Arnold Fulfills a Dream with DU Commitment The Centennial native will return home next season to skate for the Pioneers


By Pat Rooney I


t seemed a little early for Grant Arnold to be making such a monumental decision, yet that was the situation the Centennial native found himself in roughly six years ago. Arnold was in eighth grade when he felt compelled to choose between his two favorite sports: baseball and hockey.


As usual with such things, it was a wrenching decision. Arnold believed he was equally talented in both arenas, and his pas- sion for each sport was unwavering. Yet, at the end of the day, he simply couldn’t resist the lure of the ice. And, as Arnold readily admits, you can’t hit anyone in baseball. Drawn to the physical nature of the sport, Arnold chose hockey. The course of his life has never been the same since. Six years later, Arnold is a captain for the United States Hockey League’s (USHL) Green Bay Gamblers. More- over, Arnold recently announced his commitment to the University of Denver, a program he followed throughout his childhood. “I was 4 or 5 when I start- ed playing roller hockey in my neighborhood and really had no ambition of playing ice hockey or anything,” Arnold said.


“My parents put me


in a learn-to-skate program and it kind of just took off from there. I also played baseball grow- ing up, and around eighth grade I had to pick between baseball or hockey. I picked hockey and


I’ve loved it ever since.


“It was a hard decision. I definitely loved baseball and thought I was pretty equal in both sports. The bottom line was the physicality. I love being able to hit people and how fast the game is; you’re always on edge. You really develop great friendships, too, and it tests your character all the time.”


A product of the well-respected Colorado Rampage AAA program in Monument under the direction coach Andrew Sherman, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Arnold has blossomed in three seasons with the Gam- blers. As a USHL rook- ie during the 2009-10 season, Arnold con- tributed seven goals and 10 assists


while


leaned heavily on Arnold as he’s settled into his new job. “You always have your captains, and then


there are those guys that are so obviously your captain, there’s no debate,” Lalonde said. “Arnold is like that. “He’s always very focused on the team concept,


and how his role fits in with the team - that’s why he’s been so successful,” the coach added. “He’s going to win those puck battles. His skating has been called a weakness, but he’s always getting better. I think he’ll be a big piece of the puzzle (at Denver).” Committing to play for the Pioneers under


longtime head coach George Gwozdecky has been a dream come true of sorts for Arnold. A fan of the Pioneers since he was a kid, Arnold often had prime seats while watching Denver win the NCAA national championship in 2004 and 2005. Helping Denver to once again reach those


heights would fulfill every dream he’s harbored since he chose skates and sticks over bats and mitts all those years ago. “Committing to them has been surreal to me,”


Arnold said. “It’s been an unreal ride talking to them and finalizing things. I’m very blessed to go there and be near my family and friends, and obviously it’s a great hockey program. “There are always stuff to improve, especially


earning the team’s Unsung Hero award. He recorded six goals and nine assists in 59 regular-season games last year and proved to be a force during the postseason, posting two goals and five assists in 11 Clark Cup playoff games. Throughout those seasons, Arnold filled out his frame and developed into an unquestioned leader of the Gamblers. First-year head coach Derek Lalonde, previously an assistant at Denver, has


going up a level to Division I hockey. I’d like to get a little better at skating, especially transi- tion-wise, because it’s just going to be faster at the next level. You can never be a good enough skater. “Also, just working on my scoring touch, get-


ting a few points here and there. I just want to be that player you can always count on in the defensive zone, who’s always going to make a good play out of the zone or who’s going to block a shot.”


Rampage grad Kirk decides on Dartmouth I


By Pat Rooney


t’s not uncommon for young hockey players to proclaim their academics are every bit as


important as athletics, but let’s face it: Once in a while it isn’t difficult to differentiate the player who clearly has been coached up on what to say from the ones who truly embrace their challenges in the classroom. Spark a conversation with Brandon Kirk,


and it quickly becomes obvious that this is one smart dude. An alum of the Colorado Rampage AAA program, Kirk recently announced his commitment to play, and study, at Dartmouth College (ECAC) beginning in 2013. “I’ve always been a school guy; school al-


ways comes first,” Kirk said. “Of course, hockey is always there, but you can’t really play hockey your entire life. I talked to my parents about it and Ivy League... you can’t really go wrong. They play kind of my style of hockey, which is good. I think I’ll fit right in.” Kirk has made a steady migration east in


his pursuit of his dual hockey and academic dreams. A native of La Verne, Calif., east of


8 magazine


Los Angeles, Kirk moved to Colorado when he was 15 years old and spent two seasons with the Rampage. A rugged 6-foot-2, 190-pound defenseman,


Kirk posted 10 goals and 15 assists with the Rampage last season and already has made his mark as a lineup regular with the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League. Kirk is quick to credit his two seasons with


the Rampage under coach Andrew Sherman as a key period of growth that allowed him to fulfill his Division I dreams. “The league we played in, the (Tier I Elite


League), was just phenomenal,” Kirk said. “You get the most exposure you can get. With the Rampage, we were on the ice every single day, working out twice a week. I lived five min- utes from the rink and I could go down there anytime I needed to. “Coach was very hands-on. If you needed


something, you just had to let him know.” Another Rampage alumn playing in Green


Bay - defenseman Max Hartner from Green- wood Village - has already committed to the Air Force Academy.


Ivy League-bound Brandon Kirk will begin his ECAC career in 2013. Photo/Green Bay Gamblers


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