ROCHESTER, N.Y. — There are those who answer the call to serve their country – some finish that and answer the whistle to join their brothers and sisters.

The Flower City Warriors, a team of veterans in Rochester, are finding purpose in competition.

"It's just nice to have that group to just hang out with and laugh with. It is my favorite part," said Marine Corps veteran Nick Hart. "We have a certain kinship with other military veterans."

It's one thing to be part of a team. It's another when that team is bonded in service. 

"We had a bunch of guys who realized, hey, we all play hockey," said Army veteran Chas Belfield. "So we said, 'let's start a Warrior team' and it grew from there."

You talk with any of the Warriors. and that team has done more for them than just get them out on the ice.

"I was in a position that I'm sure a lot of veterans have found themselves in," remembered Belfield. "My post-service plan did not work out nearly as well as I was hoping it would."

"Emotions would rise in situations as simple as getting a wrong drive-thru order or something to that effect," said Hart. "It’s important having a group of individuals that understand that, because you struggle with, 'Why does this bother me so much?' Or, 'Why can't I get through the day like I used to without just feeling anxiety for no reason?' " 

Hart has been with the team since the beginning and sees the benefit for every soldier, sailor, airman and marine turned skater.

"It's difficult to understand the void that's left when you are part of a military unit," he said. "There's a level of camaraderie that happens that I think only the military, in a unique way, creates."

One uniform comes off, and the next feels just as important.

"These are our jerseys. They are poppy red in reference to remembrance. Poppy ice white. Self-explanatory. And midnight blue, which is not only signed by Lou Gramm, but also the color of Army and Marine Corps dress uniform blues," Belfield pointed out. 

Time in and out of either uniform is rewarding.

"I love this just as much as being in," said Army veteran Anthony Paola. "It like it gives me a sense of responsibility and a sense of being within another organization that has the same mindset."

There's veterans that are drawn to the manual labor or 'grunt' work of it all.

"There's plenty of opportunity to just leave it all out on the ice, winning puck battles and going into the corner with guys and battling it out that way," said Hart. "You definitely feel the release at the end of the game." 

Others get out and miss that feeling of being a mentor.

"We take that leadership style that we had in the service and we apply it to here," said Paol. "We make sure that we have that good, I guess, moral compass or, leadership quality to say, ‘Hey, look, this is what we expect out of you guys and not to be just running rampant.’ "

While the Warrior hockey model is primarily for vets with a disability or combat wounds, they are inclusive.

"We've got some people who are just coming to those alumni skates and learning to skate for the first time. They've already paid their dues. If they're interested in becoming members, we're going to find a place for them," said Belfield. 

Like former Airman Dylan Emerson, back from a 20-year hockey hiatus.

"So I've been playing again for about two years now and shaking off a lot of the rust,” said Emerson. "It harbors just so many different aspects of battle and determination. Just being gritty. Not wanting to lose."

This team and many like it are taking as much from the ice as they're leaving on it.

"The camaraderie is 100% alone worth the trip in itself," Emerson said. "The hockey's a bonus."