It was destiny for one Bobcat’s defenseman to don “green.”
An Athens native, senior Duncan Green, had dreamed of playing for Ohio University’s D-1 club hockey team since he first laced up skates at the age of four.
“When I was growing up, I couldn’t care less about the NHL, but every Friday and Saturday I was going to come to Bird Arena and watch OU hockey because it was the best hockey I’d seen,” Green said. “I thought those guys were the best hockey players ever, and I just wanted to come watch every weekend.”
When the team won the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Championship in 2004, Green had an up-close brush with the team’s glory.
“One of our bantam coaches, Zach Hernandez, was on the OU national team,” Green said. “After they got the championship rings, they would wear them to practice and he would let us try them on and look at it. That was the coolest thing ever.”
Dan Morris, the director of Bird Arena and a former player and coach of the team, knows exactly how Green felt growing up.
The awe Green felt wasn’t unique; Morris said another Athens-born player, Marcus Marazon, who played alongside him, had a similar reverence for the Bobcats.
Before his first game, Marazon was at the head of the line entering Bird Arena from the old locker room in Grover Center, and was unable to continue inside, Morris said.
“That was his moment,” Morris said. “At that moment it overwhelmed Marcus, as this is the dream of every Athens youth hockey kid because this is what they see. It’s what Duncan sees. The union between youth hockey and the university team are vital towards supporting each other.”
Green first became interested in playing hockey when a babysitter showed him the game.
He then began playing in Athens youth leagues, where the Bobcats’ club team influenced many players.
“There are obviously not as many kids playing hockey in a small town like Athens as there would be in Columbus or Cleveland,” Green said. “That being said, Athens is kind of a mini-hotbed because the kids see the OU players play and it makes them decide they want to play hockey too.”
Growing up, Green played in the Buckeye League — the team traveled as far as Ft. Wayne, Ind. — as well as the Greater Columbus Club High School Hockey League.
After spending a year playing junior hockey in Boston and Northern Ontario, Green returned to Athens to finally don the green and white. He kept in touch with Morris through the entire process.
“I’ve known Mo my whole life; ever since I started skating he’s been a part of the program,” Green said. “The spring before my freshman year here, he let me start lifting with the team. It was good to get to know the guys before I was even enrolled.”
Both of Green’s parents worked at the university. His mother, now deceased, was a professor, while his father is still a professor in the geology department. Green himself is studying environmental geography.
Comparing Green to other Athens-born defenseman such as Phil Oberlin and Jack Pepper, Morris said each played with a different, albeit valuable, style.
“I think Duncan is a physically dominating presence,” Morris said. “He blocks shots, kills penalties; he’s just a solid, strong kid. I would take all three of those guys and have a pretty good team with them on (defense).”
Having a player on the team from Athens helps the team and hockey community connect, coach Jonathon Sheridan said.
“I think he knows the area and a lot of guys look to him for that, kind of what else they can do besides just go to school,” Sheridan said.
Morris agreed, adding that having an Athens-born player on the team gives others a perspective on what it means to play for the Bobcats.
“It’s not a pit stop; it’s a whole lifestyle you have to embrace,” Morris said. “It binds the community with the team, and they appreciate that.”
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