Latest / College Hockey Mouth / Episode 32: Jacob Green | St. Leo University Hockey

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Episode 32: Jacob Green | St. Leo University Hockey · College Hockey Mouth

• speaker-0: Hello everybody and welcome back to College Hockey Mouth, a college hockey south podcast, episode number thirty-two, and the regular season has commenced. Almost all of the College Hockey South teams have in one way, shape, or form gotten underway and they're about to get underway at some big matchups this weekend. Devin Sarah joined alongside our co hosts Jordan Manning and Danny Bohm. Guys, a ⁓ fun first weekend of the ACHA. Almost all teams in action. Across the league. How'd you guys spend your weekend and what's new in your world? speaker-1: ⁓ to be honest, Devin, no one cares that how my weekend was. We just want to talk about what's going on here. All right. We just want to talk about what's going on here. But first first things first, want to mention something over my shoulder here. Have the jersey of ⁓ Roberto Clemente. Today is ⁓ September 15th, which is Roberto Clemente Day in Major League Baseball. And it's an important day ⁓ honoring, you know, the late great Roberto Clemente. ⁓ who not only was a fantastic baseball player, three thousand hits, Hall of Famer, World Series champion, ⁓ but he was a incredible humanitarian helping out people in need all over Latin America, especially in ⁓ his home country, Puerto Rico. And I think it's pertinent because ⁓ you know, we have a story in the works that's gonna be highlighting the work in the community of one of our teams that I'm very, very proud of. ⁓ not only their work, but also the work that's been done on the story. And I think it tells a really important story. And it's an important cause and something that's very widely talked about in ⁓ today's day and age. So leave it there. That'll come out in in the next few weeks. But yes. Huge Texas W. ⁓ my goodness, that was sweet. That was a sweet one boys. You cannot lie. That was fantastic. Ohio State, man, they had us in the first half. They really did. And basically the third quarter, but we got it done. This this year's different, Devin. Okay? This this year's different. I knew it was it was different in 2023 when we made our return to the top of college football. This year, this year is gonna be different. ⁓ man, I'm excited after that that win. Another huge one against UTSA San San Antonio. ⁓ basically just as good as Ohio State. So we gotta we gotta come prepared. Number one team in the country. I don't know if you guys know that. speaker-0: Very solid. Very solid. Full disclaimer, I think Ohio State is the better team, but they lost the game. And hopefully they're not punished by the K C F P because they had the guts to go and take on a number four Texas team in their own stadium. Pretty cool stuff though on the K C F P side. Jordan Manning, how are you doing, brother? speaker-3: I'm doing great. Just spent the weekend back at home after college. ⁓ I'm looking really forward to the next couple of weeks, not just 'cause CHS, but also because the prayers, their season's starting up soon. They had the prospect tournament. We swept the competition. It was nice and you know, the young guys play. But I'm really looking forward to, you know, when the season actually does start, you know, kicking tires. I think we're gonna be an okay-ish team. So I'm kinda positive, kind of like negative going into this season, but overall pretty exciting. speaker-1: Okay ish. I I think is is probably the most positive projection you can have for the predators. I I did I did not feel so great about them, but speaker-3: Yeah. speaker-1: Yeah, as a Blackhawks fan, you know, I would go with Okayish as as the best possible projection as well. So Yeah, but you know what speaker-3: Evangelista Stefan Downhill. speaker-1: Dude, he's he has to be crying himself to sleep. He had to be looking for apartments in Newark after living in Nashville. A young guy like him. God. We and we have a bunch of New Jersey fellas and and gals on on the team at CHS, so they're gonna see this and absolutely hate it. But you know what? You know it's true. Everyone would rather live in Nashville. speaker-3: At least he has Cody Glass there. Well speaker-0: If nothing else, Nashville is one of my favorite cities in America nowadays. Maybe they'll have a team that's better than, you know, my team. At least you guys have a feature. I feel like I'm watching a rudderless boat just explode and it's headed toward the rock and it can't go anywhere else. But I digress because there's better things to talk about than the NHL right now, which is coming soon. College hockey south, back underway, boys. And we're gonna ⁓ talk to a member of the Saint Leo. Man's hockey team and Jacob Green. We're gonna bring that interview to you now. Jacob, you're our first guest of the new season. How you doing? speaker-2: ⁓ well I'm honored to be the the first guest guys. I'm pumped to be here. I'm re really, really appreciative of ⁓ you guys having me on. speaker-0: Yes, sir, man. We're happy to have you in one of the newer ish programs in ACHA and college hockey south, of course. But ⁓ you know, you're you're you're from Massachusetts. Tell us about your start in hockey growing up and you know, ultimately kind of your journey as a young guy. speaker-2: Yeah, ⁓ really ⁓ I started late. I'm an only child. Both my parents ⁓ you know, not not very into sports, but ⁓ they threw me into all the sports growing up. Tried soccer, ⁓ baseball, basketball, nothing stuck. I am one of the most unathletic kids you'll ever meet. But for w whatever reason, ⁓ hockey hockey was something I was I was decent at. I like I said, I I started late. I I got into it 'cause ⁓ my best friend still one of my best friends to this day was playing hockey and I was like Man, I wanna be just like him. So ⁓ I was going out there, ten years old, the biggest mosquito you've ever seen, playing with all these you know, I looked pretty goofy, but I I loved it so much. And ⁓ Yeah, yeah, since then I played a handful of seasons. ⁓ wasn't till I got into high school where I was given an opportunity to try out for a a triple A team and ⁓ you know, I was like, I I've got no business trying out for this team. There's there's no reason to do it. But I I went out and the coach, you know ⁓ Coach Coleman, he saw some sort of talent in me that I didn't, I guess, and he brought me on and and I think without him I wouldn't be playing hockey anymore. He kinda helped me gain a little more confidence in myself and ⁓ you know, just love the game even more. And ⁓ yeah, without him I would not be playing playing hockey anymore. And and then yeah, coming into St. Leo, there was no hockey team. My freshman year I was reached out to on Instagram by ⁓ Jack Prieto. Jack's done everything for St. Leo hockey. He put the team together. He he you know, was the first one on on campus to be like, let's let's create this hockey team. So he's the pillar of of Saint Leo hockey for sure. ⁓ he reached out via Instagram, he said, Hey, we saw your your Saint Leo class of twenty six spotlight and you looks like you play hockey, you wanna be on this team? And I'm like, Yeah and ⁓ that was that was four years ago. I'm going into my fifth season now as a as a graduate student and ⁓ I could not be more pumped for it. Yeah, so speaker-1: You're all the way up there in mass. ⁓ what let and you know what, the just about everyone we've had on ⁓ the podcast usually gives the same answer when we ask this question, like how'd you end up at one of these southern schools? Was it was it just the weather? But you know, ⁓ maybe like s more specifically, Saint Leo in in general. Because, you know, not a le not a lot of people know about Saint Leo. speaker-2: No, no. I ⁓ well, I knew I wanted to come to Florida. My family and I, we vacationed in in Saint Petersburg, ⁓ St. Pete Beach all my life growing up. So I was like, Well, if I go to college in Florida, then every day's a vacation. And you know, obviously that's that's not completely true, but yeah, the weather's great. It's funny. So my dream school growing up was University of Tampa. Didn't work out that way. Didn't get in freshman fall semester, somehow I got in spring semester there, but you know, between that and the money That wasn't gonna be it, but I I wanted to be in the Tampa area and I stumbled upon this small, small private Catholic school, Saint Leo University in in the middle of nowhere, Florida. Close enough to Tampa though, so I I knew the area and I was like, Screw it, there's the pla the the last school I applied to and ⁓ one of the best decisions I've ever made coming coming down here and graduating from Saint Leo last year and coming back to to for my master's degree. speaker-1: Yeah, so you're you're close enough to where you've have you gone to all four Gaspies since you've been down there? speaker-2: Absolutely. Absolutely. And ⁓ man, these ⁓ pirates, these buccaneers know how to work. speaker-0: These buccaneers is crazy. Well, did you go to the last one when it was like negative twenty degrees outside? It was I was there for that. Dude, brutal. speaker-1: I did too, yeah. speaker-2: Terrible. Terrible conditions, but you know, have a couple couple of beers in ya and it helps out a little bit. It keeps you warm. speaker-1: It will me up. speaker-0: Warm enough. I mean, what what did that day look like for you? Because I went with