Pauley helping Heartlanders in locker room and with team’s High School Challenge

Coralville, Iowa – Before the popcorn is popped and the lights shine on Iowa Heartlanders players at Xtream Arena, the team’s equipment assistant Mason Pauley is often there, working side-by-side with lead Equipment Manager Greg Angus. Pauley is a senior at Solon High School and has been key in promoting the team’s High School Challenge. 

He splits Heartlanders game days with his school, meaning he arrives around 3 p.m. at Xtream Arena for a night game, then assists for hours after the game making sure the Heartlanders’ locker room is ready for the next day. 

“Most of the time we start with getting laundry done, we set up other parts of the arena like the benches and getting pucks ready,” Pauley explained. “Having the opportunity to be with the team on game days is awesome and I’d be crazy to take it for granted.” 

Pauley started in the team’s inaugural season as an off-ice official, helping track statistics in the press box. Near the end of year one, he asked to help the equipment team.

“I assembled the team’s laundry carts in the first year,” Pauley said. “I take a lot of pride that was my bit and those are the carts we still use.”  

He’s now in his third season helping the Heartlanders and his second full year as an equipment assistant.

“The whole locker room makes me feel welcome, even though I don’t travel with the team,” Pauley said. “I show up early for a game and I’m there until 3 a.m. People know our roles are important for the next games.”

Pauley helping Solon with High School Challenge on the horizon

The Heartlanders High School Challenge is in its first year of existence and will take place Sunday, March 24 at 2:05 p.m. against Wichita. It’s a competition between Liberty High School, Iowa City West, Solon High School and Clear Creek Amana High School to sell the most tickets to the game; the school that has the highest percentage of tickets sold compared to their student population will win $1,000 for that school’s student council.

Get your tickets to the High School Challenge here: https://iowaheartlanders.com/school-challenge

“I think people are going to enjoy the atmosphere,” Heartlanders President Matt Getz said. “It’s so easy to learn to love coming to Heartlanders games simply by being here. We’re trying to expose people to hockey that might not be as familiar with it and we’re trying to create as many opportunities as possible to break down the barriers some people might have with it.”

Pauley is one of the key players in helping to bring his classmates at Solon High School to their first game. 

“My principal sent me an email a couple months ago saying the High School Challenge was a go,” Pauley said. “We got posters and signs up around the school, had an assembly and are planning another one with Matt Getz and [Head Coach] Derek Damon to remind people to get their tickets.”

Taking that extra step has always been important to Pauley, whether it’s in his work with the Heartlanders equipment team or in trying to help his school win this inaugural challenge. 

“Solon is a very dedicated community. We won the state girls basketball tournament and people made the trip to Wells Fargo Arena two hours away to support them. I think the majority of people in Solon, because it’s a smaller school we know everyone and have known them for 18 years. Other schools might not have that. It brings unity to our friend groups and people that want to come to a game.” 

The game on March 24 is also Faith and Family Day presented by Pizza Ranch, with a team photo giveaway and a postgame skate thanks to The Family Dental Center.