The ice is slick, the stadium is cold, a lone figure skates out onto the ice heading towards the goal. The figure is starting goalie for the Cedar Rapids High School Rough Riders, Jack Drahos. 

Drahos, a senior, began playing hockey when he was just 6 years old. He began playing for the Rough Rider’s Mini Mites. From the start Drahos has always played the position of goalie, he does not know why, it just happened. He said he began playing because it is “ferda boys” and his family enjoyed watching hockey games together. “My dad signed me up and my journey began,” Drahos stated.

Being a goalie is not the easiest thing. Drahos believes that there is a lot of pressure in being a goalie. Your job is to defend the goal and if a puck goes in, it’s your fault. Your teammates are constantly relying on you to have their back while they work on scoring. Although this role is full of high stakes pressure Drahos doesn’t mind. He enjoys the rush of excitement when he catches a puck, stopping the other competitors from scoring. 

Being on a club team Drahos gets to spend lots of valuable time with his friends. “I get to go on lots of roadies with the boys, spend lots of hotel time with them, and most of my time away from home is spent with the boys.” According to Drahos he has no favorite teammate, “I have none, I love all the boys.” 

Anyone that has seen a hockey game knows that they can get a little rough. Just a few weeks ago one of Jack’s teammates was rocked so hard he got a concussion. He was skating with the puck across the red line when an opposing player skated up and checked him so hard he slammed his head on the ice. This quarrel was likely because the Rough Riders were facing one of their rivals, the Dubuque Saints. Between the two feuds many injuries have been inflicted on each other, causing the tension between them to rise. But believe it or not the Dubuque Saints are not their number one rivals. Drahos believes that their biggest rival is the Waterloo Warriors. Everyone on the Rough Rider hockey team despises the Warriors because they have always been on top of the league. They use their anger towards them every time they play to try to beat them. 

The sport is no small time commitment, it is full of practice, on and off the ice, and driving. He has practice nearly every day of the week and on weekends Drahos often has games taking up his time. Although it’s a frequent drive to the Cedar Rapids ice arena, Drahos does not mind. He doesn’t mind the short ride over because he knows that soon he will be playing the sport he loves. Often times hockey season lasts from the beginning of November until March. 

 Hockey is something that the whole Drahos family loves, and because of this, it brings them together. They have always been able to bond over the game.  The Pittsburgh Penguins is their favorite team and they frequently cheer them on through the TV. 

Another reason Drahos loves this sport is his teammates. From the very beginning of Drahos’ hockey career he’s played with the same guys, this obviously has led to a very strong bond. They are some of the best people he’s ever met and they’ve even gotten stuck in an elevator for an hour and a half together. 

The final factor endearing Drahos to hockey is that most of his friends at school can’t ice skate and he enjoys holding that above them.