Coaching with a Family

May 9, 2014

The NAU Division II Ice Jacks have been around for quite some time. Once coach Travis Johanson stepped into the head coaching position, all things changed for both the team, and the coach. With the Ice Jacks having a 27-11-1 season, and making it all the way to Boston for the ACHA National Championships, Coach Johanson was there the entire way for these men.

Travis was one of many who was actually born and raised in Flagstaff. Despite growing up in Northern Arizona, Johanson left to pursue other dreams.

“I left in High School to play midgets and juniors in Canada, in search of better hockey and try to go further in hockey," Johanson says.

After leaving Flagstaff High School, Johanson realized that hockey in Canada wasn't working as planned for him, as it was for his sister. His sister played in Minnesota for six years while attending school with a few famous names like Crosby, Toews, Parise and more.

While in Canada, Johanson attended Athol Murry Collage Notre Dame in Wilcox, Saskatchewan.

"Playing in Canada was tough, being a Yankee as they called us Americans. Being so far away from home in a different country was a bit scary," Johanson says. "It was a huge and difficult transition not only in hockey but life and school."

School was something in particular that was more difficult for him, especially since Canadians use the metric system. Johanson says that out of everything, hockey was the easiest.

"It was a huge eye-opener playing against big Saskatchewan farm kids," he said. "When I went up I was small and I didn't grow much until after high school."

Despite going to school in a whole different country without knowing anybody, fighting was one thing that Johanson became fairly good at.

"The big eye-opener was having to fight, which I didn't have much experience with while playing in the United States. I had a few here but when you get your stick up on someone, you better expect there would be a fight," Johanson says.

Johanson also says that fighting was a good thing because "it showed me how the game is supposed to be played,"  and that he had the chance to play with guys that have made some great hockey careers.

Now, Johanson's journey didn't stop there, he eventually came back to America. And after being in Canada for just a year, when he returned back to Flagstaff, he broke his leg, and then decided to play another year of hockey, just for his dad.

"It was an awesome year," he said, "There was a group of guys from Flagstaff, about 12-15 guys that had played together since we were five or so."

Previously during that year, five or six of them came back for a final year, and then they ended up winning a Rocky Mountain District Championship.

After Johanson decided to hang up his skates as a player, he began working for Eagle Mountain construction and is now a superintendent. Johanson has been involved in tons of projects here in Flagstaff.

Now, just because he started his life back here in Flagstaff, didn't stop him from getting on the ice at any chance he could get.

Travis Johanson has been the head coach for the NAU Division II Ice Jacks for two years, and spent three to four years as an assistant coach. With Johanson as the head coach, the Ice Jacks have had some success, like their recent trip to Boston for the ACHA National Championship.

Coaching for the Ice Jacks has not been easy for Johanson. "It is tough, especially this year just having our second boy in July. It was hard leaving my wife Jo'el with a new born and a 2 1/2 year old."

Johanson also adds, "My wife is awesome, letting me coach and be away so much, she keeps us all together."

Having a family and being a coach is not an easy thing to do.

"It's very tiring, especially during the week leaving the rink around 11 at night and being up for work at 4:30," Johanson says. "After practice is hard to fall asleep because your mind is running a million times a minute. Then when I get home it's time to be dad and make dinner, play with the boys, change diapers, put them to bed, and do it all over again."

For Johanson it is not an easy thing to do, but he somehow finishes out each day strong. Super dad? Maybe. Dedicated parent and head coach, most definitely.

After The Ceremony

April 30, 2014

On Saturday April 19, all of the NAU Club Sports came together for a special night of celebrating all of the success for these athletes, also known as the Sports Clubs Night of Celebration.

With a total of 30 club sports being recognized for this first ever event, just over 300 athletes attended, in honor or NAU.

Out of these 30 club sports, the Ice Jacks were one of the club sports in the mix to celebrate their very successful season.  Not only did the Division II Ice Jacks finish 10^th in the nation, but they also traveled to Boston for the 2014 ACHA National Championships.

Despite their Nationals loss, the Ice Jacks did have some success to come back to at this club sports banquet.

Out of all the categories, the Ice Jacks took hoe two awards. The first was the top sport of the year award, which the DII Ice Jacks took home, along with the Director's award, who was awarded to Matt Williams with the Ice Jacks.

With this year over for sports here in Northern Arizona, the Ice Jacks will be preparing for another successful season to try and get that top sport award again. 

Ice Jacks Hit the Red Carpet

April 25, 2014

The Ice Jacks are known to be seen on the ice, but on Friday April 25, these hockey players will put on their best suits and come together with the other club sports teams for a one night event.