my boys to see the pirate ship, you know, because I had never been to that scene before. And I remember showing up thinking like I feel like I'm just back in Michigan where it's like fake winter or like fake spring, but it's still winter. So like you know, how did you like where'd you go when that's that all went down? How did you stay warm? speaker-2: I I didn't I was wearing I actually I was wearing a Bruins jersey and jeans. We left so I I was also part of ⁓ a fraternity at Saint Leo so we had a we had a party bus and ⁓ so we we left from our our off campus house with ⁓ you know, all the guys in the frat plus a a bunch more people and you know, just went down there. We got dropped off right outside of Soho. Some of us went and did like the the the bar crawl, some of us went to to ⁓ the the street the parade was on and ⁓ Me, I started at the bar crawl and was like, This isn't fun so I ⁓ soloed my way over to ⁓ to Bayshore and ⁓ Yep, just ⁓ you made made some friends on the way and then finally found my people on Bayshore and saw the parade and had a good time and somehow all of us made it back to the party bus and you know, I was surprised all of us made it back to the party bus but it was a good time. speaker-0: Jordo I don't know what where where Jordel was in the the conversation, but ⁓ you know, I the the funny thing I initially started with was my friend had a leather jacket that wasn't doing squat for her. So I had on this like puffer coat and I gave her what I had. And it was like one of those like raggedy puffer coats. It doesn't actually keep you warm. So I was also in a t shirt. I'm glad you had the jersey. I obviously the stadium series game was electric, so you know, that was part of the festive there. But like I I don't I don't know if I've ever experienced a day in Tampa like, ⁓ yeah, it's snowing today and like this is like being home. 'Cause I just felt like after I got a few brews in me, I'm of age, of course, like I I was totally fine. So I'm sure you were you were on the same boat. Yeah. No pun intended. speaker-2: Yeah, no the bruise the bruise, like you said, certainly helps. They nice little warm jacket over yourself with the bruise, but speaker-0: Yeah, it's an eternal jacket, you know? Yeah, absolutely. Hell froze over that day for sure. speaker-2: Yep, yep. Absolutely. Yeah. speaker-1: So the thing about that was more than anything, because I I was there for the CHS ⁓ showcase that we had there. More than anything, it was windy as hell. Mm-hmm. Like we were indoors at the nest where you guys have your home games and we could hear the wind. And it was almost like it was gonna break the glass. And that's what of course the one time I go down to Tampa it's it's it's twenty degrees with the wind chill right in the teens. But ⁓ yeah, ⁓ I feel like the nest is ⁓ Do they still have the dirt roads that go there? ⁓ speaker-2: No believe it or not. Well actually one way. W one way is still one way's still dirt road, but no the the way off of ⁓ State Road fifty two, it's all paved now. It's all paved. They got they they're putting up some other stuff in the area and ⁓ Yeah, it's looking better. It's you know, you're still in the middle of cowfields, but ⁓ you know, it's slowly growing. speaker-1: I think. Yeah. So I've I've gotta give a little anecdote 'cause I don't know if ⁓ the story made it onto the podcast last year, but ⁓ for that tournament, you know, drove down there, I have no clue where the nest is. First time being in that area, and I'm listening to the directions and it says turn left and there's not a road there. Like what you you want me to turn where? Like there's a bush. You want me to turn into the bush? Anyways, find my way there. And obviously made a bunch of trips back and forth because it was multiple days, and when I'm driving back from Tampa to Atlanta where I live, my tire explodes. Like completely disintegrates. And I s and you know what? I hate to put the nest on blast like this, but I've gotta believe that the dirt road with all the rocks on it had to do a little bit of damage to my speaker-2: It it most certainly did. Yeah. Yeah. It's it's it's funny that w like that road is terrible. In fact, we'll ⁓ 'cause now ⁓ me and a few of the other ⁓ guys on the team we live south of Nest, so we'll we'll take that dirt road. Last week before practice I got a call up from ⁓ from AJ Salvadori and he's like, dude, don't take the dirt road. Don't take the dirt road, it's it's it's swamped, it's flooded, don't take the dirt road. So th those ⁓ those good comms by him, so Yeah, no, it's ⁓ it's a challenge challenge sometimes to get to nest. It's I I find it comical that some of these you know, teams from from these bigger schools who play at you know, at the