Snow swirls behind him as his ice skates shred the ice with agility and precision. Sophomore Erevis Sosniak has proudly played the fast-paced, skillful, and copiously violent sport of hockey for the past twelve years.
“I love the feeling of zipping by people, you know,” Sosniak said. “Going through them, them getting angry, but [they] still can’t catch me. ”
Playing hockey has given Sosniak an excuse to display his illustrious strength and stamina, as well as connecting him with his existing and growing family of teammates.
“The relationship with my team, it’s really good,” Sosniak said. “So we all consider ourselves like a family, since we spend so long with each other. It’s like nine months of our lives. We just spend so much time with each other, we get to know each other so much to the point where we’re like brothers and sisters. We normally goof around at the hotels, you know, that kind of stuff. Coach definitely does try to plan stuff. Like, last year we went go-karting a lot.”
Two years ago, however, Sosniak made a big change that altered the way he played and experienced hockey for the better, transitioning from a local league to a traveling league.
“I can rely on my teammates way more because in house,, anyone can get on. But in travel, you really have to try out,” Sosniak said. “You definitely got it where you’re at a different level where you could trust all your teammates completely, you know they’re gonna do their job…We went to Seattle, and I remember the first checking, I was skating and two really large dudes tried to come in, I sidestepped them and they both crashed into each other and fell down. It was so funny.”
One prominent influence for hockey has been his father, who supported Sosniak playing the sport from the beginning, and is, in part, one of the people most responsible for his success on the ice.
“I try to always support him in all the things he loves to do…getting extra hockey lessons when he needs it, telling him that his mother and I support him in anything and everything that he aspires to do,” Sosniak’s father Gregory Sosniak said. “I hope that inspires him to continue to play hockey, especially when it becomes difficult and feels like he no longer wants to play.”
Despite his distinguished influence and marvelous performances, not everything has been easy for Sosniak. Some of the greatest moments of a game have immediately followed, or preceded, a devastating injury.
“The most challenging part of hockey is getting over the mental part of hitting people or being hit,” Sosniak said.”I had a guy grab me with his hockey stick around the back of my knee and chuck me, and the ref didn’t even call anything…I used to skate very tall. I would stay tall, but once checking occurred, I would get blown up and get sent flying because my center of gravity wasn’t low enough.”
Nevertheless, considering physical injury, Sosniak’ father understands and empathizes with some of the deeper problems associated with sports like hockey.
“I think the biggest challenge that Erevis faces is really believing that he is a very talented hockey player,” Gregory Sosniak said.“That it isn’t just his dad or mom saying that but [is something that] other kids on his team and other parents in the stands truly see. Believing in ourselves as much as those who love us believe in us is one of the hardest things to do in life.”
Through everything that hockey can, and has, thrown at him, Sosniak has found ways to overcome his injuries and still manage to pursue the sport with enthusiasm and eminence.
“The best way I can describe it is a quote in Ted Lasso, “be a goldfish” meaning just be able to let go of any negative associations with injuries or losses,” Sosniak said. ”Just look at them for what they actually are. No emotions.”
Excellence on the ice and outstanding leadership in his hockey family has driven Sosniak to do many great things. But Sosniak’s ambition stretches further than that, even to the NHL.
“I think it’s my love of the game, but also my dad,” Sosniak said. “Because I want to prove to him that I’m really good, because he played hockey first. He’s probably the biggest reason why I play hockey. So I definitely just want to put my all out there and make sure I’m making him proud… but, yeah I would love to play in the NHL.”
