Rochester Raiders seniors have 'unfortunate' ending to outstanding adapted floor hockey careers

Mar. 15—Jeff Copler first noticed it during a game in the 2020 season.

Blake Hillman, a defenseman for the Rochester Raiders adapted floor hockey team, rushed the puck into the offensive zone and drove to the net with the puck. Without being told or directed, Hillman's classmate Kirk Peterson dropped back to the blue line from his forward position, covering for Hillman while the skilled playmaker attempted to create a scoring chance.

Copler, the Raiders' head coach, liked what he saw and he liked what he didn't hear.

"Blake and Kirk developed a real chemistry between the two of them, being able to work together on the floor without even talking to each other," Copler said. "That unspoken communication between the two is hard to teach and it's hard to learn, but those guys had it."

The unfortunate side to the story is that two of the more dynamic players the Raiders have had in recent years didn't get a chance to hang the banner at Friedell Middle School that they so desperately wanted to hang.

They didn't even get a chance to play for a state championship. The adapted floor hockey state tournament was called off a year ago due to the COVID-19 outbreak, on the day the Raiders were supposed to depart Rochester for Bloomington to play in the state tournament. This season, adapted floor hockey teams weren't even allowed to play games, the Minnesota State High School League ruling that adapted athletes are more susceptible to contracting COVID and could be more seriously harmed by it.

Peterson, Hillman, Garrison Israelson and Jacob Elegbede make up what Copler called "overall, probably the most talented senior class I've ever had and it's very unfortunate the way their last two seasons have ended."

Peterson, Hillman and Israelson combined for 99 points over their sophomore and junior years.

ELEGBEDE: THE NEWCOMER

Elegbede only played three seasons of adapted floor hockey with the Raiders, after his family moved to Rochester from La Crosse, Wis. Adapted athletics were new to him, but Elegbede flourished while being part of a team environment.

"I could just say I really liked the social piece because I had so much fun being here on the Raiders," he said. "It made me feel like who I really am, like it's somewhere I belong."

His teammates agreed.

"Jacob is very athletic and very smart, very energetic and positive," Hillman said. "I would've liked to see him a little more confident in his own play. He has all the athletic talent, he just started later than the rest of us and was trying to build his confidence. He's the most athletic and has the most potential in every sport of anyone in our class."

Copler said his only regret is that he didn't have more time to coach Elegbede.

"He was always up to play whatever position we asked of him," Copler said. "He played forward, center, defense, he actually even played goalie a few times. He's a super talented kid who was always willing to learn. He played his heart out every time he competed."

ISRAELSON: THE T-SHIRT GUY

When asked about Israelson, Copler wondered aloud if the talented senior ever has to do laundry.

"He has an interesting T-shirt collection," Copler said. "Every night he'd come to practice with a different T-shirt with a sports team on it, from the old-school Cleveland Cavaliers to the Seattle Kraken. He probably has more T-shirts in his closet than our other 10 players combined."

Israelson also earned a couple nicknames during his time with the Raiders. The first is "Go Go" because of his habit of getting whistled for running penalties during games. The second is "Bunches."

"When he'd score, he'd score in bunches," Copler said. "It was never just one, it was always two or three or four. Whenever you'd see his name in the box score it was always in bunches. He'd the first one, then he was insatiable to get more."

Elegbede had a nickname for his good friend, too.

"Garrison is the gentle giant," Elegbede said. "He and I have a lot in common. We like the same things. It's good to have a friend on the team who you have a lot in common with."

HILLMAN: THE CEREBRAL STANDOUT

Hillman wanted another shot at a state championship as much, if not more than, any of his teammates. He had an ulterior motive, though. He wanted to pull even with his brothers, Zach and Noah, both of whom won state football championships at Rochester Lourdes.

He'll have one more shot this spring with the Raiders' adapted softball team.

"Blake has been with us four years now," Copler said. "He's very heads-up, a cerebral player. When we explain something he gets it right away and incorporates it.

"He was a great captain for us, a very smart player on the floor with his positioning. He very rarely got out of position. I wish we'd have had him for six years instead of four."

Hillman's leadership has rubbed off on his teammates, too.

"Blake is the one, one of our main leaders," Elegbede said. "He's always there to lift people up when they're down and say 'I experienced this too, but we're moving forward. It's going to be tough, but it's OK.'"

PETERSON: THE VETERAN SCORER

Peterson is the type of player Copler and the Raiders would love to have every season: A veteran who leads by example, can score, knows what to do at any time at any spot on the floor, and who inspires his teammates to be better.

"Kirk, he does a good job of scoring and he's a good passer, too," Israelson said of his linemate. "We all have a big share of the leadership and he's kind of helped take the reins."

While Peterson said he misses the competitions and the intensity of the state tournament, he's also happy that the Raiders were able to have some kind of a season this year.

"Just getting together with friends," he said has been a highlight of the year. "After the coronavirus hit, a lot of people though it wouldn't get better for a long time, but to have these practices, even if we didn't have a season, it was still a lot of fun.

"We were worried we might not have a season at all."