This cub sports banquet will be put on to recognize all of the club sports here on the NAU campus. One of the sports include the NAU Division II and Division III hockey teams.

The red carpet will roll out at the Düb Ballroom on South NAU campus from 6:00-9:00 pm.  This formal event will be recognizing the club sports for their performances this year, and their success.

The Ice Jacks will have a chance to win awards in categories like: team MVP, club sport of the year, male sport of the year, and most improved club sport of the year.

The Ice Jacks will be competing with 29 other club sports here at NAU. There will be 300 attendees on Friday night, and  both ASNAU and STAC will be recognizing the NAU club sports teams that are showing they are some of the best in the nation. 

Graduating Seniors

April 13, 2014

It's that time of year when all of the seniors buy their caps and gowns, and get ready to leave NAU in means of perusing their dreams. A group of nine graduating seniors on the Division II hockey team are packing their skates as they get ready to leave Flagstaff.

Of the nine, Ice Jacks captain Dylan Butenhoff will be one of the seniors leaving his jersey in the locker room. Not only will he be giving up his position as captain, but he will be leaving the sport of hockey behind him.

"It's humbling, I mean when I got named captain it was humbling," Butenhoff said. "Knowing I'll be graduating captain, it's a hell of an experience that's for sure."

Since he will be leaving an empty spot behind him, he has considered a few people to take his spot.

"There's a couple names that come to mind, but it's gotta be one of the assistants from this year." Butenhoff said.

Once Butenhoff leaves NAU, he will start school all over again as he will join a police academy. He hopes to go somewhere, anywhere across the nation would be fine with him.

"I am going to go to a police academy, become a cop for the next five years, and then decide from there what I want to do after that," Butenhoff said.

Senior forward Zach Vachris has spent five years here at NAU, and his time has finally expired. He hopes to attend Law School after he leaves Flagstaff.

"I think I will take my LSAT in June, but I'm not really sure after that," Vachris said. Despite not committing to a specific school due to his LSAT test, he is planning on looking somewhere back on the East Coast, despite being from San Diego, CA.

Being on the Ice Jacks might be the last time Vachris will play on a hockey team. "I will probably play a men's league. I don't think I'll take it any further than this, so it will be fun to end my career here," Vachris said with the biggest smile on his face.

Vachris isn't the only one who has Law School in his future; starting goaltender James Korte has been accepted into Denver University Law School.

When Korte had to describe playing for the team, it was visible that he was going to miss it.

"It's been great. I've loved every second of it," he said, "everyone here is like brothers now, especially the guys that I've played with for four years here, and I've just loved it."  

As Korte will attend Law School in Denver, another goaltender on the Ice Jacks expects to attend a big university too.

Goaltender S.J. Graupensperger has been accepted into a Bowling Green Ph.D. program. He will have interviews at Indiana University and West Virginia University and hopes to pursue a doctoral degree in sports psychology.

"From there, I will probably try and work as a sports psychologist applied and in the research setting," Graupensperger said. "The next six years I am looking at more school."

Now when it comes to playing hockey, he will take a different approach on playing the sport.

"I'm going to switch my focus to the coaching side of things. I've already got into that pretty well," Graupensperger said. "For the past six summers now I have been head goaltending instructor for the prohibitions hockey camp and the goaltending director here for Flagstaff youth hockey association."

Once Korte gets his doctorate degree, he will be putting more effort in the coaching side of things, rather than playing for an actual team, or an adult league in Denver.

With a total of nine graduating seniors  NAU in May, these men were able to travel to Boston for the ACHA National Championships, along with ending their season with a 27-11-1 overall record. 

Coming Home From Nationals

Mar. 29, 2014

The NAU Division II hockey team made it all the way to Boston for the 2014 ACHA National Championships, and that was just the easy part. Despite a rough season, the Ice Jacks were in for a tough schedule in Mass.

The Ice Jacks were put in Pool D, and in that pool included the University of New Hampshire, Liberty, and Grand Valley State.

When it comes to the nationals, season records seem to no longer matter as these other teams have played more tough teams than what the Ice Jacks have faced this season.

Nationals started on March 21, and went out until the 25. On the first day of Nationals, the Ice Jacks faced UNH and got more than what they might have expected. The Ice Jacks fell to the Wildcats 3-1.

On the second day of Nationals the Ice Jacks took on Liberty as they played a tough game as well, but slipped away from the win, 6-2.

For the final game for NAU, the Ice Jacks would take on GVS and get a successful win 6-2. The Ice Jacks would not proceed further into the Nationals as UNH would later go into the final game on March 25 with Florida Gulf Coast to grab the national title, winning 5-3.