at the Igloo or or even just at Advent here in Wesley Chapel, you know, just driving up and playing in this in this rink in the middle of nowhere. So I find that a little comical. speaker-1: For sure. speaker-0: You know, I I think it's really fun that you have like really just peak unique experiences. I feel like every time we talk to people that are like in Florida, they're like, ⁓ man, like ⁓ you know, like we're gonna go to the beach or like we're gonna, you know, get the boys out of the the local bar. But, you know, for you this is this is a bit of a unique journey right there. You know, as far as like when you got down here and you joined the team, what was it like seeing that group come together? You talked about, you know, your coaching staff and and le program leaders, how does St. Leo operate? And in your mind, what was it like compared to what you expected when you got down there? speaker-2: Well, so it it's it's funny 'cause I I didn't know what to expect. I was this freshman moving into college th thinking, you know, ⁓ the only thing I'm gonna do for the rest of my life is play in beer league. Not completely false with how my Saint Leo career started, but ⁓ yeah, no, I was I was really didn't know what to expect, you know, moving to a total different place part of the country. But all I all I knew is like, all right, here I gotta go, I gotta go make friends, I gotta go, you know, check out this team and ⁓ It's funny that 'cause Saint Leo's first three years, this this will be our our fifth year coming up, you know, we weren't in the CHS. My freshman year, we were playing Beer League at ten PM at night, ⁓ in Lakeland, Florida. For our first couple games, we didn't even have Saint Leo jerseys. We were wearing these ugly, ugly brown lacrosse jerseys, 'cause that's all we could find. And you know, props to to Jack Preeto, one of our assistant coaches, ⁓ Dr. Randall Woodard. the head of theology at Saint Leo, this this, you know, Canadian guy born and raised in Saskatchewan, Canada, comes down and, you know, he's has a love for the sport and he helped Jack put the team together and you know, Jack's moved on to to his career and ⁓ but Coach Woodard is still ⁓ he ⁓ we call him Woody. Woody's still still around and he loves the team more than anything else and ⁓ it's great. He opened us into his home immediately with all the guys. He's like this this is place you guys can hang out. Like, you know, if you ever need a call, I'm one ring away. So Coach Woody is is one of the best best guys I've ever gotten to meet and I'm so happy that, you know, five years later he's still is as in love with with the hockey team as as he was the the first day at ten PM at at Lakeland playing those beer league guys. So ⁓ we've come a long way and it's been really fun. speaker-3: So yeah, I wanna ask you 'cause I did a bit of research and ⁓ I saw that you were a ⁓ street hockey ref back in the day. ⁓ could you just like run us through like what like your craziest call was or like what's the craziest thing you've seen on the ice? speaker-2: Yeah, so so I was I was a street hockey ref a little bit. I also refed a few ice hockey games but then covet happened and that that kinda fizzled out. And I'll tell you this, I was not a fantastic ⁓ hockey ref, you know. Just didn't didn't really have it in me, so I could I could speaker-0: You know, a lot of guys don't have the guts to admit that, so credit to you. speaker-2: Yeah. I appreciate that. Yeah, no I recall a time I was refing, you know, these eight year olds, so obviously no hitting yet. So I I like to think of it, you know, they weren't the most skilled kids in the world, so you know, I would let if a kid runs into one kid, I'm not gonna call them for roughing. I'm not that like that's not a check, that's them not knowing how to stop and running into another kid. Well this coach goes off on me on the bench and he's just screaming like If you miss another call We're leaving this game. And I'm like, this is like six PM Sunday night rec league and this coach is acting like it's the big leagues and I I'm I think what, maybe a sophomore in high school at the time. I don't know what the heck to do, so I'm just like, Okay, sir, it won't happen again. It happened again and he you know, he lost his mind on me again and I think that actually ended up being the last game I ever refed. Yeah, refin' ball hockey was a a little more lenient. I had some fun guys, fun dads and You know, we are in a sketchy part of Worcester, Massachusetts, so it's called the Dirty Woo for a reason. Beautiful city, but speaker-1: The dirty woo. Haven't heard that before. speaker-2: Yeah, it's it's got the nickname the Dirty Woo for a reason. And ⁓ yeah, there were a couple of times I had