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Phill Jennrich: Leader on the ice

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Senior Phill Jennrich is honored at senior night against Utah State. (Ariana Berkemeier / The Signpost)

For four seasons, senior Phill Jennrich has donned the No. 4 jersey for the Weber State University hockey team. On Saturday night, Jennrich wore No. 4 one last time in front of the home crowd.

“He’s a great leader,” said his teammate, freshman Jacob Eisenstat. “Skill-wise, he’s got a good shot. He’s got good hands and he’s really someone to look up to.”

When it comes to Jennrich, no one knows the meaning of team work like him. Jennrich doesn’t consider himself a key player for the team. Instead, he believes it’s the whole effort of the entire team that has propelled them so far since he began four years ago.

“My first year here, we really struggled, but during my second and third year, we made a (big turnaround) with the program,” Jennrich said. “I feel we have a really good team this year, and if we all work in unity, we can be real contenders.”

Jennrich has enjoyed his years at Weber and the growth of the hockey team from a struggling club to a major figure in the west coast hockey scene—the same west coast hockey scene where he began his playing career.

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Senior Phill Jennrich gets ready to hit the puck to score a goal against Utah State. (Ariana Berkemeier / The Signpost)

“I started when I was 8 or 9 and played all the way through high school,” Jennrich said. “I moved to Canada at age 18 and played about three and a half years of (Canadian Junior Hockey League), but after that, I wanted to go to school. When I found out that Weber had a club, I had my equipment sent out here.”

While Jennrich balances his practice time in the rink with working on a major in microbiology, he also takes a serious leadership role as one of the few seniors on the team.

“When I first met Phill, he was willing to help me with anything,” said freshman Janson Eisenstat. “Whether it was hockey, education or anything like that. He’s a good leader, on and off the ice, he makes a lot of plays, he really cares about winning and he cares about this team a lot.”

After his career at Weber State ends, Jennrich plans on going into the medical field upon graduation. Even though he’s leaving the Wildcats, he says he’ll be playing hockey for the rest of his life.

“I’ll always play, just for fun and to relax,” Jennrich said. “When I have kids, I’ll probably live vicariously through them.”

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