OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. (WMC) – Most students at Ole Miss don’t know the school has a club hockey team.
Josh Herbert, the program’s head coach, said as much himself.
“I can very confidently tell you that most of them do not know that we exist,” Herbert said.
Herbert, a Houston High School alum who previously coached the Memphis club hockey team, has led the Ole Miss hockey program for nine years.
“It’s been a lot of fun, it’s been a lot of work, it’s been a lot of stress,” Herbert said. “But that’s why I keep doing it, it’s why I keep coming back. I mean I’m a volunteer; I don’t get paid to do this. I do it just because I love the game and I enjoy watching these young men come through the program.”
The program saw initial success under Herbert before the COVID-19 pandemic halted its progress. Since then, the Rebels have been rebuilding their roster, with social media serving as their primary recruiting tool.
Goalie and team president Rich Mugler, a New York native, said he found the team through Instagram.
“I actually came across our hockey team via Instagram,” Mugler said. “Didn’t know it existed, it kinda popped up, and I was like ‘oh.’”
Mugler is one of several players from northern states on the roster. Defenseman Ian Selissen came to Oxford from Green Bay, Wisconsin.
“I was surprised at the level of competitiveness down here,” Selissen said.
The Rebels compete against club teams from other SEC and ACC schools. Herbert said the program is not a casual one.
“You’ve got to be committed to it,” Herbert said. “We’re not just some pickup team that wants to go and play games here and there.”
Players drive an hour each way from Oxford to the Mid-South Ice House in Olive Branch for home games and late-night practices. On the night we came out to do this story, the team did not take the ice until 9:30 p.m., putting their return to campus after midnight.
Mugler said the commute is a constant but manageable challenge.
“It’s a tough drive, it never gets easier,” Mugler said. “But there’s always the little slight spark that tells you: ‘I’m going to get on the ice, I’m going to play hockey, I get to play hockey here in Mississippi.’ And that’s what always keeps me driving at least.”
Selissen echoed that sentiment.
“It is a big challenge; the drive never gets easier,” Selissen said. “But one thing I’ve noticed is I’ll complain the entire time, but I’m still gonna show up.”
When asked why, Selissen said: “For whatever reason, I still love it.”
Herbert said the program’s long-term goal extends beyond club competition.
“My goal for the program is to be an NCAA Division-I program one day,” Herbert said.
To close out their final practice of the season, the Rebels put their departing seniors through “The Gauntlet.”
It’s a fitting sign of the hockey brotherhood that’s been built in maybe the last place you’d ever expect.
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