Hobart College hockey forward Sean Rudy (Long Sault, Ontario) recently signed to play with the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals. Rudy played his first games with the Jackals on Friday, Jan. 29 and Saturday, Jan. 30.
“The entire program wishes Sean the best, we knew going into the season his eligibility would be done after the first semester, but there is a lot of grey area between knowing this, handling this and actually getting benefits from this,” said Hobart Hockey Head Coach Mark Taylor. “Any forward wants to have consistent line mates, Sean embraced playing with whoever I asked, knowing and supporting that I had to be thinking long term for others. He had a great teammate and mature attitude …whatever works for the team to win now and to help us be better prepared for when he’s gone.”
Rudy transferred to Hobart as a sophomore after attending Bemidji State as a first-year. Rudy battled through a pair of serious knee injuries early in his Statesmen career, limiting him to just two games in the 2012-13 season and none in 2013-14.
“I have such admiration for Sean Rudy,” said Hobart Athletic Director Mike Hanna. “He persevered through injuries when many would’ve walked away. Sean is the ultimate teammate, accepting whatever role will best support the team. And, as a citizen, leader and student-athlete he has certainly been Hobart’s very good fortune…a superb Statesman, for sure.”
In the 2014-15 season, he made his comeback to the ice, playing in 21 games and notching 16 points on eight goals and eight assists. Rudy added three game-winning goals. This year, he used his remaining eligibility to play during the first semester, while he completed the teacher education program. Rudy was also student-teaching at Geneva Middle School, where he worked with five seventh grade English Language Arts classes. On the ice, Rudy played in 16 games, registering eight goals and three assists for 11 points.
Rudy credits the Hobart hockey program and Head Coach Mark Taylor for helping him achieve the opportunity to continue to play hockey after college.
“Coach Taylor treats his players with the utmost respect and expects the same in return. He is a coach you want to compete for because you know he is behind you through thick and thin,” said Rudy. “I think playing at Hobart taught me to be an unselfish teammate and to compete for the greater good of the team. When a team is successful it is the result of everyone putting in hard work. There’s an adage we as Hobart players follow, ‘Commitment to defense. Passion for offense.’ Making that next step of playing professionally required me to become a more well-rounded player, which is something I learned to do at Hobart.”
