
For those who have watched MSU men’s hockey the last
few years, it’s easy to see Zach loves the game. There may be other players on
the ice that work as hard, but no player could outwork Lehrke. The Park Rapids,
Minnesota native played the game with energy all over the ice, making his
presence felt. After having a limited role as a freshman, he was one of the
go-to players for the Mavericks the past two seasons. Often times running the
top of the power play unit, Lehrke finished towards the top of the scoring chart
for MSU his sophomore and junior seasons.
As a sophomore, Lehrke tied for the team lead in
goals with 13 and finished with 23 points on the year, good for fourth on the
team. He improved his point total to 25 his junior season on 8 goals and 17
assists to place fourth in scoring a second straight season. The speed and
tenacity in which he played with will be missed and remembered by Maverick fans
this season. It wasn’t an easy decision, but when it came to his health, Lehrke
didn’t want to take any risks. “It was an extremely
tough decision to hang them up, I love the game of hockey so much and have put
so much time into it that it stings to be done, but the hope is that I won't
have to suffer from the condition as much”, said Lehrke.
It’s clear that Zach would have skated
through the pain had this been something minor, but he had been skating through
the pain long enough. This was something he has dealt with his entire hockey
career and become increasingly difficult to handle. He explained, “I have had
this my entire life, but the higher the levels I have been going up the tougher
it has been to deal with.” So what is the name of this condition? We’re not
exactly sure about that, but Zach explained the condition as best he could.
![]() |
Lehrke taking a faceoff against Alaska-Anchorage |
“I get cramps all over my body, from
head to toe. It is very painful and has made life miserable many days. I
usually get them everyday no matter what, playing hockey and working out makes
them that much worse. There have been many days where whether it is after a
workout or a skate that I have not been able to move for several hours after.
There are also days where I don't do any type of physical activity and I still
cramp up. I made the decision based on the fact that I hope I won't be in as
much pain anymore”, Lehrke said of the condition. When hearing it explained like
that, it’s hard not to respect the way Lehrke played through the pain for so
many years. Hockey players are known to keep skating after blocking shots and
even breaking bones in some cases, but those injuries are temporary. Zach was
living out the dream of playing Division I hockey, even though his body was constantly
trying to hold him back.
It’s hard to see a great player like
Lehrke hang up the skates, especially when it’s due to something he can’t
control, but he knew it was the right decision for him personally. He
expressed, “It was the best decision both for me and my body, and I didn't want
to dread each day I woke up knowing how much pain I was going to have to suffer
through again. Basically I told myself that enough is enough and I just kind of
snapped about it this year.” On behalf of the MSU community and Maverick hockey
fans, I say good luck Zach, and we will miss watching you play this season.
No comments:
Post a Comment