By Brittany Burke
The cold, still air inside the Newington arena was broken up by the loud pulsating music emanating from the CCSU locker room as the club hockey team continued to rejoice in their defeat of the Boston College Eagles. To the right you are presented with the sounds of victory and to your left, the yells of players still fighting for the win.
Slowly one by one the players filed out of the locker room in their dress pants and button up shirts until there was hardly anyone left. As senior Joe Dabkowski walked out of the locker room to stand rink side it is hard to believe that just two months prior people were skeptical of whether he would be able to play out the rest of the season.
In the hunt for the Connecticut Governor’s cup senior and co-captain Dabkowski was taken off the ice and brought to the hospital after losing his footing on the ice and crashing into the boards behind the opponent’s net.
Dabkowski was able to skate off on his own, but it was clear at that point that Dabkowski would not be taking the ice for the remainder of the match up against the University of New Haven. What was still unclear about the crash was the severity of the injury, and how long he would have to stay off of the ice.
What was originally diagnosed as a dislocation in the hand by the trainers didn’t keep Dabkowski away from the rink for long. Just a mere month after the incident he was packing his bags and getting ready to embark on the trip of a lifetime, any hockey player’s dream.
On Aug. 12 the 2009-2010 new team roster was announced, a select roster from the American Collegiate Hockey Association filled with the names of 26 Division II hockey players from around North America.
A player’s name on this roster meant that he was given a spot on the ACHA Division II Select Team, and given a chance to travel to Europe to play hockey on a grander scale against countries such as Switzerland, Austria, Italy and France.
It just so happens that the second name on the roster was Joe Dabkowski’s. He was one of two players from Connecticut to be chosen for the select team. The other player being Chris Wagner, a defenseman from University of Connecticut. The ACHA searched over 170 colleges and universities across the country to comprise their team, which included 8,000 athletes from across the United States and Canada.
“He was lucky enough to be selected for the ACHA Division II All Star Team, which on an annual basis goes over to Europe and plays I believe five or six games in six countries. So he goes all over the place, and he had a great time doing it,” said CCSU Head Coach Ben Adams.
For Dabkowski, the experience of traveling overseas and getting to play the game he loves was one of the best experiences of his hockey-filled life. For him, it had always been about hockey.
“I started skating when I was two years old. My grandfather owned a roller skating rink and I used to skate while my dad would work. So I’d skate for a while and I’d go sleep in the back room,” he remembered jovially. “I saw hockey on TV and I was like ‘I want to play that.’ So, at three, I was on the ice and I’m 22, so 19 years of my life on skates.”
Nineteen years later and his passion and drive for the sport have taken him overseas to go compete with some of the best members of other D II schools in an atmosphere that could only be found on a foreign ice rink.
“I think the best games we played were in Germany because both the games they had about 1,200 fans. We had this one game where there were these two guys just banging the drums the whole game. If you picture a soccer game over in Europe just on a smaller scale, it was sort of like that,” Dabkowski said.
The members of the select team met in Albany and began competing on Dec. 29. Their opening game was against Val Vanoise, a team based out of Pralognan, France, where they beat them in a blow out of 17-0.
The win against France was just the beginning for the select team. Their trip came to a close in Ehrwald, Austria on Jan. 6 against EC Ehrwald, where they won their sixth and final game to end their trip undefeated.
“It was one of best experiences of my life. It was playing with some of the best kids from all around the country at this level. So I couldn’t wait to just get over there and get to play hockey in Europe. I mean, how many times can you say you’ve done that?” Dabkowski said. “I got to see some awesome things that I’d never be able to see over here.”
In a country where football reigns on Sundays, baseball is America’s pastime and hockey only matters during the Stanley Cup playoffs or a Winter Olympic year, it is important to take whatever playing opportunity comes your way.
