Engulfed in a snowsuit and padded with his helmet and gloves, a three-year-old, purple-cheeked Danny Cockriel waddled onto ice for the first time at his local rink in Englewood, Colorado. Cockriel was a member of the Learn to Skate program and he, like the other members, fell. A lot.

Every time he hit the ice, he’d look up at his mom and she’d run to the glass shouting, “Danny! Danny! Do you want to sit out?” Every time, his response was to shake his head ‘no.’ Every time, he’d continue on.

The first half of the Oregon club hockey season was tough, and the team’s 5-8 record shows it. With a schedule loaded with skilled teams, the Ducks came out of the gate facing some of their toughest opponents. However the Ducks are excited and optimistic heading into the second half of the season.

Third time was a charm for then-junior Patrick Sgarlata. After two years of being cut from the Oregon club hockey team, he finally earned a roster spot and the Oregon jersey on his back.

Now a graduate, the jersey he wears currently is a little different than before. He sports a number 10 on his back instead of his previous 26 and a “C” on his front. Sgarlata is now the captain of the team he struggled to make two years ago.

It was 10 minutes into the second game of the 2013-2014 season and everything seemed normal. The Oregon club hockey team was playing Portland State, a team very familiar to them, and Cody Drees was about to deliver one of many checks issued that night.

But that check was when “normal” ended.