One of the newest members of Ohio’s club hockey team, freshman defenseman James Hubbard, owes much of his early interest in the sport to his older brother, Jonathan.
“My brother started playing hockey first and ever since then, I fell in love with it,” Hubbard said.
Hubbard adds depth to an already-strong Bobcat defensive squad, which will be looking to hold together a team that will be without the leading scorer of the 2011-2012 season and second on the Ohio all-time leading scorer list, Michael Shultz.
Ohio coach Dan Morris sees Hubbard making an impact this season with his defensive play.
“We’ve got eight really good defensemen, and we generally dress six or seven ... he’ll get some (ice) time,” Morris said.
Hubbard, who grew up in Raleigh, N.C., spent much of his young life on the ice. After picking up the game at the age of five, he played for the East Coast Eagles, a AA travel-league team from Cary, N.C, until he graduated from Enloe High School.
Hubbard then took the next step toward playing college hockey, joining the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League in Boston and playing for Walpole Express.
“When I graduated high school, I moved to Boston for three years and played juniors up there ... (it) was one of the most important times in my life and hockey career, because of the people I was able to meet and the bond I shared with my teammates,” Hubbard said.
Since returning home from Boston, Hubbard has spent time away from competitive hockey, instead attending Wake Technical Community College and working as a teacher with Prime Time Hockey, an all-levels hockey school based in Raleigh.
Staying away from the competitive aspect of the game that has always played such a large role in his life has been difficult for Hubbard, who is returning to the ice after a three-year hiatus.
The camaraderie that bonds a player and his teammates — arguably the backbone of any great team — seems to top his list of things he’s missed the most.
“One of the things that made me want to come back was missing the feeling of being around a team, being in the locker room, road trips — knowing that you always have your buddies there and doing a lot of stuff with them,” Hubbard said.
With the Bobcats starting the season this weekend in a two-game series against the John Carroll Blue Streaks, Hubbard looks forward to the opportunity to get back to the game that he loves.
“I’m excited, but it’s been a long time since I’ve actually played in a competitive game, so it’s a little nerve-racking, too,” he said.
jd202409@ohiou.edu
