Stephen Russell, a rising senior and goalie for the men’s club ice hockey team, died Saturday evening while swimming at Jordan Lake with his friends.
Family, friends and teammates gathered at the White Gardens at the Arboretum on Beryl Road Wednesday morning to talk about the soft-spoken, adventure-loving 23-year-old who knew how to “take care of everyone.” Russell was majoring in political science, but his obituary stated he wasn’t yet sure what he wanted to pursue as a career.
Russell’s teammates, with jerseys over their dress shirts and ties even in the 90-degree heat, gathered around the podium while assistant coach Kevin Thomas talked about a true competitor that took every win and loss to heart and loved the sport of hockey.Teammate Wes White, a captain and occasional coach, said he had nothing but fond memories of Russell.
“Stephen was just a guy that you could count on,” White said. “He was an uplifting person to be around and he did everything to the fullest.”
In lieu of flowers, the family requested that donations be made to the ice hockey team in Russell’s name. The club traditionally struggles for funds, between the cost of renting practice facilities, travel and expensive equipment, and Russell’s parents said they knew that as an avid supporter of fundraising, he would have wanted to take care of the team in the future.
“He was so passionate about keeping the team afloat as far as fundraising,” White said.Russell and fellow goaltender Wil White backstopped the Wolfpack to a 11-13 overall record and a 5-4-1 record in league play in 2008-09. According to the American Collegiate Hockey Associate’s Web site, Russell manned the net for 15 of 26 regular season games and ended the year with a 4.42 goals-against average while allowing 57 goals.
Throughout the past season, White said he and the coaches spoke often of giving him captaincy or assistant captaincy — an honor not often bestowed upon goalies at any level of the sport.
His teammates autographed Russell’s helmet and jersey and announced they will retire his No. 20 to the rafters of their home arena, the Raleigh RecZone, this fall.
Russell drowned the night of July 4 while swimming with friends in Jordan Lake, according to the state Wildlife Resources Commission. The Raleigh News & Observer reported that alcohol was found, but the Commission could not confirm whether Russell consumed any.
He tried to swim across a cove with a friend around 7:30 p.m. but underestimated the distance and became fatigued. According to reports, his friend swam back for help, but by the time he returned, Russell had gone under.
Chatham county officials enlisted the help of divers, wildlife agents, firefighters and EMS personnel, searching for Russell through the night. Rescuers recovered his body near the Farrington Point boat access ramp at approximately 10 a.m. Sunday.
Russell was born in Grand Falls, Newfoundland and lived in Alberta, where he played AAA hockey, until he moved to Charlotte with his family at 18. He retained his Canadian citizenship and was known to friends and teammates as simply “Canadian.”
Assistant coach Mark St. Louis called Russell a “top-quality guy.”
“He was a great role model for the team,” St. Louis said. “The guys looked up to him. He was intense; he came to compete every night.”
