Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/608763
16 DECEMBER. 2015 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM K K noxville, Tenn., is a city full of rich tradition handed down from generation to generation. It's a place that bleeds orange and white, where 102,000 fans come together on college football Saturdays to sing "Rocky Top" at the top of their lungs, and is the home of Smokey, the country's most famous Bluetick Coonhound. It's also home to the Southeastern Conference's oldest club hockey team, the University of Tennessee Ice Vols. A FAMILY AFFAIR Founded in 1966, the Ice Vols have a history of brothers playing on the same team, but this year features a first. The club has never had triplets on the roster. To top it off, their dad is the coach. Gage and Lucas Despins joined the Ice Vols two years ago. Now, in their junior year, their brother, Dane, has reunited with them on the ice and their father, Rob, has taken over as head coach. "When you play something your whole life and you stop, you just want to get back on the ice," said Dane, a supply chain man- agement major. "I didn't think I was going to the same college as them when we were in high school. It ended up working out pretty well. We have the whole family on the team now." Gage is a center, Lucas plays right wing and Dane is a defenseman. The two forwards have played on the same line their whole career except for one year. And similar to the Sedin twins in Vancouver, Gage and Lucas know where the other one will be on the ice without having to say anything. PHOTOS BY Wade Payne Tennessee Triplets Are Rockin' Rocky Top With A Family Brand Of Hockey By MAREN ANGUS