'The Moppers' clean up the competition

When a Redeemerite's dreams of wearing the stylized lion have gone down the drain, where can he lace up?  Some lucky, sojourning souls have deked their way into the Adult Safe Hockey League (ASHL), where they are known as The Moppers.

The Moppers began as a collection of Redeemer students and friends who wanted to play recreational hockey together.  About four years ago, that group joined a rough-and-tumble league downtown near Barton Street, inheriting the jerseys of an outgoing team, which blazooned "Mop-it Misfits" on the chest.  The nick-name "Moppers" stuck.  While the atmosphere was a tad edgy, the group made it through the season with only one forward becoming the victim of physical assault (he was subpoenaed as as witness one year later when the perpetrator was arrested in Hamilton).

The Moppers of Redeemer

With the addition of a few heads-down players, some thought it would be wise to relocate to a league with less contact - the ASHL.  The ASHL is a North America-wide league, and once every two years, qualifying teams from each division compete in one location.  Last year it was San Jose, next year it will be in Montreal.

Though The Moppers do have a small loyal fan base, to many at Redeemer the team is unknown. They are still made up of primarily Redeemer students, who compete on Monday nights at the Mohawk 4-Ice Center in Hamilton. Though they got off to a slow start, they have climbed back into a respectable position in the standings with a current record of 9 wins and 6 losses.

We are always looking for new Moppers fans to come out and cheer us on. You can usually count a on some extracurricular activity in the form of unnecessary penalties and aggressive altercations always started (okay, usually started) by our opponents. And of course each game brings with it some fine passing plays, superb defensive stops, and highlight reel goals from Redeemer's favourite non-church league hockey team.

Though they don’t don the red and gold Royals colours, upper year students Reuban Vanderkloet, Tim Selles, Scott Aasman, Jordan Burgsma, and Shawn Meyering and second year stars from Dorm 22 Mitch Cook, Jeff Fung, and Trevor Bierema represent the team. Also on the roster are Todd Dinelle, goalie Jordan Dykstra, and former students Ryan Geleynse and Joel Snider. Led by forward Reuban Vanderkloet, who has posted 16 goals and 9 assists, we are only improving as the season progresses. Though our current leading scorer is a history major, four out of the eight Moppers players who attend Redeemer study business, with a few more claims to history and English. It should be noted that the player with the most penalty minutes is an art major, though he still believes that the way he plays, game in and game out, is aesthetically beautiful. Perhaps you can refer to the literature of Calvin Seerveld for support for that claim.

If you can't come out to a game on a Monday night, make sure you let your nearest Mopper know you're rooting for him, that might just be the boost he needs to get us to Montreal in 2011.