Sacred Heart a beat away
Bob Snow - NHL.com correspondent
In the entertainment world, everybody knows his name; in the college-hockey world, more are learning theirs.
The Pioneers -- not the 2004 and '05 national-champion Denver type - but rather the East Coast namesake at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn., are on the verge of going prime time.
Once know primarily for '72 alum John Ratzenberger, who played Cliff Claven for a decade on Cheers, and now hosts Made in America on the Travel Channel, 11-year-coach Shaun Hannah's Atlantic Hockey Pioneers are made for an NCAA tournament run in their ninth year in D-I.
How close is "SHU" (pronounced SHOO) to that NCAA "Road not yet traveled" article that introduces Sacred Heart's media guide?
The projected NCAA pairings by the online puck pundits the last weekend in January, if the season ended then, had final-seed No. 16 Sacred Heart heading 200 miles up Route 95 to Manchester, NH, to meet the No. 1 UNH Wildcats in the first game of the Northeast Regional.
Last March, No. 16 Holy Cross -- also from Atlantic -- took out No. 1 Minnesota in a parallel NCAA situation.
"That would be huge," said Hannah about such a scenario in his 8x10 office in the Milford Ice Pavilion, just after the annual alumni game on Jan. 27. "Our game plans are put together for those types of teams and games."
Spend a few hours around this little engine that will, and it's easy to see what drives the Pioneer spirit, and the David-Goliath posture of these hockey Hoosiers.
The alumni game was missing a goalie; the press box seats eight comfortably; four spare Zamboni tires are piled in one corner; a hand-rung cowbell signals the end of a penalty; the team draws in the 5's - as in hundreds - at home; post-game media gather in the equipment room ...
And Sacred Heart took out Cornell, 2-1, at ever-tough Lynah rink in Ithaca, NY, on Jan. 6.
"We are D-1," said Hannah with a wry smile about his modest amenities, "and, yes, that was the biggest win so far. So was Michigan State (Oct. 28) where we didn't win, but came back with five goals (in a 7-5 loss). After that, things really started to come together with guys knowing their roles."
After logging playoff minutes in the alumni game, captain Peter McRae (1998-2002), summed up his alma mater's mission. "It was kind of like a blank slate here back then," said McRae. "Shaun's done an unbelievable job in a very short time. The school is great here, and the academics are really stressed."
Now in law school after an ECHL stint in Bakersfield, California, McRae exemplifies the SHU recruit.
"Character No. 1," said Hannah about his recruiting focus, "excellence on the ice and in the classroom. Putting it all together; not coming here just to play hockey. It really is getting easier to recruit kids here."
Pierre-Luc O'Brien came to Sacred Heart four years ago. The Chris Drury-type leader ends his career next month having already eclipsed all three records for goals/assists/total points in school history.
"Pierre-Luc is our heart," said Hannah. "He's the captain and the reason is he shows up and lives our philosophy every day. Work hard, embrace the game plan, and do the little things."
"No doubt in my mind we belong in the top-20," said the senior leader who also has better than a point-per-game career average going into free agency.
"The short postseason (last year) fueled our guys to come back really ready to go start to finish," said Hannah. "They need to contribute.
"We need the third line of (Drew) Sanders, (Kyle) Tyll, and (Nick) Kary to contribute as the checking line. Our fourth line (Matt Gordon, David Jarman, Peter Ferraro) can play with a lot of energy and are skilled enough to score goals. They gotta get goals.
"And the second line (Alexandre Parent, Nick Johnson, Eric Giosa) that opens things up for Pierre-Luc and 'Trapper', and the freshman, (Erik) Boisvert. It also steers the focus a little away from them, which you need."
After the solid D-corps of seniors Kalen Wright, Todd Spencer, Dave Grimson, and standout junior assistant captain Scott Marchesi, comes the steady goaltending.
The deliveryman for whom all SHU fans cheer is Jason Smith, the first NHL draftee in school history; New Jersey snatched him in 2003 in the sixth round.
"He came highly recommended by his coaches at Lennoxvillle, and he performed very well in the World Bank Cup Tier II Championships," said Devils Director of Scouting David Conte. "Whether it's BU or SHU, we expect him to learn how to stop the puck and become a contributing member of his team."
Smith has been doing that.
"We go where he goes, along with O'Brien, Parent and Trapp," said Hannah.
Smith had carried the load 18-straight games into the 5-2 win on Jan. 26 against Canisius. The following night, sophomore heir-apparent Stefan Drew blanked the Golden Griffins, 4-0, in his third start.
"(Being mentioned with Marty Brodeur) feels awesome," smiled Smith. "That's something you wouldn't expect, but right now I'm just focused on the Pioneers. This team has great chemistry. There are no bad apples in the barrel."
There is, however, the aforementioned "Trapper" on right wing. The sensational 22-year-old sophomore, Bear Trapp, is already etched in SHU and college-hockey lore with that name -- and his numbers.
"I came in and got the chance right away to play with some top players," said the 2006 Atlantic Rookie of the Year out of Regina, who helped to lead Sacred Heart to a record 21 wins. "There were other schools, but my family and I thought this was the best choice; it's been working out with a very good season so far."
Indeed. Trapp is on a blistering pace for consecutive point-per-game-plus seasons.
The Trapp-family lore around the name?
"It's actually my middle name," said Trapp. "Me and my dad have the same first name (Douglas), but I've been going by 'Bear' since my first day of Kindergarten. My grandpa's name is Barry and his brother's name was Blair. I guess it came out as "Bear;" my parents had it ready before I was born."
Indeed, Barry Trapp, played for Rochester Americans in the AHL from 1962-64; Doug Trapp was a second-round pick of the Sabres in 1984, and played for Rochester from 1985-87, while appearing in two games for Buffalo in 1986-87.
Trapp and Sacred Heart are ready for the next four weeks. Locked in second place with two weekend wins at perennial powerhouse Mercyhurst puts the slate at 17-9-4, (14-6-4 Atlantic). They finish the regular season with two against Holy Cross this weekend, before ending the season with a pair with Army.
Second place this season, however, means the No. 1 league playoff seed, considering that Rochester Institute of Technology is not eligible for postseason play by NCAA rules that require two years of D-1 status. RIT is eligible in 2008, after playing as a Division I independent last year before becoming Atlantic's 10th team this season, along with Air Force that moved over from College Hockey America.
"The smart money is on Sacred Heart to get to NCAA," said Mercyhurst coach Rick Gotkin, still smarting from the weekend. "They are good top to bottom, Pierre-Luc is the real deal, and goaltending is their big plus going in with Smith and Drew. Smith gets it done for them."
"(Our team) is determined and committed-two words that define our team," said Hannah about the days ahead. "Doing the little things - communicating, finishing checks, consistency. At this pointy, they know the systems. Anything we put in front of these kids, they take it and go."
"It's been four unbelievable years," said O'Brien, "and I just hope I can help put the banner in this rink for the first time."
A banner, that is, with a list of memorable names.
