Magazine Interview with Mavericks

Dorito finished his hockey article, and it finally appeared in the iTeen magazine!! We drove to Independence and got extra copies of the December issue. You can view it on page 10-11 at this link http://www.iteenkc.com/online_digital_magazine/index.php to see the photos on the ice and in the stands with his twin brothers and Bantam teammates.
Mavericks Move into Independence
by Reid Schmidling
I interviewed Andrew Davis, #27, on Thursday, after their first practice at the new rink. Davis has played hockey since he was four years old. He said his best hockey memory is of his dad coaching him during his younger years. I met his parents, Richard and Jane Davis, before the game. Jane’s father played for the Boston Bruins farm team before World War II.
Davis has played professional hockey for two years. The last team he played for was the Wichita Thunder.P rior to that, he played in East Germany and Norway. When he played in Germany, Davis said there were no seats in the stands, so everybody stood up and they could fit more spectators in. There was no music either. Davis said he liked it how the fans in Germany would just sing between periods and time-outs. Before that Davis played Juniors and also had a scholarship to play four years of college hockey in Canada. He tried out for the Missouri Mavericks team because he had played with Coach Hillman in
prior years.
The Mavericks practice for 2 hours every day, plus 1 hour of practice on game days. Besides practice, Davis said the players work-out at the gym, do yoga, and try to eat healthy food. The team is sponsored by Sherwood so players get all their sticks provided. Today, Davis broke two of his sticks during practice. They also get to pick out their skates, helmet, and other pads. The players do not tell their salary, and they are also paid for their room, cable TV, and meals when travelling.
I got to visit the locker room, where each player has a place to put their gear. They have one person who sharpens skates for the whole team. Davis showed us the bag where they carry all the sticks when they have to travel. The bag holds 200 sticks. There is also an iPod stereo system, flat screen TVs, and a dental chair in the locker room.
Davis said his worst memory was three years ago when he got a puck to the mouth, and all his bottom teeth were knocked out. He had them wired back in and said he could only have soup and not much food at all for six months.
Davis still dreams about playing in the NHL, and he likes when he can travel out of the country to play hockey. He hopes the Mavericks keep winning!