BYU Hockey says goodbye to senior Aaron Cox

As the BYU Hockey season comes to a close the BYU Cougars will be holding their senior festivities on Saturday at 7 pm at the Peaks Ice Arena. For some members of the team this will be the last time they put on a BYU Hockey uniform in front of their home fans, and so in the process of honoring their contributions to BYU Hockey it is important to learn a bit about each of them. In this edition we get to know senior Aaron Cox.

Aaron grew up in Colorado but hockey wasn't a family affair. With tall siblings the sport of the family was basketball, but things for Aaron would change in 2001. During the 2001 Colorado Avalanche run to the Stanley Cup the family found themselves at a Rockies game that was taking place across the street from the Avalanches Stadium during game seven for the Avalanche. Throughout the baseball game the Rockies showed highlights from the hockey game and it was enough to perk his interest. After watching the last few minutes of the game, and the entire post-game, Aaron fell in love with the sport. After that it only took three years to convince his parents to let him step on the ice and start his journey.

When it came time for college, Aaron had already chosen to come to BYU for school but a new goal was made after he saw a Provo IceCats game. For those not familiar with the IceCats, they are the predecessor to BYU Hockey and so they are one and the same. With a former player for the BYU/Provo Icecats in his ward, he attended a game against the University of Denver and after the IceCats came away with the 5-4 win, decided to play hockey at BYU instead of just getting his education.

One of his most memorable games came as a freshman at BYU when he had to fill in for a top defensemen that was out with an injury. After playing only 5-10 minutes a game up to that point, he played about half the game, with his parents in town as the Cougars faced off against Utah State. Although he admits it wasn't one of his best games, it was his best game up to that point. Even though the team left with a loss, one of the captains specifically mentioned his play to his visiting parents after the game.  Recently a few other memories have been created, and have stood out from the many others, due to the team results showing progress from the five years of work that he, and his teammates have put in. This year the Cougars knocked off two ranked teams in consecutive weekends as they beat the 18^th ranked Huskies from the University of Washington and then 12^th ranked California State Univ-Northridge. The success enjoyed by the team came through due to hard work and shows what can happen as a team comes together in a common goal.

As Aaron moves graduates and moves on into his future endeavors, his first goal will be to get into a graduate school. Both Aaron and his wife are applying at a number of different places so it is hard to predict where they will re-locate in the next little while, but with both having lofty goals it will be quite the experience. Aaron is interested in getting into a program for Industrial Hygiene and Environmental Engineering, but will still take time to find the ice and make a difference. If he is able to stay in the area, he would love to be involved with the Cougars team in any way possible, even if it means becoming a Zamboni driver. Regardless of where he lands, Cougar Nation is better off for having Aaron as part of the program and wishes him luck, wherever that may be.