The Fredonia State Men’s Hockey team suffered two losses last year; one on the ice and a much bigger one off the ice.
When the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a somber time for the players. But the loss of game action paled in comparison to the loss in January of teammate Tanner Kahlau. Tanner, a junior Business Administration: Management student from Mountain Top, Pa., died in a skiing accident in Lake Placid.
“It happened back in January, but I think it’s still really fresh,” said Fredonia State Men’s Hockey Coach Jeff Meredith. “We talk about Tanner all the time. We have nothing but great memories of our guy. I don’t think we’ve all come to grips with it yet.”
One step in the healing process will occur this Saturday at the Steele Hall rink with the “Tanner Kahlau Memorial Game” against Trine University.
“The week of the memorial game, we’re going to need each other, players and coaches, and we’re going to have to be there for each other because I think we’re going to have to cry together and laugh together and hug each other and get each other through this,” said Meredith.
“Tanner was the most amazing person in every aspect of life and I know, even for the guys who only had the privilege of knowing him for a single semester, that he has inspired us to do something great,” said Assistant Captain Ethan Kirbis (Clarence). “As for the Kahlau family, again, they are some of the most kind, special people I have ever met, and I know his parents and Anna are so proud of him.”
Kirbis and Chandler Judd (Piedmont, S.C.) will be assistant captains this year because the team voted Tanner as their captain this season. Tanner’s #9 jersey will hang on the Fredonia State bench for every game, home and away. The team will all be wearing #9 jerseys with Tanner’s name on the back during warm-ups for Saturday’s game. The team will be supported by a strong alumni presence, as almost every player who dressed or played with Tanner will be in attendance in Steele Hall.
“He will be our guardian angel looking over us for the highest highs and the lowest lows this coming year,” said Judd. “I fully believe he is fully behind us in everything we do and I cannot think of a better way to honor the man he was. He may be absent from our eyes but never our hearts."
The “Tanner Kahlau Memorial Game” against Trine is scheduled for Saturday at 4 p.m. in Steele Hall. The team warmup, during which the team will wear Tanner’s jersey, is scheduled for 3:20 p.m.
Highlights from the 2018-2019 season can be viewed online.
