Arizona and ice hockey are rarely combined in conversation.
However, indoor ice rinks and an NHL franchise provide the aforementioned nouns with some more chemistry.
The Winnipeg Jets became the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996 and inspired two Arizona boys to pick up a stick and puck.
Junior Matt Mackey, 20, and sophomore captain Pat Lind, 19, are now roommates, as well as teammates on ASU’s Division I hockey team.
As Scottsdale natives, each gravitated to hockey because a childhood neighbor sparked their interest in the game.
For Mackey it was a Massachusetts transplant about his age who shared his affinity for the Coyotes. Soon thereafter, Mackey and his new friend idolized former Coyote players Jeremy Roenick and Keith Tkachuk.
Lind’s favorite player, Dallas Drake, also happened to be his neighbor.
Lind lived next door to the former Coyotes winger, and his mother even did some babysitting for Drake. The two families formed a relationship, as Drake would often give tickets to Lind’s family and play with him in the street.
At the age of 12, Mackey and Lind united for the first time in the Arizona Youth Hockey Program after Mackey made the switch from roller hockey to the ice.
A year later, Lind caught the eye of the coach of the Dallas Stars, a Texas Midget AAA team.
“I was being pressured by coaches to play,” he said. “[They told me] you’ll get more exposure if you play here.”
So Lind moved away from Mackey and his parents to live with a billet family, which takes in youths from various traveling teams and gives them a place to live while they pursue their dreams.
After a short stint in Texas, Lind moved to Cleveland to play for the Barons, another Midget AAA traveling team.
Simultaneously, Mackey was playing at the same level in Arizona’s P.F. Chang’s hockey league.
Lind returned to Texas at age 17 but didn’t stay long because of injuries. He eventually came back to Arizona and took a year off from the sport.
That’s when he and Mackey got back to playing the sport they love, together again.
They both enrolled at ASU and decided to become roommates after playing together for a year.
Living with a teammate can be a difficult, especially after defeat.
“We both take the game very personal, and [when we lose] it lingers with me,” Mackey said. “Sometimes I get pissed off at him.”
On the other hand, being friends and roommates can have its advantages. Lind said he and his old friend compliment each other very well on the ice: Mackey is on the assisting end of most of his goals.
Both are in the top four in points on the team. Lind has 13 goals and seven assists, while Mackey has contributed three goals and 10 assists.
The Sun Devils (6-7) are hoping to make it to the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Tournament this season and with 19 games remaining, they will need to improve if they want to be among the top 16 teams that make the tournament.
“We can improve and will improve,” Mackey said.
Lind and Mackey are optimistic about the future of the program. They both said they would like to see the support of the students and athletic director increase.
“I know that a lot of Arizona kids aren’t familiar with hockey,” Mackey said. “If you come out to one game and give it a chance, I’m sure you wont be disappointed.”
Reach the reporter at emschimm@asu.edu.
