USA Hockey Adult Hockey

When the Mastodons Hockey Club was established in 2010 in the Chicago area, the majority of the members of the adult team were new to the sport.

In other words, the Mastodons weren’t one of the blue-blood adult teams filled with former juniors or college players.

The guys were raw. They took their lumps early on, but each player was determined to get better.

“It’s all just beginner-level stuff, and we just keep improving,” third-year Mastodons member Scott Heabel said. “No one has played anything official, we just started picking it up and going at it.”

Playing in the Hockey North America league out of the Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville, Illinois, the Mastodons have turned themselves into a reputable team in the C3 Division. It’s completely a team atmosphere for the tight-knit Mastodons.

“It’s the respect we have for one another and the passion we have for the game that keeps us all together,” Heabel said. “We all encourage each other to keep coming out to practice and make things happen and getting in as many skates as you can other places and keep improving. I think we do a great job of that.”

Along with all the improvement, the Mastodons, who play a year-round schedule, won their first league championship in 2011. That season, the team won the summer season after going just 4-5-1 during the regular season. The players love stepping it up come playoff time.

“Anything you get after the regular season is icing on the cake,” said team member Erik Smith.

Heabel calls the Mastodons the most balanced team in the league. Every player knows his role on the team and plays smart hockey.

“We may not be the best, but if we play smart hockey, we’ll do better in the long run,” said Heabel, 42. “A good pass beats any of those other things any day. So if we just keep focusing on that, we’re good.”

The majority of the team is original members. The only time players seem to leave the Mastodons is when they have to relocate for work out of the Chicago area.

“We have a really good retention rate with our people,” said Smith, who is an original team member. “I think it’s because we treat it as more than just going out and playing hockey.”

The Mastodons, who range in age from 26 to 42, are certainly an active hockey team away from the ice. They have their own website —www.mastodonshc.com — and Facebook page that’s updated frequently. The team’s captain and his assistants keep the players updated on what’s going on via email, as well.

“It’s a blast,” said Smith, 35. “We’ve formed a lot of really close friendships, and it’s about more than just hockey now.”

Along with playing in their regular adult league, the Mastodons have made it an annual event to compete in the Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey Championships in Eagle River, Wisconsin.

“This is a lot of fun up here,” said Smith, as he and his teammates braved the cold in February of this year. “There’s a good amount of skill up here and guys are skating hard, but everybody’s having a good time. There’s not a lot of nastiness.”

The Mastodons have played in the Novice Division for three years. The team usually finishes 3-0 in the pool play round but falls in the playoffs.

“We keep getting closer every time,” Heabel said. “This [year we] went to OT and we lost it by one goal. We keep improving. Maybe next year that fourth [game] will come to us.”

If the Mastodons happen to ever win the Novice Division in pond hockey, would the team retire?

“No, we’ll be back,” Heabel said. “We want more of that. We’re trying.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.