Eastern kid makes big UA Icecat impact out West

Matt Heistand Arizona Daily Wildcat Paul Dorn, a sophomore left wing and co-captain, skates down the ice with the puck during the Oct. 31 game against Colorado at the TCC. The Icecats beat the Buffaloes for the second night in a row, 7-3.

A native of Downingtown, Pa., Dorn grew up in the shadow of the Philadelphia Flyers, even playing for the Junior Flyer club team as a kid. When he was 10, he played on the Westchester Quakers, a Pennsylvania club team, with a clean-cut right winger named Mike Graves.

That's the same Mike Graves who plays on Dorn's line with the Icecats.

"I played with him when I was 10, 11 years old," Dorn said, "but when I was 16, he called me up and asked if I wanted to go back to the Quakers. His dad was coaching. So I went and played with him, came here with him, and here we are."

Graves has not seen their relationship on the ice change despite the change in locale.

"Dorny has a natural ability to put the puck in the net," he said. "We've been a tandem for a long time. My job is to feed him the puck and he just does what he does."

Graves and Dorn have made a huge impact with the Icecats, a team which has traditionally been among the top clubs in the American Collegiate Hockey Association and looks to challenge for the ACHA championship this year.

The Icecats are ranked sixth in the ACHA and hope to move up after crushing Rhode Island 4-0 and 10-3 last weekend.

The fact that two kids from suburban Philadelphia ended up thousands of miles away where "ice" is more commonly associated with a kind of beer as opposed to a playing surface is no coincidence.

John Graves, Mike's father, is the Icecats' Northeastern U.S. Recruiter and Scout as well as a member of the team's board of directors. The elder Graves has been instrumental in bringing, among others, his son, Dorn, Kyle Neary, Eugene Mesh and Mark Meister to the Icecats and head coach Leo Golembiewski.

"I talked to coach two years ago and the program sounded good," Dorn said. "And then I went to the ASU game. It was ridiculous; 6,500 people cheering their tails off in a place where hockey shouldn't be that popular was unbelievable. It sold me."

Graves felt the same way.

"If you would have told me two years ago that Dorny and I would be playing hockey in Arizona, I would've told you to keep dreaming," Graves said. "But after I met with coach and went to the ASU game, I was convinced.

Dorn's impact was felt early this season. He scored a grand total of six goals in the two game series against Colorado three weeks ago en route to a 4-3 and 7-3 sweep of the Buffaloes. He followed that up with a four goal performance against Rhode Island the next weekend.

Playing right wing opposite Dorn in all four of those games was Graves.

"They grew up together and they play well together," Golembiewski said. "They're very dynamic together.

"Dorny's as strong a left wing as this organization's seen in 20 years."

Golembiewski has earned Dorn's respect in a unique way.

"He's a character," Dorn said. "He knows his game."

Golembiewski, who's been at the helm of Icecat hockey since its inception 20 years ago, is known for his personality.

"He's unlike any coach I've ever had," Dorn said. "I've played for a lot of screamers, but coach G. is better than that. He's a good guy to listen to."

As for Dorn's biggest goal, it's to make the Icecats even more popular in the future.

"We drew over 6,500 fans last year for the ASU game," Dorn said. "If we could bring another title out here, the place would be pandemonium. People here are great fans. They're spoiled by such a great program."

Ryan Finley can be reached via e-mail at Ryan.Finley@wildcat.arizona.edu.