an actual half-man half-horse than go watch one of their games. But now I was locked in.

I drove an hour to the Huntington Beach facility with two unsuspecting friends of mine, having promised them fights, cross-checking, and an appearance by Emilio Estevez. We were greeted by a musty smack in the face as we entered the building. It smelled like Pub dance floor mixed with an old gym bag in there. Even so, there was something oddly refreshing about the place. The sound of crisp slapshots and roller blade wheels screeching to a halt on the slick surface filled the rink, adding a strange soundtrack to a situation that already stunk of ridiculousness. Perplexed but intrigued, I hit the snack bar and set off to find me a Centaur.

Somewhat surprisingly for me, many of the players were eager to share their stories and the collective story of the club. The program has been in existence for the better part of a decade, but has only started to become competitive on an intercollegiate level over the past couple years.

Though, on paper, the Centaurs were one of the weaker teams to enter the tournament, to be competing at all is in itself a victory for a team that is only several short seasons removed from being “mercied” (being down 10+ goals in the third period and having play stopped) most every game. Much of their recent success can be attributed to coach Pat Little, a former ice hockey player and current professor of engineering at Harvey Mudd, who became the first coach in program history four years after its founding.

Later in the day, as I watched the Centaurs do battle with UC-Davis, Coach Little resembled Chicago Blackhawks boss Joel Quenneville in a hoodie, lighting a fire beneath his players with each between-period pep talk. But the club is still run primarily by students, who do everything from organizing practice to fundraising to designing the team logo.

Much like any varsity team on the 5Cs, the club roller hockey team showcases talent from all over the country and even north of the border. The 12 Centaurs hail from eight different states and Alberta, Canada. Their squad also includes players from all five colleges, as well as Keck Graduate Institute.

With the team still in their gear awaiting the third and final game of the day, I spoke with Gallogly and forward Rob Ventura PO ’14 about the intricacies of the game. The vast majority of the squad had never played competitive roller hockey before coming to college, so the learning curve has been about as steep as the cost of quality equipment (most of which the players must pay for out of their own pockets).

Though they have adjusted quite well, the Centaurs’ ice hockey backgrounds are still noticeable in their style of play. Instead of schoolyard finesse, they rely heavily on being scrappy and, for a sport whose only mandatory protective gear is a helmet, a surprising level of physicality. The team also does its fair share of trash talking, as well we should, given that it is referred to as “chirping” in hockey parlance. And though the Centaurs were not able to scrap and chirp their way to victories over USC or UC-Berkley in the first two contests of the tournament, Gallogly and Ventura were optimistic about the next game (versus UC-Davis) and the future of the squad. Christian Stevens HM ’14 headlines an impressive freshman class, which also includes the likes of Ventura and forward Gar Lauerman PZ ’14. After a stint in the ultra-competitive Ontario Hockey League, Stevens gave up ice hockey to pursue a degree in biomedical engineering. The stalwart defenseman is one the cornerstones of the team and will certainly be a player to watch as the season progresses.

As great as it was to be able to talk with the players, I was still questioning whether my trip had been a worthy endeavor in the name of sports. I was sitting in the stands (whose stale beer and feet aroma somehow softened the more widespread odor) by myself looking pretty disheveled, my teeth and tongue blood-red from the aforementioned Slush Puppy—the only Claremont fan in the house, and I looked like Edward from Twilight. But once the puck dropped I forgot about it all and just enjoyed the game.

This was their last chance of the day to salvage a victory and, after losing big to SC and Cal, their pride as a hockey team. As advertised, they were scrappy and relentless on both ends of the floor. Particularly mesmerizing was the play of one Centaur, forward Kirby Haraguchi HM ‘11, who weaved his way through the Davis defense like Chris Paul with a stick, getting his teammates involved in the attack.

And to my surprise, they all looked and moved like hockey players. I had seen many of them around campus at one point or another, dismissing them as nerdy, uncoordinated, maybe a little soft. That is, until I witnessed the Pomona captain, Alex Roebelen PO ’11, deliver a devastating hit to an unfortunate opponent. The ref may not have caught it, but I did, and it brought the crowd to its feet.

In a supreme team effort, the Centaurs prevailed 7-6, but you won’t catch this team gloating about its accomplishments or craving recognition back on campus.

“We’re proud to be underground,” Roebelen said.

As noble as that is, I don’t see this talented team staying underground for long.