LEWISTON, N.Y. - Hockey players might think of golf only as an insult, a way to taunt players that will miss the playoffs and have time to work on their golf game. For Andrew Poturalski, golfing brings back childhood memories in Williamsville.

"My dad taking me to par-3's, playing that as a kid," he says. "I grew up playing Audubon every day with a couple of my friends."

Poturalski plays in the Carolina Hurricanes organization, playing for the Charlotte Checkers last season. He began practicing golf with regularity last summer, and notched the second-best score of non-qualifying golfers. After a few qualifying golfers backed out, Poturalski had his chance.

"A lot of these guys are competing for spots in many different ways for tours and what not. I'm just here to have fun and enjoy the experience," he says.

As far as physicality goes, golf and hockey are on completely different ends of the sporting spectrum. In hockey, with a few restrictions, you can punch, fight, shove, and do almost anything to put someone on their rear end. In golf, it's considered very rude to talk while other people are hitting. Even though these sports are completely different, Poturalski finds a lot to take away from the golf course.

"The one thing is that I like to compete, and hockey players do that," he says. "Being out here to do that during the summer is fun. I think with golf, after every day you're not satisfied. After you play a round, you always think about shots you could've had back. There's always room for improvement, and I just want to get better."

Another obvious difference is the emotional aspect -- Poturalski has done a good job of not letting his emotions interfere with his golf game. Hockey players can show anger and frustration on the ice, but Poturalski did not throw his clubs or yell after bad shots.

"You gotta keep your emotions about you, and not make a fool out of yourself," he says. "I'm happy to be here, and priviledged to be here. I'm just happy to be out here."