to kick out some parents just 'cause they were not in the right state of mind to be watching, you know, youth ball hockey. So yeah. It was a journey for sure. Would you speaker-1: Say you're you're more lenient on ⁓ on referees now because you have that perspective, or have you gotten a few tens lipping off speaker-2: Absolutely. I always like to think I'm more lenient to to refs. You know, n now that I've had the letter for Saint Leo, ha had the A on the jersey. You know, I I've they they respect me a little bit more, so I gotta respect them a little bit more. No, absolutely. I I will I'll never dig into a ref. I'll I'll never go in with an angry mind. I almost like being a little more sarcastic. Like I can I can recall a time where, you know, ref missed a call and I just go up to him and I was like, you know that That really looked like a trip. Like, you know, I'm I'm not going out there like, you know, dropping F bombs at the guy. I like calling it mental warfare and ⁓ I've had plenty of times where the ref has like just told me to sc skate away. Go away. I'm like, Okay, okay. So yeah, no, I I definitely ⁓ have have I've I've got respect for refs as long as ⁓ they're not not going too bad on us. speaker-0: Yeah, man. I look, you know, I I've seen in the last half decade or so, and not that I I know anything more or better, but it's funny watching ACA games in Michigan and the kind of treatment teams get up there versus when you come to the south. You know, referees down from my experience have been more actually lenient the s farther south you go. Now maybe that's natural for you, but ⁓ you I'm sure being from Massachusetts, like You know, from what you've seen and just experiencing your short time, how do you assess kind of the growth of the game and not just from referees but from, you know, youth you come across to your own team, the guys you've played against, the guys you've played with? Like has it been like an eye opener for you? And and what's that overall experience been like coming from a hockey market to now in Florida? speaker-2: Certainly it certainly has. I mean, you know, y we're in Florida. I y people wouldn't think that Florida is a, you know, hockey state. I certainly didn't have that that perspective coming in, you know, vacationing here growing up, but but I I saw Tampa. I saw how much, you know, Tampa loves their hockey team. And obviously, you know, Florida is a a big hockey state. We've had what, four Stanley Cups in the past six years down here. It's been great to see. I was not expecting it at all. I really wasn't. I think what the CHS is doing, what ACA is doing for the state of ⁓ Florida and you know, the game of hockey, I think it's been incredible. You know, I we we see teams like University of Tampa, the that men's team. Guy, they c they can go up against some of these, you know, NCAA D one teams if they really wanted to. Those guys are sick. So I was incredibly impressed. I I feel like, you know, it might be because, you know, this is just a club sport, but there there's there's a lot less hard asses. I think, ⁓ down here than compared to Massachusetts, which honestly I I appreciate, you know, 'cause, you know, I love hockey and I love it because it is a serious game, but you know, I don't need somebody strangling me because I ice the puck or something like that. So ⁓ I feel like it's a little more, you know, go with the flow, a little more laid back down here and and that's something I I love. Saying that, my team, teams we play, foot's always on the gas for all sixty minutes, but I think the sport is a little bit more enjoyable, at least for myself, to play down here, than if say I was doing the same thing, doing a club hockey team up in up in Massachusetts. speaker-3: Yeah. Yeah. You mentioned you're from Massachusetts, you know, you're a Bruins fan. Do you have like any NHL players or like any famous athletes, you know, you've modeled your game off of? Not specifically. ⁓ there it is. There it is. Yeah, with like, you know, the boss and everything. Do you have like any other players like you model your game off of? speaker-2: Absolutely. And one of my huge role models, Patrice Bergeron. Growing up playing hockey, I was always a centerman. You know, I'm not that flashy skilled guy. I will be the first to admit that. I am not a flashy skilled guy. I'm not pitting up, you know, crazy points. I'm not, you know, scoring a goal a game type of guy. And Bergeron could do that, but he could also be he's thought of as a the best two way forward in the game that the game's ever seen. So I like to model my game after him. I like being skillful on the offensive side of the puck. just as much as on the defensive side of the puck. Positioning's really important