Athlete of the Week: Spencer Rodgers

JULIA TIERNAN/YH

For the last three years, Spencer Rodgers, CC '02, has been able to go to the local pub in his hometown of White Rock, British Columbia, and order a refreshing LaBatt's. Even now, after leaving the frozen north, Rodgers is one of the few freshmen that can legally enjoy Kavanaugh's happy hour. At age 21, Rodgers is not your typical freshman. But if you saw him on this ice this weekend, you'd realize that this rookie Bulldog standout has gotten better with age.

Like many Canadians, Rodgers began skating as soon as he learned to walk. By age five, he was playing for an organized team--it was a natural progression for him to attack the ice as soon as he could balance on two feet.

After high school, Rodgers opted not to apply to college immediately, but rather took a few years off to hone his hockey abilities. He played junior hockey in British Columbia for the Chilliwack Chiefs. "I had a lot of success playing with them," he remarked, "and it helped me grow into my current style of play."

After two years with the Chiefs, Rodgers decided it was time to move on. At the time, his brother was a junior on the Harvard hockey team, so there was pressure for Rodgers to follow in his brother's footsteps. What made him decide to come to Yale instead? "I wanted a place and experience all my own...plus I really liked the coaches. The visit that I made before Christmas last year solidified the decision for me," he explained.

Once he arrived on campus, Rodgers quickly gained the respect of his Yale coaches and peers. "Spencer's a great communicator out on the ice," Lee Jelenic, TD '01, said. "He knows the game very well and knows exactly what to do in each situation. He earned his spot by working hard in practice, and he forces the people around him to work harder and improve their games."

On Fri., Jan. 29, Rodgers scored his first college goal in a 5-1 win over Colgate. "It was off of a rebound. It's nice to get that first one out of the way," he said, laughing.

Rodgers knows the team isn't doing as well as last year, but he has optimistic attitude toward the future. "We had a rough start this year because we couldn't really find our identity," he said. "But it is better for the team to peak at the end than at the beginning."

For the remainder of the season, he looks forward to playing at Harvard on Fri., Feb. 12, against his brother, whom Rodgers claims is "more skillful and smoother," even though he says he's "feistier and more gritty" than his brother. Other than that, he hopes he can "do the little things to push the team over the top."

When he's not on the ice or studying economics, Rodgers can be found chilling out in his Vanderbilt room with a guitar. Whether he's the next Stevie Ray Vaughan remains to be seen, but with hockey talent like his, no fan should be too worried about his musical ability.

--Peter Smith

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