A first hockey encounter against each other for Shoudy twins

CEDAR RAPIDS — They were teasing the idea of dropping the gloves and throwing down against each other.

But realistically there was no way that would happen.

Dad wouldn’t accept it. Mom would hate it more.

“My mom would be freaking out,” said Tiernan Shoudy, with a chuckle.

So Tiernan and his twin brother, Travis, just went out and played hockey. Against each other, for the first time in an official game.

Travis is a defenseman for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, Tiernan a forward for the Des Moines Buccaneers. Their teams played Saturday night in the first United States Hockey League game at ImOn Ice in about 14 months.

“It’s going to be fun to try and shut him down,” Travis said, earlier in the week. “We’ve always played together, never played against each other, so it’ll be a nice little reunion going against him … We are best friends, for sure. He is my closest brother, my closest friend, everything. I talk to him every day.”

The 19-year-old Michiganders were teammates their entire lives until last season, when Tiernan played in Des Moines and Trevor was in Minnesota with the Austin Bruins of the North American Hockey League. That was tough on both of them.

“We’re twin brothers, so we’re best friends. We’ve done everything together,” Tiernan said. “Last year was the first time we’ve ever not lived together, and that was a little bit getting used to. But we talk every day, Snapchat every day. We’ve talked a little bit more this week just about what is going on and stuff. It’ll be fun, though.”

Travis made the RoughRiders roster this season as a non-drafted player, setting up this brother-against-brother encounter. Mom and dad, Todd and Debora, were planning on watching their sons via computer, but will make the trip to Iowa early next month.

That’s when, conveniently, the RoughRiders and Buccaneers have a weekend home-and-home series: a Friday night game in Des Moines followed by a Saturday night game at ImOn Ice.

“Travis is a good defender, plays hard, and I know he’s working the top of their power play,” Tiernan said. “So hopefully I can get out there against him because I know all of his moves. I’ve been scouting him a lot lately, his whole life, really, so I know what he’s doing, what he’s looking for.”

Tiernan had four goals and six points in Des Moines’ first four games. He’s a Michigan State commit.

Travis had an assist in four games for Cedar Rapids. He has yet to make a college commitment.

“Tiernan is a good two-way forward, and he can really score,” Travis said, when asked for a scouting report on his brother. “He’s got that sneaky shot that is really good. So, yeah, he’s a tough player to play against, for sure.”

The brothers said they fell in love with hockey as very little boys watching their two older brothers play. Once they started learning how to skate and put the uniform on, they were hooked.

Travis also was a forward growing up, but got moved to the blue line at the suggestion of a coach when one of the boys’ youth teams had a dearth of defensemen. It has been a fit.

“I love getting to hit guys,” he smiled.

That includes his brother, if he got the chance Saturday night. While fisticuffs were out of the equation, Travis said he planned to give him a couple of whacks with his stick or put him up against the glass, if the timing was right.

He was asked if his dad was giving him any advice leading into the game.

“He just said ‘Don’t get dangled by your brother,’” Travis said with a laugh.

“Now that I saw your tweet about him not getting dangled, it’s going to be my mission to dangle him,” Tiernan said.

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