and then just him as a leader too. He obviously was an incredible leader. He only wore the C for what one or two seasons with the Bruins, but when Char was the captain of that team, Bergeron was just as much the captain. And ⁓ yeah, he just a standout guy on and off the ice and a a true role model to myself and any other kid my age growing up as a a Bruins fan in Massachusetts. And yeah, I definitely try to replicate his game. Now I'm a right winger now for St Leo, but I like to think that ⁓ you know, I still have that same two way mentality as a player. speaker-1: I I was hoping you were gonna give like an obscure Bruin from the past. speaker-2: ⁓ I could. I could if I speaker-1: I'd throw in a ⁓ throw in a a a Daniel Pae. speaker-2: I that's that's that's ex actu exactly what I was thinking of, which is funny as soon as I've only met a handful of NHL players in my time. I met ⁓ Daniel Paillet at a meet and greet at a grocery store in Rutland, Massachusetts. And ⁓ he signed my little Daniel Pae hockey card and I was so starstruck I didn't say a word to him. I just made noises and then he took a picture with me and ⁓ I left and I was still speechless for the rest of the day. But that's that's really funny you brought up Paillet. speaker-1: Yeah, ⁓ famously had a ⁓ a PTO at the Blackhawks for about four days and then got cut. Anyways, one thing ⁓ that you brought up that you you wanted to talk about is you you said you wanna talk about Saint Leo's number one fan and you didn't put any ⁓ context behind that. So go ahead. The floor is yours. speaker-2: Yeah, so this guy, he's you know, met him in college, one of my best friends. He'll be one of my groomsmen at my wedding. He's one of my best friends. His name's Adam, you know, he's a funny guy, he's a bigger guy, but he loves loves the hockey team to death. He was my roommate last year, he was the only non-hockey player in a a house full of hockey players and loved the team to death, loved the boys to death, and he ⁓ you know, he would come on the ro he was one of our van drivers. That's how we got into being able to come to all the games with the boys, so he was one of our fan drivers. And he liked to to throw a few back before before games. As many college students do come into any athletic event, they like to pre game the game. And he was well known for that. And he became known at Nest to just be this the biggest nuisance in the world for these these ⁓ opposing teams. And he would just heckle the teams all all game long during intermissions or or getting off the ice during intermissions, he would just go right to the tunnel and just have a scream fest with all these players. ⁓ but I recall a time from last year where he put a good one on and ⁓ he's heckling the goalie, the refs telling him to stop. He's a little bit of embarrassing himself, but it's just too funny not to laugh at. And he's just going at Georgia Southern's goalie and so much so that during first intermission, ⁓ my head coach ⁓ coach Powers and and assistant coach James Gagliano Go over to Adam and they're like, Hey, you gotta simmer it down. You gotta stop, lay off this guy. And Adam's like, Okay, okay, I will, I will. Not twenty seconds into the second period, Adam is right behind the goalies the opposing goalies net, and he's just s giving it right back to the guy. And our our ⁓ photographer, Jesse Peppers, and I can bring this photo up, she took my the most favorite picture in my whole hockey career. And it's not even of me. It's not even of a Saint Leo player, but ⁓ Jesus. speaker-1: He just has too too much slew spirit. Too much slew spirit. speaker-2: Exactly, exactly. And y there's just a this picture, he is there there's the goalie and then he is just grinning in the background. He is just looking right at the cable. And man, he he wouldn't stop and you know what that it worked because it was first ever win for Saint Leo hockey ⁓ in Acha in CHS. So whatever he was doing worked and ⁓ great guy, great guy. ⁓ we're gonna miss him this year. He he graduated with me last year. He's got a speaker-1: I was I was gonna ask can we expect to see him this weekend? speaker-2: No no he ⁓ just started a new job up in New Hampshire. I wish him the best of luck and ⁓ his presence will be missed. speaker-0: You know that meme where it's the Undertaker standing behind like the other wrestler, like and he's just like smiling and he's like, That's that guy. That's like what I'm picturing him as. ⁓ my God. I mean that's the glue guy though. That is the guy that holds the program together, holds the fans together. speaker-2: Yep, we we we would let him into our locker room during during intermissions just just to hype us up a ⁓ some more and he was good at that job. He really