For many college student-athletes, their competitive sports careers come to an end after they don their school colors for the last time in that inevitable final game of senior year. A fit, passionate player hangs up his or her boots and must resort to a stereotypical nine-to-five career, and the only taste of past glory is showing whatever athleticism remains in an aging body during lunch pick-up basketball games with Bob and the whole second floor crew. That, or reminiscing during Sportscenter and living vicariously through children.

Rather than being part of this demographic of aging sports enthusiasts, Chemistry Professor Cortland Hill, OC ’77, decided to give a handful of alums a reason to dust off the cobwebs from their old gear and head back to the arctic cold of Ohio.

On March 10, 19 alums returned to their Oberlin stomping grounds to partake in the second annual ice hockey alumni game. The ex-Obies ranged from graduating classes as far back as 1966 and came from as far away as Vancouver, British Columbia. The turnout was a vast improvement from last year’s inaugural game, in which insufficient alumni archival data and a short two-week notice resulted in a meager eight individuals turning up.

The alumni and the Plague, Oberlin’s club ice hockey team, took the short journey to Elyria to play the first of two weekend games. Since the Oberlin ice rink has been decommissioned, the Plague has been forced to play in Elyria. Hill explained that this did not go over well with the alumni, who felt it was “sad to see the rink in its current condition.”

The two-game series was split between the teams. In the first game, the Plague squeezed out a close 4-2 victory. Hill exclaimed that the alumni were still working out their kinks; many had not skated since they played for Oberlin.

After a jovial pizza dinner social in the Rathskellar on Saturday night, the two teams returned to the ice on Sunday. The Plague jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the alumni crawled back into the game and sent it into overtime. A quick alumni goal secured victory for the 19 returnees.

Hill was extremely pleased with the success of the second alumni weekend. He also reveled in seeing the amazing transformation of players who had not skated for years.

“The guys started to look like the players I remembered playing with. Some guys had not skated for 15, 20 years, but there was a guy who was 63 years old who was laying himself out on the ice blocking shots,” laughed Hill.

Hill played ice hockey from his freshman to junior year at Oberlin, back when it was a varsity sport. He was always a big fan of ice skating, but had limited competitive ice hockey experience. The Ohio native was fortunate to grow up on a farm 18 miles west of Oberlin that had a pond that froze over every year.

“We skated on our pond and our neighbors’ pond when the ice was good, which was usually just a few times a winter,” said Hill. “I liked to ice skate. I was a decent skater because I used to play ice hockey with my family all the time.”

Hill’s hockey inexperience did not hinder him from playing right wing for Oberlin. The team played 18-20 games per season and practiced every day on the Oberlin ice rink. However, making the team did not automatically result in playing, and Hill found himself receiving limited time. But through the thick and thin of his career, Hill’s passion and love for the ice remained.

“I was never good enough to play a whole lot. I always enjoyed skating outside on the ice. There was something about exercising in the cold that was invigorating,” commented Hill.

After Hill’s junior season, he decided to call time on his Oberlin career because an overload of school work prevented him from going to away games. Whereas most players would have stopped playing, Hill did just the opposite.

“My senior year I told the coach I would attend practices but not play in away games. He had a problem with this but let it ride,” said Hill. Part way through the season, complications resulted in the coach dismissing Hill from the team. It would be 26 years until the future chemistry professor touched a pair of ice skates again.

What eventually brought him out of his skating retirement was coming back to his alma mater. In 2000, Hill, his wife and two boys moved to Oberlin from Tallahassee, Florida, where he had been working as a senior scientist for an environmental company. Being back in the familiar environment must have rekindled Hill’s passion for hockey, as four years ago Hill surprised many by joining the Plague as a player.

While other teams in the Central Collegiate Club Hockey League questioned whether a non-student could play, Hill explained that the rules specifically state that anyone associated with the college can play. Hill also became the team’s faculty advisor.

“I am not a coach or anything; I just sit back and play,” Hill said, making sure to divert any speculation he was in charge of the group. “I missed the incredible speed of the game, the sub-freezing air being sucked deep into my lungs and the freezing of water bottles while you practice.”

Senior co-captain Adam Siedman was initially skeptical when Hill joined the team, worried that Hill would slow the team down and interrupt the student-run environment. But since Hill put on that Plague jersey, Siedman feels the professor has fit in perfectly. “Cortland is as dedicated and focused (if not more so) a member of the Plague as anyone,” he said. “He attends practices and games consistently. While it was strange at first playing with Cortland, I’ve realized over my years that Cortland is not just an older player; he represents a link to the hockey team’s past.”

Hill was enjoying himself, playing games in Elyria and Rocky River in a season that stretches from October until the end of March. But it wasn’t until last year that Hill decided to help reintroduce Oberlin ice hockey to alumni.

In March of 2006, Hill organized the first-ever ice hockey alumni game. The idea stemmed from a conversation between a current player and an alumnus who was keen on having a game. Hill voluntarily took it upon himself to set up the event.

This fall, a more experienced Hill began preparing for the March games. He sent out a flyer to nearly 50 former ice hockey players from all years. As the build up to March began, Hill witnessed that his communication started a giant e-mail chatroom that alumni used to reminisce about past hockey memories.

“You get to see the views from all the different players over the years. It’s really fascinating,” stated Hill.

As the memories flew by, so too did the time. Before Hill knew it, he had completed his fourth season with the Plague. As March rolled around, warmer temperatures signaled the end of the hockey season and the second annual alumni game.

When all was said and done, the alumni weekend was a success. No one enjoyed it more than Hill himself. “[The annual alumni game] is established now. It was very rewarding; I had a blast. Everybody loved it and they all had a great time.”

As Hill awaits next year’s game, he will continue to sharpen his skills with the Plague, hoping to show his peers that he hasn’t lost much of the skill that initially got him on the ice hockey team back in the ’70s. His desire to improve his play and to host the best alumni game possible shows that true love for the game never dies, even if you take a 26-year break.