UTC Roller Hockey Club heads to Florida for national championships

Seniors Harris Smidt and Trevor Jolley are members of the UTC Roller Hockey Club, a participant in this week’s National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association national championships. Photo courtesy of Trevor Jolley.

For the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Roller Hockey Club, regular tournament weekends entail packing four to five guys in a Honda Civic with bags filled with hockey sticks and skates stuffed in the trunk.

Road trips can range from two to eight hours, but the roller team wouldn’t have it any other way.

This trip is different.

The club caught a flight to Fort Myers, Florida, for the Division III National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association Championships, taking place through Sunday, April 6.

The UTC Roller Hockey Club, one of the Campus Recreation’s club sports, was founded three years ago during the 2022-2023 academic year by current club president Trevor Jolley and forward Dylan Guy—who leads the team with 74 points this season.

Jolley, a senior communication major and geography minor, said those drives are what make the team the team.

“We’re driving eight hours and staying in the knockoff Best Westerns,” Jolley said while laughing. “I mean, when you hear hockey stories, this is about as hockey as it gets. You have to play this with love and dedication. That’s why everyone gives up their weekends and money.”

Harris Smidt, a senior management major and native of Nashville, traveled to nationals as the team’s third-leading point scorer with 14 goals and 19 assists.

“We have so much fun on this team,” Smidt said. “We let loose. There’s so much personality, and we really embody the hockey culture and lean into it.

“You’re just going out there for the love of the game. Everybody wants to be there. Everybody loves it. Everybody loves the team and the boys. It’s awesome. It’s a great, great experience and great group.”

Goaltender Hunter Autry entered the national championships with 267 saves in 17 games. Photo courtesy of Trevor Jolley.

Jolley and Smidt have been a part of the team since its inception and have seen growth in attendance and play.

“We’ve had some seniors graduate,” said Jolley, a graduate of Silverdale Baptist Academy in Chattanooga. “I’m a senior this year, and after nationals, I’ll have graduated and will be able to pass it on to the next generation.

“The coolest thing for me has just been to see the growth. There are freshmen on this team who’ve come straight from high school and were playing for their state championships last year—and now they’re playing for this.”

Smidt, who played junior hockey before attending UTC, said his biggest joy comes from seeing the development of players who may not have had a similar hockey background.

“Our goalie, Hunter Autry, had never played hockey,” Smidt said. “He’s from Knoxville … and his grandma was a big Ice Bears fan. He always wanted to try and we really needed a goalie. For some reason, this kid stepped up.

“Hockey’s not something that you can pick up. To see how much he’s grown in the past three seasons, it seems like with every single skate, he’s getting better. He’s making more saves, he’s making more plays and getting his body on the puck. To see his growth has been incredible.”

This growth is a significant factor in the improvement of the team’s record in the past three seasons.

In their first season, the team only won three games. This year, the win total reached 14—leading them to their first postseason berth.

Freshman finance major and forward Jack Davis helped propel the Mocs to nationals with 29 goals and 30 assists. He said that the team played a role in him choosing to attend UTC.

“I’ve played roller hockey all my life and I have a friend, Dylan Guy, who started the roller hockey team at UTC when I was a freshman or sophomore in high school,” Davis said. “I heard there was a team, and once I was a senior in high school, I realized that my top pick was UTC. I knew that’s something that I could get into while I was there.”

The club plays in the Southeastern Collegiate Roller Hockey League. Members include major universities like Florida State, Florida and Virginia Tech.

The Mocs face Florida, Cal Poly Pomona and Penn State in group play. The top team from that bracket will advance to compete for the championship.

While the championship is on their minds, both Jolley and Smidt are proud of the work they’ve already accomplished.

“Chattanooga has a great roller hockey scene,” Smidt said. “A lot of the dudes that play, they love it. They love the game. They love to play. They put so much energy into the league—which makes it a location for hockey.

Jolley said he hopes that the younger generation will continue to nurture and support the club so that future students can also have a place to share their passion for hockey.

“As fun as winning is, it’s more than winning,” Jolley said. “It’s the memories and lessons that you can learn and carry with you for the rest of your life.

“As fun as winning is, it’s just as much fun sitting in the Baghat Suites off the side of Stone Mountain Highway in Atlanta, Georgia, with the guys. We’re sitting there eating beaver nuggets from Buc-ees, watching whatever horrible movie is on the TV.”