USA Hockey Adult Hockey

In his professional life, Rob Pertzborn is an architect. Designing is his passion.

Away from the office, Pertzborn also has a knack of designing — a hockey team that is.

“We realized that there were enough skating designers in town that we thought we’d make our own team back in 2001, and that’s what we did,” Pertzborn said. “At one time, there were probably seven different firms represented on the team.”

These days, Pertzborn’s adult hockey team, the Phatties, who are based in Bozeman, Mont., is comprised of about half architects. Since Montana State University boasts a strong architectural program, Pertzborn likes to attract college-age players for his team. The team’s running joke is that it wants to score in the offseason by adding new skaters.

“Now if we hear of someone who is an architect that is skating, we usually try to seek them out and get them on the team,” Pertzborn said.

The Phatties play in the rec level the Bozeman Adult Hockey League (BAHL). Bozeman only has a population of about 40,000 people, but remarkably there are 550 adult hockey players in the league.

The BAHL is growing enough that a second rink is being constructed and will be attached to the current rink, Haynes Pavilion. And, yes, Pertzborn worked on the design of both buildings.

Pertzborn is the co-founder and captain of the Phatties. The name is a play on the shape adult hockey players are in once they get older, as well as the name of a large burrito from the team’s original sponsor, La Parrilla, a Mexican restaurant.

“Since the founding, we have branched out to a farm team, Phat Pharm, and a retirement team, Glue Phactory,” Pertzborn said. “We have a good downward sliding skill system set up to ensure we have a stream of talent and a place to go out to the pasture.”

Sense of humor is not an issue for the guys who play on Phatties. The guys play pretty loose on and off the ice. Fun is the name of the game.

“Going by Pertzy’s rules, you’ve got to be good in the locker room or on the ice to be on the team,” said team member Orlando Piva, who is also an architect. “We usually have a pretty good time.”

What makes it such a good time to play with the guys?

“I think it’s just all the different individual personalities,” said Piva, 43, who has played on the team for a decade. “There are good people at heart and some really good sense of humor.”

“The fact that we’ve known each other for a long time,” Pertzborn said. “One of our sayings is, ‘It ain’t about the hockey.’ It’s fun. We can all let our hair down and then we go back to our professional lives.”

The guys know each other well on and off the ice. They try to get together for special events, but the hangouts seem to always revolve around hockey.

“When it comes time for the Stanley Cup, we designate different houses to watch,” Pertzborn said.

The Phatties players range in age from 28 to 51, with the average about 40. Pertzborn, 47, noted there are about five guys on the team who are original members.

The levels of hockey experience vary greatly. Most of the guys started playing as adults. Growing up in Madison, Wis., Pertzborn never played organized hockey until he was in his early 20s.

The Phatties took home the league title in 2002-03 in just their second year of existence, but they generally finish in the middle of the standings in the competitive rec league.

“We can beat anyone and we can get beat by anyone,” Pertzborn said.

The guys like to travel and compete in a couple tournaments per year around Montana and Wyoming. The Phatties also host a giant Winter Classic tournament every President’s Day weekend.

When the Phatties are on the ice, it’s guaranteed to be a good time.

“You like to play some good hockey if you can, but mostly have a good time and enjoy doing it,” Piva said.

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.