Three Revere High School students travel to North Royalton during winter months to play on a competitive club hockey team.

The North Royalton Bears, a club hockey team not directly associated with the North Royalton school system, allows students without a home team to compete and attend hockey tournaments on weekends in January and February. The teams head coach is Jeff Tyhulski, and practices are held twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, at OBM (Ohio Business Machines) Area in Strongsville. Junior Devin Zeller and sophomores Clark Brnilovich all travel to play hockey with the Bears.

Zeller, first year member of the team, started playing hockey when he was five years old. He commented on his favorite memories of hockey and why he started in the first place.

“I have been playing hockey for ten years now. … The reason I started was because my older brother played so I grew up going to his games and that inspired me,” Zeller said.

Zeller’s favorite memory includes traveling to Oxford, Ohio to play in a hockey tournament on the Miami Redhawks ice rink.

“We played very well that weekend and had tons of fun on the ice and in the hotel just messing around together,” Zeller said.

Brnilovich, hockey player of eight years and current second year member of the bears, explained how he was able to walk onto the team his freshman year.

“I had already been playing varsity hockey at Walsh Jesuit High School. The

requirements coach stated were we had to maintain a respectable GPA and to always be ready to give one hundred percent at every practice and game,” Brnilovich said.

Zeller commented on how hockey has affected his social life and how being on the team has become an important part of his life.

“I took my freshman and sophomore year off which was the biggest mistake of my life. I thought it would be nice to have more free time since hockey is very time consuming, but I constantly missed it and decided I needed to play again,” Zeller said.

Brnilovich also commented on the physical and mental tolls hockey takes on your mind and body.

“I believe the hardest part about playing hockey is the ability to continue to play your hardest through all the physical and mental abuse that comes along with [it],” Brnilovich said.

The team will host their senior night at the OBM Arena on February 25 at 5:10 p.m.