By: Dylan Webb
Year: Senior
Major: Criminology
Birthplace: Setagaya, Japan
Hometown: Port Coquitlam, BC
Favourite Halloween candy: Rockets
Ryan Sandrin and the SFU Clan hockey club started their BCIHL season with a key road victory over the Selkirk Saints. Now, they look ahead to numerous important early-season matchups in the next few weeks against major rivals.
Sandrin is currently slated to start this weekend’s matchup against the UVIC Vikes in Victoria, and he sat down with The Peak in advance of the team’s trip to the island to talk a little bit about his time with SFU Hockey, his academic experience at SFU, and his favourite Halloween treats.
The Peak: Why SFU?
Ryan: I originally decided on SFU due not only in part to its close proximity from home, but also because it has one of the nation’s best criminology programs. When I aged out of junior hockey, I was talking to some American colleges about playing hockey and studying law, but it didn’t really make sense, knowing I wanted to pursue a career in the Canadian criminal justice system.
In my first year at SFU, I didn’t play for the hockey team, and not playing really took a toll on my morale. I was fortunate enough to walk onto the team in my second year after having focused solely on studies for a year, and [I] am now entering my third year with the program and the final year of my BA in Criminology.
P: Where did you play junior hockey before SFU?
Ryan: In junior, I played one year in Rio Rancho, New Mexico for the New Mexico Renegades, and one year in a small town called Gravenhurst, Ontario with the South Muskoka Shield of the GMHL.
P: How did you like living in New Mexico and South Muskoka? What was different about the two junior experiences?
Ryan: Both experiences were awesome and most important in my development as both a person and hockey player. New Mexico was not a big hockey market, even though they have had minor pro teams in the past. [laughs] It’s kind of funny how I ended up there. Even though the league [WSHL] stretched from Washington to Oklahoma, we were a pretty low profile team with relatively less community support compared to other teams in the league.
When I played in Gravenhurst, [South Muskoka] we had a huge amount of community support, which really made the experience that much more fulfilling. In South Muskoka, because it is a cottage town that dies down in the winter, the hockey team is often the main focus of the community during the fall and winter months, so it was an awesome experience playing in a town that was so crazy for hockey and so supportive of their community team.
P: How do you think playing as a club differs from being recognized by SFU Athletics?
Ryan: I think the biggest thing is just in terms of promotion of the team. Social media and school-wide promotion supported by SFU as an institution is something [that] most programs benefit from [and] that we don’t necessarily have. There is also the economic dimension in terms of funding that we don’t get, and it’s really a shame: I think in terms of quality of athletes and talent pool — and those that know the sport and our program would agree — we are right up there with the best varsity programs.
The SFU hockey marketing team does an awesome job promoting our team independently of the school. Even without school support, we average around 300–400 fans a game, so props to them. I think the strength of the program relative to others in the school would increase even more significantly were we to benefit from this type of institutional support.
P: How did you get into hockey?
Ryan: I was born in Japan, and there the market is pretty small, but I got into it pretty early watching the 98 Nagano Olympics alongside my mom, who was born and raised in Canada. This sparked my initial interest in hockey, but when we relocated back to Canada, I started playing right away at age seven and had already developed a passion for the game.
P: Towards the team a little bit; who’s the funniest guy in the locker room?
Ryan: Nic Holowko is hilarious. I remember an instance where Holo convinced a new member of the team that he was studying Marine Choreography, like how to get aquarium life to dance in sync. It is tough to describe his humour, but he is just unbelievably subtle and quick-witted. He doesn’t need a lot of words to get the guys going.
P: What is the biggest strength of the SFU hockey team this season from your perspective?
Ryan: We are a super talented team. Our forward core especially consists of impact players up and down the line up. We have a huge amount of good talent — perhaps some of the best talent we have ever had in the program. From there on, it is just about becoming a cohesive unit and allowing players to find their niche where they can have the most effective contribution.
P: Where do you put the expectations this year on the team?
Ryan: Though we’ve admittedly gotten off to a little bit of a slow start, we definitely have the right pieces to maintain high expectations. Part of the slow start is due to a lot of turnover with many seniors leaving last season. It is just adapting to that and to the need for chemistry development between the new players.
