By Jerome le Carrou

November 15, 2005 | Aggies hockey players Robert Hashimoto and Roberto Leo are not ordinary teammates. They have a particular relationship linking their lives as hockey players at Utah State.

Hashimoto, a senior from Van Nuys, Calif., and Leo, a senior from Valencia, Calif., came together at Utah State four years ago.

"We came here together a week before school started," said Robert "Hashi" Hashimoto. "We had to share the same room in the dorms."

"If [Ro]berto decided not to come, I wouldn't have come either," Hashimoto said.

Leo was enrolled in the junior college of Valencia, the College of Canyons, while Hashimoto had already attended the freshman orientation in Cal State Northridge and said he was planning to move to Logan only during the spring.

Hashimoto and Leo said their decisions to come in Logan were linked to each other.

Hashimoto said, "Berto told me he was going now, so I decided I'll go to."

Leo said he made up his mind because he had a chance to play hockey in college and be enrolled in Utah State's successful program.

Leo said, "It helped us a lot as we had only to pay in-state tuition."

Hashimoto said they have played hockey together for seven years. Hashimoto said although they have been line mates in Junior High School, they have been playing against each other a lot of times in California.

Hashimoto and Leo still have a little rivalry between them. They always try to beat each other on the ice.

Hashimoto said he remembered beating Leo in a semi-final in Valencia.

Leo said, "His high school didn't even have a team; so we played in the same one."

Hashimoto said they played on a roller hockey team during a summer. They played in two tournaments and won both of them.

Hashimoto said, "Me and Berto were both MVP of these tournaments during the summer."

Hashimoto said former Aggies hockey player Brandon Lang helped them when they arrived in Logan.

"Lang helped us here with the program; it was a big help," said Hashimoto.

Hashimoto said him and Leo used to eat sushi at "Hashi Sushi" in Los Angeles every day before practice.

Leo said, "Sometimes we ate too much and were kind of sick during the practice."

Turning to his friend, he said, "Hashi, what was that stuff we always ate?"

"Shrimp tempura," said Hashi.

Hashimoto and Leo will probably graduate from Utah State next spring or summer.

Leo said he will like to travel all over Europe next summer.

Hashimoto said, "Why not? Sounds good."

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