Utah State hockey celebrates senior night
On Friday, Feb. 16, Utah State University celebrated senior night before their game against Weber State University by recognizing captain Ben Carlson, alternate captain Trace Farr and Ethan Tarver with a ceremony that included the players and members of their family.
The seniors prepared a special message for everyone in attendance read by in-arena voice Craig Petith: “The hockey class of 2024 would like to express how grateful they are for the last couple of years that they’ve had the privilege to wear the Utah State hockey logo. Thank you to the best fans in the country — we appreciate you for making our college experience unlike any other. Thank you to our teammates for the long-lasting memories that we’ve made; we will never forget everything that the USU program has given us in the name of hockey. Go Aggies!”
For the seniors, hockey has been a fundamental part of their life since as early as four to seven years old. As they got older and stuck with the sport, hockey became a tight knit community of players that provided support, structure and discipline for them.
“We have more fun here than any other hockey player,” Carlson said. “We are paying to be here. We aren’t stressed about making it to the NHL or stressed because we are here on scholarship. We are here because we want to be here.”
Though the seniors are from different states, hockey brought all of them together in the past. Tarver and Farr both played against Carlson while he was at Montana State. Alec Moser played against Sean Johnston in junior league hockey. While at Utah State, these former opponents have become roommates, colleagues and friends.
“The further up you go, the smaller the community gets,” said Moser on Thursday before he confirmed he would be staying at Utah State for an extension season to finish school. “It’s hard — the boys are like a family.”
“I’m going to miss the sense of brotherhood,” Farr said. “Just going to the rink and seeing everybody in the locker room is going to be a real kicker for me.”
Tarver agreed with his teammates.
“It’s a lot more than a team at the end of the day; you’re creating friendships,” Tarver said. “A lot of things that are hard to give up and move on from.”
“This year, I have seen hockey as a medium in which I can be the best version I can be,” Carlson said. “Hockey is such a good motivator. I’m going to miss having my driving factor be a game that I love.”
Carlson’s time may be coming to an end as an Aggie, but he is looking to continue playing as he got an offer to play in the Black Diamond Hockey League, a rising semi-pro league.
“We want to see ourselves reach our full potential,” Carlson said. “We showed that last week by beating arguably the best team in the country.”
The goal for this season was to make it back to nationals and compete with the best teams in the nation. But the underlying truth is none of the seniors want to stop playing. Now that they are entering the postseason, the biggest motivator is taking advantage of the hockey they have left and delaying that final game as long as possible.
“If we win, I get to play another game,” Farr said.
Farr reflected on his time with Utah State and said the group could barely get a team on the ice in 2020. As time went on, they kept getting better and climbed the divisional ladder, eventually qualifying for the national tournament.
Farr said winning the Mountain West Collegiate Hockey League trophy was a major accomplishment and one they hope will motivate the team while they prepare for the regional tournament, which begins on Feb. 23.
“The goal was to make it to nationals and make an impact,” Farr said. “And next week we have a chance at that at regionals.”
For Tarver, hockey will be coming to an end for the foreseeable future. After this academic year, he will be going to Utah Tech University to obtain his master’s degree in athletic training. Though there isn’t a hockey team in southern Utah, Tarver believes he will be able to return to the sport once he has completed his program.
“It will always be a part of my life,” Tarver added. “Maybe I will get to work for a team and be their athletic trainer — that is the plan.”
The commitment to the sport runs deep.
“Every hockey player’s career always ends in men’s league. Everybody has the same result,” Farr said.
So, while the time will come for the seniors to move on from Utah State, there will always be hockey to be played and enjoyed in the future.
Fans can catch the Aggies in the regional tournament as they play in the national playoffs starting March 11.
“The more games we win, then the better our chances are to get to go to nationals,” Tarver said. “And I want to keep playing.”