In terms of expectations, we have a ton of skill and speed, which is exciting, and there is no doubt that, as a unit, we are gunning for a championship, nothing less. Especially in the context of the tough end to last year with the ineligible player ruling, our eyes are set on the BCIHL league title.
P: On that note, what does the team need to do to ensure they have a shot at the BCIHL title this year?
Ryan: As mentioned, we have so much skill and speed. So with that, it’s just a matter of figuring out uniformity, systems and cohesiveness. We will definitely need to solidify our systems and execute when we get our opportunities. In trying to create these opportunities, we need to ensure we are not giving up opportunities in our own end though. Once we establish that, we have everything in place personnel-wise to make a good run for it.
P: Do you think the team, as a whole, has learned from the tough ineligible player ruling last year and adapted well enough to ensure an issue like this doesn’t occur in the future?
Ryan: Yes, I think we have. Mind you, what I say needs to be taken with a grain of salt because I don’t know the true ins and outs of what occurred. It seems like there are more checks and balances that has been implemented at the player level to avoid this situation in the future. Despite the fact that the ruling did stem from a concrete violation of player eligibility, the team as a whole is more prepared to guard against any grey areas in the league eligibility rules now that we have experienced this.
That being said, what happened hurt last year, and has created a team-wide sentiment that this situation be avoided at all costs going forward, so [that] our pursuit of a BCHIL title is not hindered by anything off the ice.
P: Who do you guys see as your rival in the BCIHL?
Ryan: Traditionally, our main rival has been Selkirk. This is mainly due to past play-off matchups and their dominance in the league over the last 5–10 years. However, the tides have kind of turned lately with TWU being a cross-town rival that also has generated a lot of animosity with many close games between the two teams, varying incidents, and the fact that TWU won the BCIHL league title last season. We definitely highlight games against TWU on our calendar, and we are always looking to make a statement against them.
P: What has been the highlight of your time on the SFU hockey team?
Ryan: As an overarching highlight, the opportunity to continue playing hockey at a competitive level while also having the privilege of getting an education from such a widely recognized institution stands out. In addition, the camaraderie, friendships and all the experiences is something we will take post hockey into our respective post hockey careers and lives.
P: A bit more on school: what has been your favourite class so far here at SFU and why?
Ryan: Good question. I have enjoyed so many of my academic experiences. I thoroughly enjoyed a special topics Crim course (CRIM 319 – special topics – family violence). It has always interested me to look at the intimate nature of family violence and partner violence and the complex factors that contribute to this phenomenon. This is something I’ve considered studying further through a masters degree at SFU.
I’ve also thoroughly enjoyed my courses with Sarah Yercich, who I have had the pleasure of taking five courses with during my time at SFU. Her insight, understanding and academic knowledge is second to none. She has really been a supportive building block in my choice to potentially pursue a master’s degree at SFU.
P: What are you going to dress up as for Halloween?
Ryan: My girlfriend and I are dressing up as a cowboy and cowgirl . . . Yeehaw.
P: Do you like Halloween? What is your favourite holiday?
Yeah, I like Halloween for sure, but my preference in terms of holidays is probably Christmas because we get a chance to take a break from school and hockey and catch up with family as we all take a breather from our busy schedules.
Athlete’s corner: I think it goes without saying that there is a tremendous credit that goes out to everyone involved in the organization for all of their work on and off the ice that goes into making such a great program.
Ultimately, we have the goal being to become an NCAA program, though there are a lot of variables and logistics to making that work, part of it being location – Div II hockey doesn’t exist here. A lot of the NCAA Div II schools that have hockey programs will play in Div III loops, but that is predominantly out on the East Coast. Our recognition as an NCAA school kind of nullifies us from Usports play, though we do play UBC in exhibition.
We’ve come a long way due to the commitments of Chris Munshaw and Mark Coletta to get the program where it is, and I think we have built a foundation that sets us up to make a good run, not only for the league title this year, but for an NCAA Division I classification in the near future.
[…] Ryan Sandrin talks hockey and Halloween […]