How the Macon Mayhem's young broadcaster shapes hockey culture in Middle Georgia


How the Macon Mayhem's young broadcaster shapes hockey culture in Middle Georgia

Macon, Ga. (WGXA) -- The Macon Mayhem defeated the Evansville Thunderbolts 4-3 at the Macon Coliseum last night.

It took a ten-round shootout to take down the reigning SPHL champions, but the Mayhem break a pointless drought to move up in the standings.

While most fans saw the thriller from their seats, the view from above is where the Mayhem's biggest moments get their voice.

Standing in a small press box above section 208 at the coliseum is where you'll find Graham Tuck, the team's play-by-play man.

Some might see Thanksgiving and think of football, but in Macon, it's Hockeytown.

But unlike football, Tuck says hockey makes you expect the unexpected.

"It might be a big play, it might not, but you know when the play's going to happen," Tuck said about football. "With hockey, split second, something can happen right away can happen out of nowhere."

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Tuck's now in his second season broadcasting for the Mayhem.

He says this was his dream since he was a teenager after working for a local minor league baseball team.

"Eventually, I got the chance to call my first game," Tuck lamented. "I was terrible, but I was 16, so I had a lot of time to hone in on it."

Tuck used that time to his advantage, becoming an ACCHL Hall of Famer after his stint as a club hockey broadcaster at High Point University.

He's currently the youngest announcer in the league.

"Getting to bring those memories to people here is just absolutely incredible and it's something I definitely am not taking for granted," Tuck said.

And ahead of game nights, he's preparing like a veteran; sheets upon sheets of paper sprawl out on the desk space of the press box, blueprints for any possible play.

"It's long hours, it's late nights," Tuck said. "But making sure that you have everything that you need and even more that you could never need, just having it anyways is absolutely paramount."

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In his short career so far, he's witnessed some historic moments, including this viral goalie goal scored by Josh Boyko against the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs last February.

"Not many people ever get to even see that happen, let alone call one for a broadcast," Tuck said.

The Mayhem take a brief road trip to Knoxville tomorrow night but are at home on Saturday, hosting the Quad City Storm.

It's Disney Night over at the Macon Coliseum and the puck drops at 6 PM. You can buy tickets here.

To hear Tuck's previous radio broadcasts, visit the team's YouTube Channel.

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