After a year away from the ice, Rob Bock made his return to the hockey rink this season.

Bock, a member the NIU D-II men’s hockey team, spent last year playing basketball at Elgin Community college.

The forward has scored seven goals along with five assists in 31 games this season.

Bock had played hockey for the Chicago Fury, a midget AAA team, said his need to stay active is what drew him back to the hockey at NIU.

“I knew once I was coming to NIU that I wanted to do something,” Bock said. “Hockey obviously was the first choice because it was something I was familiar with.”

When the South Elign, Ill. native made his return to hockey, he quickly discovered the differences between hockey and basketball.

“Honestly, I found out that basketball and hockey were completely and totally different,” Bock said, “Basketball, it’s a lot of running. I mean, I lost weight, and hockey is more of a power sport with your legs.”

Hockey’s physical brand of play was something Bock had to get used to again.

“It just definitely took me some time to get back into the mentality of hockey,” Bock said, “The physical play was the biggest change again, just from basketball where they call fouls and then in hockey where it’s just a very physical game.”

The transition back to hockey took longer than Bock expected.

“I would say that in the first month or so of the season it definitely took me a little while to fully get back in the swing of things,” Bock said. “But going forward, I think it will be an easier transition for the future.”

NIU coach Greg Chromy said Bock has several strengths that make him the player he is.

“His size, he’s got a hard shot” Chromy said. “Like I said, he tries hard, so that’s all you can ask.”

Huskies’ captain Mike Sible thinks the future looks bright for the sophomore.

“I think he’ll be a solid contributor in the following years of his career at NIU,” Sible said. “He’s a big kid. He plays the body really well and like I said, that hockey sense will definitely give him an edge over a lot of other guys. I think the most important thing is that he’s really coachable, and that he’s easy to work with.”