Dan Sulitzer has played ice hockey for 20 years. His brother, Alex, has played for 17. Although both have played hockey since the age of 5, they’ve never played together.
At least, until now.
Dan and Alex wanted to change the fact that they had never been on the same team, so late in the summer of 2012, they made a pact: they would both attend the University of Oregon and play for the Oregon club hockey team together in the fall.
They each had a few reasons for attending UO. Dan, after graduating UC Berkley in 2011, decided that he wanted to go back to school. Alex, who had been playing with the Seattle Jr. Totems at the time, had a close friend who also planned to enroll.
The deciding factor, however, was each other.
“At Oregon I’m taking the requirements for medical school,” Dan said. “But more specifically, the reason why I decided to come here was we agreed that this was a good fit for Alex and it would be fun to play on a hockey team together.”
There was just one catch in their plan. Even though they both made the team as forwards last year, Dan dropped back to fill holes on defense. The brothers were still separated.
But this year, things were different.
“It was tryouts when they were put together,” senior Stephen Casey, their current linemate, said. “I think it was right then and there we knew, ‘Why didn’t we put these brothers together before?’”
The chemistry was undeniable. Dan quickly moved back to his original position as a forward and the two brothers were put on the top line together. It may have been the first time they had ever played as a unit, but they were unquestionably in sync.
“It’s second nature and it’s not a big deal, at least for us,” Dan said. “People watching the game, they say, ‘Oh, that’s a great pass,’ but we’re just so used to knowing where each other are that it’s just normal.”
“That’s just how we play,” Alex said.
Pairing the two have yielded phenomenal results. The Sulitzers and Casey had one of the most productive lines this season. By the last game, Alex led the team in points while Casey was a close third. Dan, who spent part of the season injured, still had the seventh-most points on team.
Despite their results, they say their success didn’t come all that easily.
“We’re not natural goal-scorers,” Alex said. “We’re both playmakers, so there’s probably more passing than there should be, but we’ve worked on trying to score goals.”
Their stats prove their hard work paid off. The two are ending the season on a high-note, which they’re thankful for because, while Alex still has another year left, this was Dan’s last.
“It’s always nice to go out on a bang with him,” Dan said. “It’ll be nice that my last official year of competitive hockey will be playing with him, so it’s something I’ll always remember.”
Follow Anne Yilmaz on Twitter @anneyilmaz
