Reader Submitted: The Erik Carlson Collection

Erik Carlson's Jersey Collection ... click to enlarge

THE DREAM
A season starts anew, hockey hopes and dreams set high,
coaches, players, family, girlfriends all there.
The games hard fought, some won some lost, but never say die,
an underdog UAA may be, but heart and teamwork like ours is rare.

Seawolf fans come together, cheer our men in green and gold!
The time for winning is now, the goal so close
Hockey history is waiting to be written, the story yet to be told
Sweat, blood and tears are shed in pursuit of the ultimate boast

 A WCHA championship awaits the lucky few
UAA, UAA, UAA
Our hopes and dreams are with you.

-Erik Carlson-

Over the past couple of years Seawolves fan Erik Carlson (who describes himself as an "old school UAA fan") has sent words of encouragement to the blog and shared his thoughts in email with me.  Erik played high school hockey at Palmer High School with Cotton and Forrest Gore back in the 80s.

Below is an additional poem he sent back in September 09 and that I used in a post but credited only as anonymous by his request.  I hope he doesn't mind that today I give him the credit.  The photos are his collection of vintage Seawolves jerseys. 

Seawolf pride

Our hometown team of green and gold call this great north state and city home.
Although many great seawolf skaters have passed our way, the best seawolf team has yet to play.
Win boys win, and they will come; the cheers of UAA! UAA! will continue long after you’ve won.
Beat the badger, the gopher, the sioux and fans at the sully will love you.
The time for winning is now. Straight into the 2009-10 playoffs we will plow.
It’s a long, tough season in the WCHA.  No lead is ever safe, no easy teams to play.
Give it everything you got - skate, shoot and hit!  Make UAA fans everywhere proud, and bring home a championship!

Lastly, I'm going to share another email from Erik that speaks volumes about all UAA fans.  Many of you have sent me such letters, have commented here on the blog with passion and support the team with great dedication.  This letter could be from anyone of you.

Donald,
I'm also a true-blue UAA fan.  When I was a young kid, about 12 yo,(1982?)  I remember watching the D-II UAA team battle a D-I North Dakota team ranked  top #5 in the country.  I believe they ended up losing by a slight margin, but I remember a packed house, who chanted, "UAA, UAA, UAA, UAA.."  It was absolutely electric in the Sully. I felt it as a 12 yo kid, and will never forget the sheer hockey excitement of that night. Believe me, I've seen a lot of rockin' games since then, but nothing like that, not even NHL games....
 
I am so encouraged by such a wonderfully talented 2008-09 UAA team.  Coach Shyiak is a winner, and has brought in a tremendous winning spirit.  Failure is not an option.  That is how the WCHA operates. You are either a winner or a loser.  The talent of UAA has never been a question, just the desire to win. Coach Shyiak drives to win, you can just feel it.  I know, because I live in Duluth, MN. and saw him dig into his team last year, pulling the goalie with a 3-2 deficit, with 4 minutes left. Ballsy move by any coaches' standard. The risk paid off handsomely, with an eventual UAA tie on the road. A total victory in my book. I stood up with my green and gold UAA away jersey, and cheered my head off.

 Bulldog fans collectively licked their bulldog balls in shame. This UAA coach is cool, very cool..... 

I just know that the city of Anchorage will pack the Sully, when the team brings a playoff game home...   I'll be there, cheering my head off, for a UAA victory, and eventual National Championship.
 
Erik C.

Thank you very much Erik.  You speak well for so many others today whether they live in the Anchorage area or Shreveport or Barrigada or Sitka or Tuscon or Fairbanks or Stockholm or Spijkenisse or Alpharetta or Calgary or Edmonton or Vancouver or Okotoks or Ljubljana or even Nairobi (who came to the blog today from a google search of "uaa hockey schedule").  And I for one, appreciate it you all deeply.  Go Seawolves!!!