Skating up a storm
This time last year, Utah State forward Brian Gibbons was nursing a set of injuries on the Utica College Pioneers’ bench.
After a year-long hiatus, Gibbons is back on the ice in a new uniform. The 22-year-old from Washington, D.C. is finally getting back to normal, after a long road of recovery stemming from hernia and wrist injuries.
Early on, Gibbons was the Aggies’ leading goal scorer. He’s played two full games and managed to add an assist in a five-minute stint during a third. He sat through all but five minutes of Utah State’s home opener against Brigham Young University because of tightness in his thigh.
It is clear USU is taking no chances with its young star, who is no stranger to the disabled list.
As Gibbons talks about his injuries, it’s clear his recovery is still a process.
“I got stepped on by a skate,” Gibbons said, as he held out his left hand to show the extent of the injury. “I hit my artery in three spots, had to get a blood transfusion, cut all my nerves in my thumb and cut all the tendons in my thumb.”
He still struggles to fully extend his thumb, but will this affect how he plays?
“Not at all,” he said, without hesitation, when asked if the injury has changed his game.
Despite being back in action, his stint at Utica College is in his not-so-distant past. Gibbons said coming back from the injuries cost him time more than anything.
“That and two hernia surgeries set me back about a year,” Gibbons said.
Gibbons spent his 2009-10 season playing for the Pioneers. He had 14 goals in 25 games played — solid numbers for such a competitive league.
Gibbons said some of his favorite memories of playing for UC involve large fan bases. The Pioneers are known for their cheering section. From 2006-2008, UC led all NCAA Division III teams in home attendance, and the Utica Memorial Stadium is almost always full.
“We’d get about 5,000 fans a game,” Gibbons said. “And the skill was great.”
While the Eccles Ice Center seats only about 2,000, Gibbons said the fan support there has still been great.
“I love it,” Gibbons said. “Everyone’s been so welcoming.”
While the fan support is great, Gibbons is still settling into a new team. Going from NCAA hockey to a club team in the ACHL has been a transition. The biggest difference? Depth of the lines.
In the ACHL, some teams can come out with just two solid lines and be competitive, but that’s not the case in the NCAA.
USU is no doubt stronger in terms of depth than they ever have been, but its team depth doesn’t rival that of NCAA teams, who fill out four full lines with capable players, who are given scholarships. The Aggies are only three lines deep.
“When you’re playing in the NCAA you have four lines,” Gibbons said. “And everyone’s playing a very high level of hockey.”
Gibbons, who has been in skates since he was two, has 20 years of hockey experience. Following a short stint in the United States Hockey League, Gibbons went on to play in prep school before committing to Utica.
Gibbons looks upon his prep school hockey days with a sense of nostalgia.
“It was a small community,” Gibbons said. “I had a lot of good friends there.”
He came upon Logan by accident, he said, and is here for the long haul — much to the joy of Aggie fans.
“I swear, I just stumbled upon Logan,” Gibbons said. “I’ll be here for a while.”
– meredith.kinney@aggiemail.usu.edu