Churchill blossoms in junior year with Griffs; Ex-Golden Eagle doubles scoring productivity with NCAA hockey team

By Brian Smiley, Brantford Expositor

What a difference a year makes. Last year, Brantford's Spencer Churchill couldn't buy himself a point with the Canisius College Golden Griffins men's NCAA Division I hockey team.

But, this year, that wasn't the case at all.

"It was the exact opposite," said the 23-year-old junior.

"I was getting a point a game for my first seven games ... no goals, just assists. It was a little different than last year."

It certainly was as Churchill recorded just a single assist last season in his team's first 16 games.

This year, the Brantford Collegiate Institute graduate didn't waste any time getting on the scoresheet.

The increase in productivity was the result of a couple of factors. "I got a lot of opportunities," the six-foot, 185-pound forward said.

"I got chances on the power play and was getting regular shifts.

"You definitely have to get used to a new league."

The former Brantford Golden Eagles junior B player wound up his season with five goals and 13 assists in 37 games, compared to three goals and six assists in 34 games during the 2006-07 season.

"Personally, I couldn't have been happier," he said.

"I had a lot better statistics and I got a lot more playing time."

The team also improved.

The Griffs posted nine wins, 16 losses and three ties last year in the Atlantic Hockey Association and were 9-23-3 overall.

That placed them ninth out of 10 teams in the conference.

This season, Canisius was 10-13-6 in the conference, placing them in a tie for sixth.

Surprisingly, the Griffs improved even though they had just five seniors and two juniors on their roster.

"Actually, we ended up bringing in eight or nine freshmen this year," said Churchill.

"We had five seniors and two juniors and the rest, about 20, were underclassmen.

"The freshmen came in and did really well for us this year.

"The next two years, they're going to be phenomenal."

Overall, during the 2007-08 season, Canisius wound up with a record of 11-20-6.

Although they added just one win outside of conference play, the victory was a big one.

"We beat Niagara for the first time since I've been here," said Churchill.

"We beat a ranked opponent (Niagara) and tied another one (St. Cloud State) for the first time since I've been here. That shows a lot of improvement."

Unfortunately, Canisius came up just short in this year's AHA tournament.

The Griffins were matched against fifth-place Mercyhurst, a team they actually beat in their season series.

However, Mercyhurst prevailed in the quarter-final playoffs, beating Canisius 4-1 and 2-1 in overtime.

"They rode a hot goalie the whole way," explained Churchill.

"He was phenomenal."

In fact, Mercyhurst upset top-ranked Army in the semifinals before falling to third-place Air Force 5-4 in double overtime of the conference tournament championship.

"It left a bitter taste in our mouths because we beat them in the season series but there's no shame in losing to a team that made the final," Churchill said.

With his season over, Churchill will begin working towards next year soon.

Aside from the physical improvements he'll try to make to his game, he's aware coach Dave Smith will be looking for something more from him next season. Churchill will be one of only two seniors on the ice for the 2008-09 campaign.

"I think he's going to be looking for more of a leadership role from me," said Churchill.

With just one year of university left, the marketing management major will definitely be concentrating on getting his degree.

Aside from that, he hopes to continue his hockey career somewhere.

"I think I'd like to do a year or two of pro," he said.

"But we'll have to see how it goes next year."