Despite not making it any further into the Nationals, the Ice Jacks would put on a good show as it was a lot of the Ice Jacks last time playing hockey. 

Pack Your Bags Boys...We're Going to Boston!

March 9, 2014

The news broke through either a Twitter update, a Facebook status, or maybe even a text message reading; Boston Bound. The NAU Division II Ice Jacks are heading to Marlborough, Mass. for the ACHA National Championships over spring break.

 The season didn't come exactly easy for the Ice Jacks this year, but it was all well worth it.  After ending their season with a 27-11-1 record overall and topping out with 55 points this season, the Ice Jacks are ready to take a break.  Well, not really.

Despite the regular season being over, Coach Travis Johanson will make sure the men are in tip-top shape when it comes time to go to nationals.  With this 30-day dry period without hockey, the men will train five days a week with more intense practices on the ice.

"It's going to be big." Johanson says. "Everybody's gotta be working their a-- off because we don't skate for 20 days.  It's gotta go walls to walls practice." Johanson said there won't be any changes in how the team practices, but "system wise, just go over the same stuff because we have to be better in our own zone."

With a handful of graduating seniors on the DII team, heading to nationals is something that put a big smile on all of their faces.  The mindset for each player can be considered very diverse.  While some of the players would prefer to relax and take it easy, others think that hitting the ice hard is the way to go.

"Hopefully we take it serious and keep building as a team, bonding, try to get stuff off-ice in between so we can go out together," said senior forward Zach Vachris. "Grab some lunch, spend as much time together before we go to the natty's, just so that way when we're there, we get all the bumps in the road out."

Senior captain Dylan Butenhoff said the team is working hard to make the most of its nationals bid. "It's all about bearing down. Practices have got to pick up tempo, gotta pick up the intensity." Butenhoff says, "we have a good team, we have all the good talent we need, we just need to put it into place and bear down these next couple practices and head out to Boston and win a couple games."

Going to Boston was on this team's mind from day one, and this isn't their first trip there either.  Vachris was one of the men who have actually been to the nationals before.  The only difference with this trip, Vachris will be on the ice. The fifth-year senior missed the Ice Jacks' previous nationals appearance in 2012 because of an injury.

"It feels good. It's been my fifth year, so going once before to Nationals when I was hurt kinda sucked, but now we're here so it's all good" Vachris adds.

The road to the nationals wasn't as easy as some might think. In their journey to a successful season, there came much dedication.  As these men have to raise $12,000 to send them to Boston, simply qualifying for the tournament might have been the easy part.

The men were able to qualify for the Nationals after ending their season second in the West Division. The men were able to qualify by tying to Utah in their last home game, as well as take the WCHC Championship win in California

There has yet to be a bracket released, but their pool is set.  NAU will face Grand Rapid State, Liberty, and New Hampshire in the Nationals.  Liberty has a record of 28-8, followed by the Ice Jacks at 27-11-1, Grand Valley State with a 19-7-1 record, and New Hampshire falls last with a 19-16-1 overall season record.

As spring break for NAU begins on March 14 and ends on March 23, the Ice Jacks will be in Boston to begin the first day of the Nationals on March 21 to face New Hampshire. Their second game will be against Liberty, and their third game is against Grand Valley State.  These games are located at Northeastern University as the 2014 ACHA National Championship game is scheduled for March 25. 

Phoenix Coyotes Visit Flagstaff?

Okay, so the real Phoenix Coyotes might not have been in Flagstaff, but former NHL players were.  The NAU DII Ice Jacks hosted the Coyote Alums to play for a two-half game on February 8. 

Some of the Coyote Alums included players who previously played for the NHL, played for the Coyotes, or even graduated from NAU.

Despite the Ice Jacks falling to the old timers 11-9, it was a game that was all in good fun for everyone that was on, and off the ice.

Ice Jacks junior Cameron McDonald says, "they were very good, even though they were older, they kicked our a--, so they were very impressive. It was a good experience."

Coach A.J. says that they try and get the alums out every year if possible, and for some of the players, it was more than just a learning experience.

Senior goaltender James Korte says, "It was a lot of fun, it's probably one of my favorite games, just the chemistry between the guys...they're so good and we could learn so much from them, so it was a lot of fun."

The best part about the game, Korte continues, is that "there wasn't any pressure, just playing to have fun."

For some of the guys, playing with these men was on a more personal level, like second string goaltender Anthony Caruso.

"A couple summers ago I was privileged  play on that same team in a league down in Phoenix, so getting to know these guys personally made it that much more fun to play them."

This Coyote alum game was the last home game of the season for the DII Ice Jacks as they prepare for the ACHA National Championships in Marlborough, Massachusetts during spring break.