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Western States Hockey League players on the Butte Cobras roster get a lot more than the opportunity to play hockey — they get a home away from home.

The team, playing for the second year in Butte, is gearing up for the playoffs along with their biggest cheerleaders: the billet families providing them with room, board and lots of love.

In addition to the support of the community, the billet families' support of players has fostered a win-win situation, benefiting everyone involved.

THE PECK FAMILY

Josh Smith, 20, hails from Glenrothes, Scotland, and has been in Butte with the Cobras since their first season in 2014. He is one of the three players housed by the team’s billet coordinator Amanda Peck and her family.

“I think the biggest benefit to my family is that we’ve gained more family,” she said.

Peck, who never expected to become so involved with hockey, said that serving as a billet family has changed her perspective of the sport.

“It’s a whole different experience when you get to know the players,” she said.

Smith prefers the stability of living with a local family when he is so far away from home.

“I’ve lived alone, and it’s not as fun … there’s never a dull minute in this house,” he said.

Smith also appreciates the support he gets from the family when he’s on the ice.

“They come to every single home game, and some on the road,” he said.

Kevin Philbin, 20, is from St. John, Indiana, and has also been with the Cobras — and the Pecks — since 2014. Philbin considers Butte his home away from home.

“It’s a nice small town, and it’s really nice that the town backs us up and comes to our games,” he said. He also is a fan of the Pecks.

“I love it here. They pretty much give us whatever we need,” he said.

Garret Bryan, 20, of Bozeman joined the team and the Pecks two months ago. Though his family is only 85 miles away, living in Butte allows him to spend more time on the ice playing and practicing and less time on I-90.

Like his fellow players, he’s happy with calling the Pecks' house home.

“We don’t just think of them as a billet family, we think of them as real family,” he said.

CHAD AND MARCEE WEIST

Chad and Marcee Weist heard about billeting from Peck and decided to give it a try. They took in their first player, P.J Silveria, 20, from Crosby, North Dakota, two years ago and immediately fell in love with being a billet family.

“I really enjoy it. I wasn’t a real sports fan before, but I’ve gotten into hockey,” Chad said.

Silveria has since left to attend college and play hockey at Williston State in North Dakota. The Weists took in Braxton Farmen, 19, from Aberdeen, South Dakota, in his place this season. Once again, they were impressed.

“You can’t ask for better guys,” Chad said.

“It’s a very regimented program, and there are rules these guys need to follow,” Marcee said.

The Weists' daughter Jessica, 21, has become the Cobras' biggest fan.

“All the players know who Marcee, Chad and Jessica are,” Farmen said.

“It’s been good for Jessica to have the boys her own age around,” added Chad.

Farmen recently moved on to play in Rochester, Minnesota, but he hasn’t broken his ties with the family.

“We still stay in touch with him,” Marcee said, adding that Jessica sends him text messages on a daily basis. The Weists plan to continue on as a billet family.

“We are already slated to get a new player,” Marcee said.

DAN AND KARRIE MURRAY

Dan and Karrie Murray are in the midst of their first year of serving as a billet family. After raising three girls, they are enjoying having some added male energy around the house.

“They pretty much become part of the family,” said Dan.

Though they never thought they’d miss the running around parents do with their kids, they found that when their own left home, life got quiet. The Murrays heard about billeting from friends and decided to give it a try. They started out hosting two players from New Jersey, Phil Babb and Steve Schapiro. The two have since been traded to the Tulsa Oilers, but the Murrays keep in touch by phone and watch them play by accessing the Fast Hockey station on the Internet.

When Babb and Schapiro left, the Murrays called Peck looking to sign up for another player. In November, they welcomed Jesse Clark, 18, from Omaha, Nebraska, into their home. Both Dan and Karrie are impressed with the maturity and behavior of the players they’ve hosted and interacted with through team events.

“These kids have disciplinary outlines. They know what they can and cannot do,” Dan said.

The Murrays have never had a problem — other than missing the players when they move on.

“You get attached to them, and they get attached to you,” Dan said.

And for Karrie, she’s finally got the chance to “mother” some “sons.” She’s doing her part pre-game straightening neckties and using the lint brush to pick up random dog hair clinging to suit coats. And she gets one more perk she wasn’t expecting:

“The boys give better hugs than my girls did,” she said.