Cody Hess hadn°®¶¹app™t played hockey at a level akin to this in almost 12 years. There was his regular Thursday night league, which included other former professional players in the area, but nothing as grueling.
Hess, 33, was understandably fatigued the first couple games in October with the Summit City Distillers, Fort Wayne°®¶¹app™s fledgling semipro hockey team that skates at the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse.
°®¶¹appœI was pushing 220 pounds about a month and a half ago when I went to (our) minicamp,°®¶¹app Hess said in early November. °®¶¹appœI°®¶¹app™m down to 190 and I°®¶¹app™d like to be playing at 185. I°®¶¹app™ve been getting in shape and I°®¶¹app™m back in hockey shape now °®¶¹app“ once you start playing it doesn°®¶¹app™t take long °®¶¹app“ but, geez, I°®¶¹app™m not kidding, those first few games were rough. After the first period, I go, °®¶¹app˜That felt like an entire Thursday league game and it was only one period.°®¶¹app™°®¶¹app‰°®¶¹app
The Distillers, who skate in the American Premier Hockey League, are off to a 3-6-0 start with their next home game Dec. 21 against the Kalkaska (Mich.) Battlers.
The Distillers have a wide range of players, including products of the Fort Wayne youth hockey system and some who played for the Spacemen junior team or local colleges such as Indiana Tech or Trine.
Some of the players are trying to pad their résumés in hopes of getting called up to the Federal Prospects Hockey League, or maybe even the Southern Professional Hockey League, professional Single-A leagues below the ECHL, in which the Komets play. Carson Salkeld, for instance, got called to the FPHL°®¶¹app™s Monroe Moccasins this month.
On the roster there°®¶¹app™s been 21-year-old Cam O°®¶¹app™Brien; Phil Bushbacher, 35, who played 11 games for the Komets between 2014 and 2018; and goalie Travis Ridgen, 28, known in some circles for his podcast °®¶¹appœSlangin°®¶¹app™ the Bizkit.°®¶¹app
°®¶¹appœThere°®¶¹app™s a 12- or 15-year age gap with some guys and in the locker room you°®¶¹app™ve got the younger guys kind of huddling and us older guys kind of huddling. But when we°®¶¹app™re on the ice, we°®¶¹app™re all family and that°®¶¹app™s the cool thing about it,°®¶¹app Hess said. °®¶¹appœIt°®¶¹app™s a new team and a new organization and we°®¶¹app™ve just come together, and it°®¶¹app™s fun.°®¶¹app
Zac Steele leads the Distillers in scoring with seven goals and 17 points in eight games. Hess has five goals and 14 points in seven games. Christopher Wollam has six goals and 12 points in nine games. Luke Richardson and Ridgen have won games in net.
The Distillers were founded last summer by Chris Hoy, a referee in the pro and college ranks, and Nick Graham, who represents pro players as an agent. Hoy is the Distillers°®¶¹app™ president and Graham the general manager.
While Scott Robins was hired over the summer to coach the team, they parted ways for undisclosed reasons days before the Oct. 19 season opener. Hoy and Graham have handled the coaching duties since, with Hess helping run practices.
Hess, a forward who played junior hockey for the now-defunct Fort Wayne Federals, skated one season of pro hockey in the Czech Republic in 2012-13. Despite overtures from SPHL and FPHL teams, he decided to retire in 2013 to join his father running a pet waste removal business, Blaze°®¶¹app™s WeScoop4U, and he loves being able to set his own schedule and fit hockey in when he can.
He lives in North Webster and comes to Fort Wayne for the Distillers°®¶¹app™ practices, which are once or twice a week depending on available ice. Players are expected to make their own way to games at places like Kalkaska, Michigan, or Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania (where the Distillers play today and Sunday), and they°®¶¹app™ve been carpooling, with the Distillers covering hotel expenses. Some players, and even the coaches, have had to prioritize work or family over the Distillers and miss games, but they°®¶¹app™re not getting paid to play hockey.
Hess said it°®¶¹app™s been a treat to get back to playing organized hockey and hopes people continue to pay attention to the Distillers, who have had crowds at the Icehouse as large as 800, Hoy said, and as small as about 100.
°®¶¹appœI hadn°®¶¹app™t played in front of people in a long time, and now my family gets to watch me,°®¶¹app said Hess, who has two kids. °®¶¹appœI called my wife immediately (when I got offered a spot on the team) and I asked her what she thought. She said, °®¶¹app˜I think you should do it,°®¶¹app™ and that was all I needed to hear.°®¶¹app
