Inside Scoop: Hockey Sticks of the UND Sioux

Eric Hylden photo of the stick flexing with the shot of Andrew Kozek

This is a really interesting article written about the UND Sioux college hockey team and their Ice Hockey Sticks. Here is a link to the original article from the Grand Forks Herald Stick shtick: Breaking new ground by Brad Elliott Schlossman. (NOTE: Original link is no longer active)

The article is worth a full read on its own but here are some interesting quotes…

A new era of the game has arrived in the form of the one-piece composite stick. Carbon, Kevlar and fiberglass are being used to construct a stick that is largely replacing wood and the two-piece, shaft-blade combination throughout the game.

The one-pieces are popular for being light and flexible but dubious because they break often and are expensive.

This season, the Sioux expect to spend $80,000 on hockey sticks alone.

When the one-piece sticks started gaining popularity in 2003, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Minnesota Wild had a stick budget of $225,000. The Wild wouldn’t even say how much they spend now.

The average Sioux player is breaking 24 to 36 sticks a year, Swanson said. Then, there’s Andrew Kozek. The senior forward, known for his rocket wrist shot, broke 70 last season.

See the original article for more good info.
Enjoy!