More than Ice Connects Two Goalies

More than Ice Connects Two Goalies

Story by Jeremy Millsop, Sports Writer, Brainerd Dispatch

NISSWA - Few would say two weeks at Minnesota Hockey Camps in Nisswa is a vacation.

But then few do what Jay Clark and Andrew Volkening do during the school year.

Volkening just graduated from the United States Air Force Academy, while Clark is entering his senior year at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Both played goalie for their teams last season with Clark coming back for his senior season. Volkening will attempt to make the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League, while working full time for the Air Force.

The two service rivals signed a peace agreement for last week and the coming week as they hone their skills at the hockey camp.

"You know what, when they told me (Clark) was coming, I actually got excited because otherwise I didn't really know anybody at the camp," said Volkening. "To have somebody that is such a rival, but someone that I really respect, it's good. We've been talking a lot. It's pretty hard to run out of things to talk about. He's actually got himself a new fan, except for when they play Air Force."

Volkening played four seasons for the Air Force, winning team MVP honors three straight years to become only the second player in program history to do so. He was named to the All-Atlantic Hockey Association team for three straight seasons. He ranked second in the league with a 2.24 goals-against average and third with a .924 save percentage in 28 league games. He was named AHA goalie of the week four times during the season.

He helped Air Force to a 16-15-4 record, which included a two-game sweep of Army during the AHA playoffs.

"It helps that he just graduated," said Clark about working out with an Air Force player. "I think more than anything we kind of latch on to each other just because we have a lot more in common than the rest of the guys here. So I was excited when I heard he was on the roster for the next two weeks."

What the two have in common is a less than normal college life. A regimented daily life, higher academic standards and a future in the military are what the two goalies deal with. So a chance to get away and just play hockey for two weeks is a welcome change for the two.

"I don't even know what it's like to be a regular college athlete at a regular school or anything," said Volkening, who went to Waukesha West High School in Wisconsin. "It's a pretty grueling schedule at the academy. You get up before 7 a.m. and you don't get done with school, hockey and all the military stuff until about 7 p.m. By that time you have two or three hours worth of homework and then you have to get enough sleep to go do it again five days a week.

"It's a lot different and requires a lot of discipline."

Volkening has five years of active duty. He'll spend it in San Antonio as a behavioral scientist.

Clark will decide in October which direction he'll take. He said he's leaning toward military intelligence.

Clark was named to the 2010 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Men's At-Large squad third team. He earned all-district first team honors for the second consecutive season as he compiled a 3.92 grade-point average in Life Science.

On the ice, he started all 32 games with a 3.00 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage. Army finished 11-18-7, which included a win and a tie against Air Force during the regular season.

"When I was being recruited to come to Army, the grad assistant that was there said, 'You know, at the Academy you have three lives. You have your academic life. You have your social live and your athletic life. When you come here, you only get to choose two of them,'" said Clark. "I found that to be true. So that's kind of the way it is. As tough as it is being there, we still like to be competitive and we don't consider ourselves any less of a hockey player for being there."

Which is why Clark has gone to Minnesota Hockey Camps the last couple of years during his down time. He called the camp a vacation of sorts, a time to let his mind rest and let his body do all the work.

"It's more physically demanding here by a long shot, but mentally this place is really relaxing for me," said Clark, who is from Baudette. "Physically the stuff I do with hockey is far and away more demanding than anything in the military. Hockey guys, I think, excel when we get into the military because we've been so prepared for it physically. From the fundamental side of things this is kind of like a vacation for me because everything you do here you enjoy. That's not always true at the Academy."

This is Volkening's first year at the camp. He's hoping to keep his dream of playing hockey alive, while still fulfilling his commitment to the Air Force.

"The hockey world is a small world and my coach at Air Force started his coaching here way back in the day as a goalie coach," said Volkening. "I told him I was looking for something to do as I was trying to make this pro team and so he suggested I come up here. This is the first time I've been able to do something like this in quite a long time so I'm really happy I'm here."

The two will spend one more enjoyable week in Nisswa before returning to make the rest of the country a safer place to live.