York College Ice Hockey team celebrates milestone year with player recognitions

Trevor Cohenour was a part-time student at York College of Pennsylvania when he was deployed as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves. After returning from Poland, the veteran decided he was ready to throw himself back into the college experience.

With an already busy schedule as a full-time Biology student and working full-time as an EMT at WellSpan’s York Hospital, the 36-year-old wasn’t sure how involved he could get on campus. “I felt like I was missing out on something that helped me get a deeper connection,” he says.

That’s when Trevor remembered a conversation he had with Connor McCormick, the founder of York College’s Ice Hockey club team. The two used to work together at Buffalo Wild Wings, and Connor told Trevor he should get on the ice. To the nontraditional student, it seemed like the opportunity he needed.

Earning recognition

Stepping onto the ice at York City Ice Rink as a member of York College’s Ice Hockey Club, Trevor was taken back to his days as a 13-year-old playing on the same rink. “After a week of practice, it was like I’d known a lot of these guys a long time,” Trevor says of the other players. “I’ve always found the ice hockey community to be very tight-knit, even when you first meet. That bond is what pushed our team to grow this past season.”

That growth led the team to winning the Delaware Valley College Hockey Conference (DVCHC ) - Patriot Division Championship for the 2019-2020 season. Trevor earned his own honors: he received the Finbarr O' Connor Award (Sportsmanship Award).

The Finbarr O’ Connor Award, named after the founder of the division, is the final award given out during the annual ceremonies, and Trevor wasn’t even aware his coaches had nominated him for the recognition. “It really spoke not only to my contributions as a player, but to the roles I have outside of the team–as a student, an EMT,” he says. “I was really filled with a sense of pride.”

Making time for hockey

Trevor wasn’t the only team member to receive recognition for the season. Coach Rick Guinean was named DVCHC Patriot Division Coach of the Year and Samuel “Sam” Muehlbronner ’21 received Defenseman of the Year. The Engineering Management major got involved with the team as a first-year student after playing ice hockey his entire life. He hadn’t planned on playing in college, rather hoping he could focus on his studies, but he was recruited by another member he met in class. “By the next weekend I managed to go home to grab my hockey equipment and started playing,” Sam says.

After playing youth hockey and then AAA hockey at 16 and 17 years old, Sam decided ice hockey was more of an outlet for him than a serious competitive sport. By the time Wednesday night hockey practice comes around, Sam’s ready for a break from studying and a chance to blow off some steam.

“I went into college ready to focus on schoolwork, but didn’t realize I could make time for a club sport. It really helped me manage the stress that comes with being a full-time student,” he says. “I’ve had such a great experience and built such good friendships that I live with two of my teammates. I plan to keep playing into my senior year.”