Four friends use mobile hockey shop to bring gear to you

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Thursday night brings out hockey lovers from all over to Lake Mayer, including four friends, “The Zambroskis.”

Friends who first found each other on the rink.

“We ended up being on the same team one season. That’s how we all met each other, playing at Lake Mayer.,” said Danny Mackerty of he Dakota Davidson, Joasis Smoker and Zach Whitney.

While they all love the game they quickly realized something was missing.

“Moving here and trying to find gear was tough. The closest rink and pro shop is two hours north or two hours south,” said Whitney.

Which was not only frustrating but was also limiting access to the game in Savannah.

“A lot of kids wanted to play hockey and just didn’t know how to go about it; parents didn’t know what they needed,” Mackerty says.

So, armed with knowledge and fueled by the growing desire for hockey, spurred on by the arrival of the Ghost Pirates, these friends found the inspiration they needed from a unique source.

“My cousin Chaz owns Chazitos and he does food trucks. He told me, ‘cuz, the best way to go right now is mobile. If you can go to your customers and make it convenient for them, that’s where it’s at,” Smoker said.

Which is exactly what they did.

Fixing up an old trailer with both roller and ice hockey equipment, Savannah Hockey Company was born.

From fresh wheels to skate sharpening to pads and pucks, all brought right to their customers.

“Really anything that anybody needs that you can do at a hockey pro shop in Boston, New York or Cleveland, you can do in the trailer,” Mackerty says.

For these four ‘Zambrokis’ the Savannah Hockey Company isn’t just something they wanted to do but something they felt called to.

“All fours of us felt like we had to in a way. You know, we go to play hockey because someone did it for us. Someone took time to show us,” Mackerty said.

“I’ll never forget the first time someone taught me how to tape a stick. Something that simple I carried for the rest of my life and to be able to share that and to do that for other young kids, that’s what gets it for me,” said Smoker.

“As hockey players we’re taught to give back to them game and I think this is the best way we can give back to the game by growing it in Savannah,” added Davidson.

So, when people stop by their shop, these four friends are less worried about what they buy, than what they take away.

“For me personally I just hope they see how much we care about the game, how much we love the game. Eventually I want the people we help to love the game as much as we do. We want hockey here in Savannah to grow to be as big as it is up north. There’s a lot of love for the sport in the community so we want to foster that and continue to it grow,” said Whitney.

To find out where you can catch the Savannah Hockey Company click here.

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