Kasey Peach made the decision to come to the University of Idaho to focus on academics, not athletics. But he didn’t have to.
Hockey has been a part of the UI senior’s life since he first learned how to skate at 4 years old.
After growing up with the sport, he decided to take a step back as he approached his collegiate years.
Peach made the decision to not take the gamble with junior hockey and instead focused on his academics at Idaho. Despite coming to the university to focus on school, Peach did not want to leave his life-long sport completely behind. “At some point, everyone has to hang up their jersey,”Peach said. “I just wasn’t ready yet.”
Photo by: Sydney Brass
The Vandal men’s club hockey was a perfect outlet for him — he could continue to play the sport he loves, while still focusing on his academic path as a chemical engineer.
It is not typical for a person to go straight from playing in high school to college the next year, Peach said. Usually athletes will spend time in the juniors, akin to a semi-professional hockey league.
Junior hockey most often produces the next batch of collegiate hockey players.
“In Division I programs, you will usually have 21-year-old freshman, all people who have matured and got much better,” Peach said.
It was a path Peach could have taken. He said he knew he had the skills necessary to compete in the juniors, but did not want to take the risk involved in moving to the next level.
Instead, Peach prioritized keeping his academic scholarships and continued his academic career.
The Idaho men’s club hockey is one of the longest running sport clubs at the university. Since it is not affiliated with Idaho Athletics, it is completely run by student players like Peach.
“Sophomore year, I was voted in as captain,” Peach said. “That was a lot for me to take on as school was ramping up, but I have really enjoyed it.”
Peach is still currently the captain of the team and has helped push the team through his strong leadership.
The team did not have bad leadership at the helm before, Peach said, but it was less organized than it is today. Getting the team in shape to the point Peach wanted did not come easy, he said, but the work was worth it.
“Seeing what a concerted effort can do for a group was very rewarding in that sense,” Peach said.
Dustin Pierce, current president of the club, said Peach took over leading practices as captain. Peach focused on pushing the players not only in their skills and abilities on the ice, but off as well.
“He really keeps us going at dryland. Not a ton of guys enjoy it the most, but he’s always positive — and the results show,” Pierce said.
The Vandals play at the Palouse Ice Rink, which is only a three-quarter sized rink in comparison to NCAA collegiate rink standards. The club only has one night of ice time per week, so training off the ice is important to stay in shape as well as keeping a focused mind as gameday approaches, Pierce said.
“Once a week, I try to get all the guys out to the Kibbie Dome to run stairs or in (Student Recreation Center) spinning on bikes,” Peach said.
While their current ice facilities are functional, the team has long been pushing to get it upgraded to the NCAA full- size standard. In the three-quarter sized rink, only four-on-four matchups are permitted, compared to the standard five-on-five.
“It is hard to compete with teams that can host five-on-five games and practice more often than we do,” Peach said. Since Idaho has a club team, they do not have a set coach. The coaches they do have are former players, but are not guaranteed to stay, Peach said. It is because of this he, as captain, takes on added responsibilities.
As captain and defacto team coach, Peach writes all practice plans and takes on the responsibilities a coach would generally have.
The hard work paid off during Peach’s first year as captain when they played rival Boise State. “We beat Boise State in their rivalry games for the first time in five or six years, which was really special,” Peach said.
Nick Grover, a former player and coach for the team, said it was obvious Peach was different. From his freshman year, it was clear Peach knew what he was doing.
“(Peach) has basically been the reason that we have stayed afloat,” Grover said. “Since I have been here, the team has been a little bit rough, but when (Peach) came around, things changed.”
One thing the team is also pushing for is more publicity to attract new players, Peach said.
“We know that there are guys that play here at UI, but they maybe just don’t know about it or are scared of the time commitment,” Grover said.
The team practices twice a week for a total of about four hours, Pierce said, with games on weekends with the team traveling in and out of state.
“People are afraid of sacrificing their social lives for this huge commitment but that isn’t what it is at all,” Grover said. “They are at college on their own for the first time but playing club is honestly so beneficial.”
In his final year here, Peach is focused on not only his time with the team, but the future of the club as well.
“The future of the team is very important to me and hopefully we can bring on a leadership position in the form of a coach soon,” Peach said.
Peach now strives to leave his mark during his last year at the university — from helping grow publicity to pushing the players to new levels on and off the ice.
A key component in growth? Peach’s leadership.
“You are a leader in the locker room, on the ice, off the ice, you have to conduct yourself in a way and keep a good attitude,” Peach said.
Connor Swersey can be reached at [email protected]