was. speaker-0: Dude. I mean, give me that guy and a pack of mustard every day. I mean, like that I'm ready to go. Any period. Double parry, double overtime, doesn't matter, man. Beauty. We had this tip on a Saint Leo account that ⁓ has made waves in our group chat and I don't know elsewhere, probably not a lot of places, but we gotta ask about this TikTok that was posted I I guess recently with the the sound of certified dripper two with money bag yo. Can you can you speak on this? speaker-2: So I'm assuming i i is it just a picture? Is it just a picture with that sound? ⁓ that's okay, that's hockey. So Lover to Death, Jesse Peppers, our ⁓ photographer and social media girl. She has fun with our social media accounts. And ⁓ you know, sometimes I look at what she posts and I'm like, man, what are you doing? But at the same time, you know, any publicity is good publicity and that's, you know, kind of what she's been doing for us so as silly as some of these TikToks are, I love when they pop up. As as many times as I do a good face palm when it's about me, it's you know, funny things to look back at. So yeah, Jesse can keep up the good work and I'm sure there'll be plenty more ⁓ TikToks sent to the group chat of Saint Leo hockey and the funny things that she comes up with. speaker-1: That's where I had to go now. speaker-0: I can respect this ⁓ speaker-2: We don't do those. speaker-0: No, it's original. That that's that's what I'm gonna give a kudos. Do I love it? Absolutely not. I hate TikTok. And this is why I hate TikTok. But I have to find the originality. I'm sorry, I do. I'm an old man in the clouds. Like I hate this app. It's not a Saint Leo thing, it's me. speaker-2: wicked nice picture of me that she took with a a silly sound and then the next TikTok which has like you know thousands of views, me drinking pickle juice on the bench. Yeah. I knew that I knew that's where you're gonna go. Yeah. So yeah, the behind that coach just started bringing pickled pickles for, you know, intermission 'cause what pickles have electrolytes in them. Indeed. And for whatever reason, when that third period comes around, well I can tell you why, it's because I'm you know, I've hit my peak athletic abilities multiple years ago. So I'm just I'm just on the decline now. But ⁓ but ⁓ yeah, what for whatever reason, after that first shift in the third period, I am cramping like no one's ever cramped before. So I will go back to the bench. I will drink out of the pickle juice and for whatever reason it works and I'm sticking with it. It may have even become a superstition that that there needs to be a jar of pickles on the bench for for ⁓ for me to drink. So ⁓ it's certainly a funny one but ⁓ it's something I live by now. ⁓ speaker-1: I think there was one on TikTok that referred to you as like ⁓ the pickle king or maybe the pickle man. I don't know whatever it was. speaker-2: Whatever it does. No, I was ⁓ I was, you know, nominated the Pickle King of ⁓ Saint Leo hockey's twenty twenty six season or twenty twenty five season and that's just ⁓ that's just a role I have to ⁓ go with now. Yep, yep, evidently. speaker-0: ⁓ Jake, we're you're a beauty man. We've talked about a lot here. Yeah, yeah, go ahead, Jordan. speaker-3: Yeah. So you've been Yeah. So you've been on the team for a hot minute. Who have you noticed has, you know, the best sty on the team? speaker-2: Best sty. ⁓ I gotta give it to ⁓ actually our ⁓ newly named ⁓ captain of the team, Augie Pescatori. I hate to say it, but I hate to give him that credit. But absolutely, without a doubt it's Augie. Good funny kid, good guy, and and good sty as well. Whether it's, you know, in his suit and his stupid little yellow bow tie he wears, he loves that thing. Whether it's him in his suit or he's got his gear on, he's got the best sty. He's the probably the most skilled player on the team we have. So with that usually comes a lot of a lot of sty too and he ⁓ definitely checks that box. speaker-1: Also has to be like first team all conference like best names. I whenever I see that in in the box score I I love it. It it just rolls off the tongue real well. Augie Pescator, I love it. And we mentioned it last year. It it's a great name. speaker-2: Well his his his real name is Augustine, so that's even that's even crazier. Like straight out of Italy or something like that. But ⁓ yeah. Augie's he's one of a kind, he's a one of a kind kid, he's a one of a kind player too. I gotta give I gotta give credit to A. J. Salvadori too, one of one of my best friends, just celebrated his ⁓ twenty first birthday last night. So first time it's at Soho, the the bars in Tampa and it might be his last time there too. I don't know if he's gonna be welcomed back, but ⁓ he's speaker-1: ⁓ my god, yeah. Is he okay? speaker-2: He's good. He just you know he likes letting people know it's his twenty first birthday. So he's got some good sty too, that son of a gun he that he is. He's doing the same thing as me ⁓ coming back. He graduated with me in the spring, coming back for his masters so we can play with his ⁓ his younger brother who's a a freshman on the team this year. And that I think something I'm most excited to see this year is those two on the line together tearing it up. It's gonna be special. I speaker-0: Look, they I know you got a special group over there. ⁓ gotta say you're a beauty green. I mean, this is ⁓ fun to watch. And I know being so close, like you said, to the the one of the best cities in Florida, in my opinion. I love Tampa so much. No, you guys get so much going there. You know, as far as like you guys and and your season, and this is the last one I got for ya, what would you give some advice to anybody that was in your shoes when you were moving down there for the first time, when you were looking to play the game? How do you get involved or go to an original program like yours was and and start something. How would you go about it? speaker-2: First thing, you gotta have the idea, obviously, and then you gotta have some good people around you. Like I said, ⁓ Jack Prieto, the the guy who put this all together, he had Woody, his right hand man helping it out, and of course a couple of other guys as well. And you gotta go for it. You know, he worked tirelessly to make the team what it is now and you know, that there were definitely a lot of days where he was probably pissed off w like where's this gonna go and it got there and and you know, he did it with a school of what, on campus, there's just over two thousand kids living on campus, going to St. Leo the the campus at least. And ⁓ that obviously means we have a really, really small pool of of players to to choose from. There's we don't have these these triouts like U Tampa, USF where there's a boatload of kids coming in and trying out for this. We get our players through recruitment and ⁓ we did a decent job o of that this past summer. We have what, four new skaters and two brand new goalies. So I'm really looking forward to it. But yeah, it's all about determination. You know, every year we come in to the new season with just enough players to make a team. Like I said, we don't have a lot of guys to choose from and ⁓ w we're rocking with just two lines and some more bodies as forwards and we have five defensemen. So we we're obviously a short bench and that it does hurt us, but we're not gonna let that kill us. Absolutely not. So yeah, just you gotta be determined and you gotta want it. And ⁓ Jack wanted it. ⁓ the guys before me, my ⁓ Former captain Hunter Gillum wanted it. You know, when I look at the St. Leo hockey Mount Rushmore, you gotta throw Jack Preeto on there. You gotta throw Woody Hunter, my ⁓ roommate and assistant coach, ⁓ James Gagliano. He was president for a little while. Obviously, Coach Powers now, he's you know, this guy has come in, he's our first ever head coach and ⁓ he's doing this out of the love of the game, out of the love of the boys. He's not getting paid for this, but he's a a phenomenal man and he's a great coach and I could not be happier that he took the job. few seasons ago. So yeah, this will be my fifth year on the team. My teammates are already calling me Gramps, they're already calling me Unc and I get it. I I'm the old guy now and I don't mind it, but just to see where this this team has come in five years is is incredible and I'm sure that you know a lot of our opponents take us for granted. But if you if you're gonna come into Nest, you're not gonna lose without shedding a lot of blood, sweat and tears. So I'm super pumped for the season and ⁓ yeah, I'm hoping that we surprise a a lot of people. So it's I can't wait, but we got our first game Friday night at Advent, so it'll be something. It'll be a good test against USF, that's for sure. speaker-0: Well, Jake, like I said, man, and I'm sure Jordan and Danny can attest. Like you seem like just a naturally great dude. Would love to be your teammate. And I know th Saint Leo's lucky to have you part of their squad, man. Good luck this year and appreciate that. ⁓ stay in touch, man. We'll we'll be following you all year long. speaker-2: All right, really appreciate that. Really appreciate you guys having me on and and what you what you guys are doing for for the the state of Florida and hockey. Getting this out there. I love it. I love it so much. So keep doing what you guys are doing and and you know, you guys are awesome. Appreciate it. speaker-0: Thanks for coming on. speaker-3: Yeah, thanks for coming on.