On Dec. 30, an email was sent out to inform the Kingswood Oxford community that the annual Ryan Gordon Hockey Night has been postponed due to the continuous rise in COVID-19 cases. Fortunately, this event has been rescheduled to Saturday, Feb. 19, against Hamden Hall at Simsbury Farms, an outdoor hockey rink.
Hockey Night was started in 2000 by Spanish teacher Ron Garcia, founder of Team Tobati, and former varsity boys hockey Coach John Riley. Coach Riley had chaperoned several Team Tobati trips and sought a way to raise money for the cause. With the help of many others, he decided that a nighttime hockey game would be a great way to accomplish this goal. Over the past 20 years, Hockey Night has raised nearly $80,000 for Team Tobati from the sale of tickets, concessions, and Hockey Night merchandise.
Head varsity hockey Coach John Hissick believes that Hockey Night is an important tradition for KO because it celebrates school pride and strengthens the connection between the student body, players, and the overall KO community.
“Representing your classmates and school in competition is a matter of pride,” Coach Hissick said. “KO Teams want to win and represent their school; having a big student body in attendance amps up that desire and brings out the best in our athletes.”
Since 2006, Hockey Night has been named and played in honor of Ryan Gordon ’05. Ryan was born with VATER Syndrome, a group of congenital disabilities that includes a severely affected esophagus, which leads to chronic lung disease. Ryan never let his health issues stand in his way. After over 40 procedures, he continued pursuing the activities he loved: playing golf, managing the KO hockey team, and broadcast journalism. After graduating from KO with honors, Ryan pursued the last of those dreams at the University of Central Florida.
Toward the end of his first semester of college, Ryan knew he was seriously ill and returned home, where he eventually was hospitalized on Thanksgiving Day. It was found that Ryan had squamous cell carcinoma, which he sadly succumbed to in February 2006.
Before he passed away, Ryan made it clear that he wanted his college funds to be donated to many Connecticut charities that helped him throughout his life and his illness. From this, Ryan’s Circle of Giving was born. This organization now gives a Team Tobati scholarship each year to a KO student who would not otherwise be able to participate in this program.
Director of Athletics Josh Balabuch is thrilled that KO is still planning to host Hockey Night this year. “The high numbers across the state has forced us to limit spectators for all contests,” he said. “The limitation would take away the excitement of Hockey Night if the student body was not able to attend.” Mr. Balabuch thinks that it was a well-thought decision to reschedule Hockey Night. “It was without a doubt the correct decision to postpone the event for now as nearly every other school has delayed the start of contests as well,” he said.
While Coach Hissick was disappointed with this event being postponed, he thinks it was the right decision to reschedule as we all have a responsibility to keep each other safe from COVID-19. “The winter months seem to be the time of year where the virus thrives,” Coach Hissick said. “Being responsible and smart so as not to infect others is something we need to be aware of and support.” Nonetheless, he is looking forward to the rescheduled date when conditions are safer for everyone to attend Hockey Night.
Senior hockey player and Co-captain Will Berckemyer is looking forward to this event and believes that the postponement was the right call to make. “Seeing how there are so many COVID-19 cases, it made sense to reschedule Hockey Night,” Will said, “and I am so glad we can have it soon and be able to play in front of the KO Community. Will loves Hockey Night because since KO no longer has a hockey rink, it provides an excellent opportunity for the KO community to support the hockey team.
Coach Hissick kept his hopes up and is very glad to see this event rescheduled for the hockey team. “Until then, the ice hockey team will be working hard, playing hard, and looking to put up more wins for KO,” Coach Hissick said.
Mr. Balabuch looks forward to seeing the hockey team compete in front of the entire student body. “This team is still undefeated and looking primed for a postseason appearance,” he said.
This event being rescheduled is an immense joy for the KO community, as it is a major sporting event for our school and comes with a lot of Wyvern pride.
