Two University of New England hockey players have created an energy drink that will give them a boost while being compliant with NCAA regulations.

Joey Stanizzi of Chelsea, Massachusetts and Dylan Schuett of Alberta, Canada, both juniors at UNE, are co-founders of Underdog Energy, launching an energy drink in 2022.

The two met in 2019 while playing junior hockey in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Stanizzi is CEO of Underdog Energy and Schuett is COO. They saw a need to create a drink that would be permissible for athletes under the NCAA, which has restrictions on how much caffeine athletes can consume.

Underdog Energy comes in two flavors: Strawberry Lemonade and Blue Raspberry. The two flavors were chosen after conducting a bracket poll on the Underdog Instagram page, which has more than 6,600 followers.

The product can be purchased online at the Underdog Energy website and on Amazon. It is also available at the UNE Alfond Sports arena and at convenience stores along the east coast.

Underdog Energy is the official drink of DEKA Fit training and fitness competitions. Schuett and Stanizzi have provided samples of their drink at DEKA Fit events and gathered input from consumers.

“One of the biggest things that really raises eyebrows is the naturally flavored aspect to it. We have no artificial additives in the product, said Schuett. “The second thing is, we have two types of caffeine instead of one.”

Most traditional energy drinks just have one fast-acting, form of caffeine that’s typically synthetic, said Schuett. Underdog has natural green tea is the fast acting and a patented blend of slow-release caffeine. This combination gives an energy boost that is long lasting.

In total, Underdog has seven main ingredients for peak performance, which also includes Lion’s Mane Mushroom extract, which is said to improve mood and increase focus.

“When we designed it, we wanted it to be more than just a typical energy drink. A lot of the products out there are just flavored caffeine waters, and that’s not what want to be,” said Stanizzi.

Schuett said he and Stanizzi have tried just about every kind of pre-workout or energy drink on the market, and they had an idea of what they wanted – something that tasted good and used natural ingredients.

“We knew what worked for us and what didn’t …… we had a really good idea of what we wanted to do and how we wanted to bring it to life, it was just a matter of actually doing it,” said Stanizzi.

He and Schuett spent some time developing the drink, and went out to California to work with beverage specialists.

“It was close to two years before we actually had a product in hand,” said Schuett.

The two young entrepreneurs reached out to Power Brands beverage experts on a cold call, and the company wasn’t put off that the product was being pitched by two young college students, and really listened to them, said Schuett.

“They really allowed us to bring our dream to life,” said Schuett.

After leaving junior hockey to go to college, Stanizzi and Schuett worked together long-distance, through Zoom sessions, phone calls, emails and texts until both transferred to UNE.

The move not only brought the two together in the same room, but it gave them a new resource. They found support with the college’s school of business, particularly with Jeremy Pare, assistant professor of social innovation.

Pare helped the two set up a meeting that ultimately led to the product being sold at UNE’s Alfond Center. He has also used Under Dog as a discussion topic in classes.

“We’re really lucky to have these two at UNE,” said Pare.

Underdog is a product that solves a problem, which is the type of product that UNE wants to foster, he said. Also, many students find starting a business daunting, and Stanizzi and Schuett can share their experience to mentor other students. The two young entrepreneurs hope to start an internship program, with other students helping them expand their product.

Both Stanizzi and Schuett have learned to manage their time as business owners, full-time students and athletes.

Stanizzi said anyone who starts a business is going to have to make sacrifices. For them, this could mean staying in and working instead of going out on a weekend night, or carving in a few hours for work while visiting with family on a school break.

“It can be a lot, but I think we both have our priorities straight,” said Schuett. “We’re both great with time management, and knowing what’s important, what absolutely needs to get done, and what can wait. There are some things that just can’t and there are some things that can be put on the backburner for the time being, and we both understand that.”

Saco Bay News Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.

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