Cougars’ defenseman Blake takes to the links at US Open qualifiers

Whether it's on or off the ice, Connor Blake is doing it all.

Now heading into his fourth year of play with the Cougars men's hockey team, Blake has become a staple in the Mount Royal community through his work in the classroom, on the ice, and as a volunteer.

And if all that wasn't enough, this summer he took a swing at qualifying for the US Open on the golf course.

In May, Blake made his way to Nevada, the site of a qualifying tournament, and finished in the top four out of 80 participants to move on to the final qualifying stage, held at Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles.

Once there, the Cougars defenseman had to take part in what's known as "the longest day in golf," where 90 players shoot 36 holes in one day, with five earning a spot at the US Open.

"My section had guys that have won on the PGA Tour, guys on the LIV [tour], the best college golfers," Blake said of his competition in California. "It was an amazing experience to be around those guys and see how they go about their routines. I, unfortunately, didn't play as well as I had hoped . . . it was about a 12-hour day, but it was just a really cool experience getting that close to a US Open."

Despite falling one day short of competing in a Major, Blake says he isn't able to put as much time into his golf game as he'd like between school, hockey, and his involvement with the SuperHEROES hockey program and the Autism Aspergers Friendship Society of Calgary (AAFS).

For his volunteer work, Blake was named the 2023 Canada West Student Athlete Community-Service Award winner.

"I like being busy. I don't really like sitting around," the Health & Physical Education student said of keeping a packed schedule. "I was always raised to give back to my community, and it's something I love doing."

Blake also credits his family and specifically his dad, Steve, for sparking his love of golf. Steve has played at the US Senior Open, where Connor was able to caddy for him — a privilege the senior Blake returned this summer in Los Angeles.

"Having him on my bag was invaluable. I'm beyond grateful that he could help me out," the younger Blake said. "I look up to him. I golf because of him . . . my whole family and my girlfriend were all in L.A., so to have them experience that with me was amazing all in itself."

Now back in Calgary, Blake's attention has turned to the upcoming Canada West season, which is set to be his last at Mount Royal.

"I can't believe I'm going into my fifth year. Mount Royal has been so good to me, and I've loved every second I've been here," he said.

"I'm going to look back on these years as probably some of the best years of my life," he added. "I'm just really going to try and take it all in because I know this year is going to go by quickly."

Since Blake arrived at Mount Royal, the Cougars have gone 50-26, made three trips to the playoffs, and finished one win away from the conference championship in 2021-22.

And for Blake, breaking down that door is the priority for 2023-24.

"It's only a matter of time before an MRU men's hockey team breaks through. Being in my last year, I'd love for it to be that time," he said. "At the end of the day, we want a championship, I want a championship, and there won't be any doubt about how hard we'll work to achieve that."