Senior forward Kurt Colling is keeping his options open for the future, listing his choices as, “trying to find a job here, going to graduate school [at RPI], going home to try and find a job, or just play hockey.” If he were to attend graduate school or enter into the traditional work force, it would be in the Industrial and Management Engineering field.
While not a driving force on the scoreboard, Colling’s value as a player lies in his other abilities. Most notably, Colling is a catalyst in creating opportunities and protecting his teammates throughout the game. He has posted 11 goals and 24 assists over his 123-game collegiate career. Although he played the least amount of games during his senior season due to injuries, Colling was still an integral part of the team. At the start of the new year, he tallied the first goals against the College of the Holy Cross Crusaders during the Wells Fargo Denver Cup and against the Quinnipiac University Bobcats the following weekend. During his junior campaign, Colling netted the only goal against the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish—also his first of the season.
Colling picks out his first goal as “definitely special”—it was at the Nationwide Arena, home of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets against the Holy Cross Crusaders—during the Ohio Hockey Classic. Another one of Colling’s most vivid memories was the optional morning skate earlier that day, in which Colling partook alongside Jordan Alford ’08 and William Neubert ’08—a forward and two goalies on the ice, alone in an empty arena that sits 18,136.
The usual effects of being a senior after hockey season apply to Colling with the loss of structure and more free time. He gave an interesting perspective to it when he stated, “Every day when you are in season, you wake up and think about practice that day. Now, you wake up and think ‘what am I going to do?’ You actually have to stay in shape by yourself.”
Hockey will be a part of Colling’s life at every turn; he hopes to eventually be a coach. “I don’t think it is in me to not have hockey with me in some capacity. Wherever I am, if I am in school or a job, I will find a team … coaching is a lifelong goal, to help kids realize the enjoyment and benefits I realized through hockey.”
He is going to miss the daily interaction with his teammates and being part of the team more than anything after graduation.
Next week, The Polytechnic will follow up with fellow seniors Mathias Lange, Andrei Uryadov, and Seth Klerer to see their plans and goals following graduation this May.
