Mighty Muskox wrap up club hockey season
The co-ed Mighty Muskox Club ice hockey team finished another season at the outdoor ice rink in Nome. For more than 20 years, players have been getting together multiple times a week, not just to play hockey but to take care of the rink. They played 52 outdoor games in Nome this season. Ice-making began in late October, and the team played a final game on April 20 before the melt season started. They often had up to 15 players, varying in age from their teens to their early 70s. Skill levels ranged from beginners to people who played in high school. “We like to call ourselves a true novice team,” said Blake Bogart. “We’re pretty encouraging for people to try it out. Anyone that shows up, we’re throwing a bunch of gear on them. Maybe they’ll come two three times and then we never seen again. Or they cling on, they like it, they see it being a pretty good activity for winter and they join the club.” Longtime players include Mitch Erickson, Charlie Painter, Wilson Bourdon and Kenny Hughes. Jackie Hrabok—who, in addition to Erickson, is one of the regular goalies, said those men are the “heart” of the team—who put in the most volunteer hours maintaining the rink year after year. The ice was resurfaced 18 times this year. “Lord knows how many times we shoveled it,” Bogart said. “Because of the wind, it doesn’t even have to snow and it’s a lot of maintenance.” The Mighty Muskox closed out the season with their annual series of five friendship games playing the Anchorage Town Chiefs. “It’s kind of like a reward at the end of the year,” Bogart said. “Everyone’s put a lot of time and work into the rink. Everyone’s worked hard to put up with the weather conditions and the tricky ice conditions.” Hrabok, too, explained why she finds it “thrilling” to play at an indoor arena once a year: “The puck slides quicker, the lights are bright, the goalie equipment remains flexible and agile in the balmy indoor rink, and there’s no snow to shovel before the game begins.” They played April 13-15 at the O’Malley Sports Complex in Anchorage, which has two NHL-size ice rinks. The Muskox won overall after a 5-3 win, a 4-3 win, a 6-3 win, a 6-2 loss and a 5-4 win. When they got back to Nome, they played a final game on April 20, which may have been their last at the rink in its current location. The site is soon to become a housing development as the school district and the city plan on building teacher and public safety officer housing there. Plans are underway to build a new ice rink near Nome’s Rec Center.