The Will and Determination of Dayton Demon Tim Recio

Robert Kirchner

(Dayton, Ohio)  Growing up in the inner city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Dayton Demonz defenseman Tim Recio’s path to professional hockey was a little different than your typical professional hockey player.  First he did not start playing ice hockey until the age of 10 years old, normally a tad bit older than our Canadian counter-parts who lace up the skates in most cases by the age of 4 years old.  Also, he did not come from the traditional hockey family, his father grew-up in the Philippines, and neither did his two brothers nor his sister play the game.  The thing Tim did have at home was strong parental support, as all four Recio children today are very successful in their professional fields of work.

You can say the odds were stacked against him to play the game professionally. There is something to be said about the will to do something, and with Tim’s competitive spirit is what has carried the veteran defenseman to a successful career in professional hockey.   Demonz assistant coach Jack Collins knows Tim very well and what he brings to the Demonz stating “Tim played in Evansville for me the year we won the championship.  This is our fourth year we have been together.  He is a stay at home defenseman, makes a good first pass to get the puck out of our zone.  Tim can kill penalties, plays hard and aggressive, and most importantly leads by example.”

An all-around athlete as a child, Tim known by his friends and teammates by his nickname Reese, was always outside with his neighborhood friends playing tackle football, soccer along with street and deck hockey.  “Many games would end in fights because we were so competitive, but we let it go, the next day playing again, not thinking about what had happened the previous day” Tim fondly recalls about his youth.  Ice hockey early on was a seasonal sport for him as he also played other organized sports, being successful in each sport he participated in.

His drive and determination had him receiving an athletic scholarship only 5 years after playing ice hockey to the elite New England Preparatory School, The Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts, where he stared on the team as a Junior and Senior.  This led to him playing four years of college hockey, dividing time between the University of Massachusetts Boston, and Suffolk University, where he majored in military history.

There is a correlation between Reese and his childhood friend Will Furlow and best friend to this day.  Will is a Green Beret, which is a part of the United States Army Special Forces, the Green Beret as President Kennedy said many years ago “The green beret is a symbol of excellence, a badge of courage, a mark of distinction in the fight for freedom.”  Reese and Will both pushed each other athletically in all sports they played, and today achieving in their respective professional fields.

Reese stated his career highlight in his professional hockey career was playing in the ECHL, with the Elmira Jackals; the team is affiliated with the Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks both of the National Hockey League (NHL).  Reese was originally obtained by the Dayton Demonz in January 2013, after the Williamsport Outlaws folded, along with Trevor Karasiewicz, (Coach Karasiewicz last season moved from player to head coach). Tim originally played with the Demonz almost a year to the day, when this past January he was called up to the Southern Professional Hockey League’s (SPHL) Fayetteville FireAntz where he finished the season.

Reese stated that he returned to Dayton this season to play for head coach Trevor Karasiewicz, and assistant coach Jack Collins stating “Kraz and Jack are good guys, both know the game, Kraz was an outstanding player, and as a coach he understands how much he can get out of each player, which makes him a very good coach.”

Tim’s goal is to continue to work hard, and move up in professional hockey.  When his playing days are over, his career goal is to work either at the college or professional level as strength and conditioning coach.

Photo Credit:  Josie Colwell