Geneseo Ice Kittens
Riding off the great success that the Geneseo Ice Knights have accomplished this season, the State University of New York Athletic Conference and SUNY Geneseo have made the decision to rename the ice hockey team. There was a lot of chatter going back and forth between head coach Chris Schultz and assistant coach Kris Heeres to decide what they should rename their team. Names thrown around included: the Geneseo Ice Kangaroos, the Geneseo Ice Koalas, and the Geneseo Ice Kittens.
The team left the big decision up to the SUNYAC Men's Ice Hockey Rookie of the Year, freshman forward Peter Morgan. Morgan stated that he was crossed between the Geneseo Ice Koalas and the Geneseo Ice Kittens, but decided to go for the Kittens, because he thought that the fans would connect more to the concept of kittens than koalas. He also stated that kittens fit the team’s vibe.
Because team is acquiring a new name, they will be getting new jerseys as well. Aiming to set the boys apart from the other sports teams here at SUNY Geneseo, Schultz and Heeres had a talk with the boys on what color they should go with. The gears were turning in each and every boy’s mind—what color would bring out their eyes? Their flows? Would they get matching water bottles, or new coats and backpacks? Hmmmm… An excellent idea occurred for junior goalkeeper Matt Petizian: he suggested that they should be a lilac purple with off-white eggshell accents. Junior forward Tyson Gilmour agreed with Petizian’s idea, but mentioned that the trim of the jersey should also have some royal purple, so it can match his game day socks; he believes this would give him luck for his senior season.
When the team settled on the colors, they had to settle on an idea for a new logo. Since the team mascot will now be a kitten, the boys had the option to use a picture of senior forward Levi Wunder’s cats. Wunder thought this was a great idea, and that it would be the perfect way to leave his mark on the team once he graduates. The team agreed. They just had to choose between Wunder's cats—Kitty or Boss. The boys wanted this decision to be a surprise, so we won’t know which cat they chose until the beginning of the 2022-2023 season.
First-year forward Stefan Mikalos offered a great idea that his partner in crime, first-year defensemen Tommy Winn, agreed upon, that they should add sparkles and glitter on the numbers on the back of their jerseys. The C for captain and A for assistant captain will be made of rhinestones so the opposing team really knows who’s head honcho.
Our hockey team is full of amazing thinkers. While first-year goalkeeper Adam Harris was talking over ideas with his junior goalie partner Christian Roth, the pair suggested that maybe their goalie pads, blocker, and glove should also be a nice lilac purple. Roth thinks the pads should be a royal purple and the blocker and glove should be a lilac purple, so that the colors distribute softly without clashing. Petizian is thinking of getting a cat playing with a ball of yarn as a design on his goalie pads—that would be a crowd pleaser, in his opinion.
The boys are excited to bring in this big change to SUNY Geneseo sports. Junior defenseman Nicolas Elia promises to “meow” at anyone who decides to check him. It’s great to see what ideas everyone comes up with when given the opportunity. We can’t wait to see the fans pack the Ira to cheer on the Geneseo Ice Kittens in the fall!