Blades of steel, nerves of ice and 16 ounces of frozen rubber

by Spencer Perry

L to R: John Harrison, Attorney, CSKT Legal Department and Steve Lozar, Polson District Tribal Council Representative, and their families participate in the adult hockey leagues in Missoula. (Spencer Perry photo)

What have you been doing after work for the past week? Go home, eat dinner, maybe turn on the TV and watch the Winter Olympics. Perhaps you like to just kick back and read a book. Sounds like a good night after work doesn't it? Well for one tribal councilman and one tribal attorney, the ideal fun-after-work activity during this time of year is something on a more extreme level.

Polson District Tribal Councilman Steve Lozar grew up gliding around on a one-sixteenth inch steel blade. At age six Steve learned how to ice skate. Little did he know that day would mark the beginning of a glorious journey through the world of hockey.

As a youngster Steve skated on municipal rinks, his Dad's homemade rinks, frozen rivers, ponds and lakes all across the west. He even played pond hockey right here on Turtle Lake and the slough at Dixon. As his years grew, so did his love for the game of hockey. Steve, whose friends and family call "Bubs," played hockey in the winter, baseball in the summer and football in the fall. He was a four-year letter earner in high school and went on to play college football where he played in a national championship game.

After college, Steve married his wife Keryl and the couple moved back to the Flathead Reservation where they started their family of six ice skating kids. He continued his hockey playing days in adult leagues in Whitefish for well over 20 years. Each winter he drove to the rink north of Whitefish one-to-two times a week, often alone, but always excited to drop the puck and skate.

During his time playing in Whitefish, Steve was instrumental in the efforts of starting a community rink in Polson.

Hockey and skating has been a part of the Lozar family for many years. Son Casey played on the club team while attending Dartmouth College. Son Mike captained his Base team while serving in the military. Mike's wife Hilary plays in the Women's league in Missoula. Son Patrick played with Steve in Whitefish. Son Danny was a pond hockey star on Flathead Lake. Daughter Kolleen is a hockey fan-atic for her Everett Steelhead team in Washington. Wife Keryl played co-ed hockey in Whitefish.

At age 60, Bubs is currently playing hockey in an adult league in Missoula. Last year he played in three leagues. His fall team won the championship. His winter league team took second and his spring league team finished undefeated. During the three leagues our Councilman peppered 12 goals. This season, his fall league team won another championship but his winter league team however, is struggling a bit in the win column.

A standout on the last two championship teams Bubs has been a member of - is an extremely talented hockey player and tribal employee, John Harrison. John is a veteran tribal staff attorney who came to the frozen ice sheet of Missoula's Glacier Ice Rink by way of the Blackfeet Reservation and the state of Pennsylvania. Harrison plays in multiple leagues from intermediate to advanced skill levels.

John grew up in the rough neighborhoods just blocks from the Spectrum Arena where his favorite team the Philadelphia Flyers (often referred to as the "Broad Street Bullies"} played. He attended many games as a kid and can name off a litany of former Flyer players faster than you can say, "He shoots, he scores"! Harrison's speed and fluid skating style lead to his playing four years of college hockey.

Lozar says it has been an honor and real learning experience to play on two teams with John. "He leads by example without a lot of talk. He was far and away our best player. When he sees a situation develop on the ice he can instantly direct the team with just a word or gesture."

Hockey is a family affair in the Harrison family too. John's wife Kelly plays in the Women's League in Missoula. Toddling daughter Molly spends a lot of time at the rink with mom and dad.

Along with our Councilman, there are a group of players from the Mission Valley who are as dedicated to the sport of hockey as anyone anywhere. They include Dan Hartung, Rod Munson, Todd Ludeman, Frank and Janet Sucha, Andria Ruhman and Hilary Lozar. These hockey players, like Bubs, drive to Missoula from their farms, businesses and classrooms each week to spend 54 grueling minutes on the ice.

Sometimes they don't get home till after 2 a.m. yet they claim the rink is a place where everything in life is narrowed down to a 16 oz. piece of frozen rubber (the puck), and where for 54 minutes, at least, nothing else in the world matters. To them the team unity and spirit and the pure love of the game makes the long drives and late nights worth every minute of it.