by Mary Kandaharian
The UCLA Ice Hockey goes head to head against rivals such as USC and Stanford. Notable Alumni include Bill Akerman, John Anderson, and Daryl Evans. And now this year, the team includes four outstanding Armenian hockey players.
These individuals are dominant and strong contributive forces for the team. Each of them have their own unique strengths and help create the team dynamics.
The four players include Martin Galstyan, aka the MVP, Hosep Yepremian, aka “the comedian,” Mike Madatovian, aka “the leader,” and last but certainly not least, Allen Grigorian aka “the superstar phenomenon.”
Galstyan is the highest scoring player on the team and has played hockey since the age of ten. “I saw it on TV for the first time and knew I had to play, despite Armenian parents worries of me constantly getting hurt,” Galstyan said.
He played in the USHL in Iowa for 3 years and was eager to choose a school to continue his hockey journey. Galstyan went on to say “it’s always good to have Armenians on the team and I am close with all of these guys.” His pre-game rituals include wearing his right side of the equipment first and not allowing his newly taped stick to touch the ground until the game has begun.
Hosep Yepremian started playing hockey fairly recently, something that is hard to tell on the field. He started out playing roller hockey for one year, and then crossed over to the realm of ice hockey for 3 years. Yepremian started the Armenian roller hockey team at his Armenian school, Arshag Dickranian, but didn’t stop there.
When it came down to choosing the right college for him to continue with his passion he rejected UCI for UCLA’s hockey program. “I drink, eat and live hockey,” Yepremian says, “Hockey is definitely not one of those sports that end at the rink.”
Yepremian claims that his only pre-game habit is wearing the same Armenian cross around his neck in all of the games.
Mike Madatovian, soon to be president of the ice hockey team, started playing hockey in-house six years ago on teams such as the California Golden Bears and went on to play in the Junior National Team. Despite the stress of school, late practices, and balancing a social life, Madatovian has managed to invest time in activities such as playing the piano and guitar.
In regards to the other Armenian hockey players on the team, Madatovian states, “I love these guys, we all knew each other way before the UCLA team… Martin was even my coach.”
Madatovian’s pre-game rituals differ from his Armenian teammates’ in that he puts his left skate on first as well as maintains playoff beards, as most hockey players are known to do.
Allen Grigorian is one of those players UCLA should really watch out for. With confidence, charisma and fire to match that of his favorite hockey player Peter Forsberg, he exudes this attitude outside and inside the borders of the hockey rink.
Grigorian started playing hockey at the age of nine. His points on the roster in both penalty minutes and goals are among the highest, establishing him as a strong force on the ice. Grigorian’s describes his ritual: “I practice Yoga. I feel as though that gives me a balance with a sport as intense as hockey.”
The connection among the athletes on campus is not an invisible one. They all seem to share a common setup: A passion for education, a passion for their sport and an appreciative stance with all other athletes.
Although hockey takes up a lot of their time, multitasking school, athletics, and personal life seems to give these athletes a rewarding college experience and well-rounded personas.
Though hockey is such an underappreciated sport in the sunny Los Angeles, these guys live and breathe it. As Yepremian states, “When people hear you play or enjoy watching hockey, they automatically assume that you are from out of state.”
Now that we are aware of our prominent UCLA hockey team with four outstanding and talented Armenian guys leading it, we should go out and show support!
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