March 26, 2009

AFA hockey: Bertsch taking his best shot

Click here to read Matt Dorney's story on the Colorado Springs Gazette website.

Woodland Park's Sean Bertsch remembers a particular car trip with his father. He was about 14 or 15 years old, and his dream was to be a Division I college hockey player.

As Bertsch tells it, "We were kind of talking about the future of hockey ... and he asked me, ‘What would you do if someone like Air Force or Army made an offer?'

"I said, well, dad, that would be great, but I'm not sure about the whole military thing. I'd probably look for something else."

Well, the son of former Colorado College coach Mike Bertsch skates as No. 15 for Air Force (27-10-2) against Michigan (29-11) on the biggest stage in college hockey - the NCAA Tournament - at 1 p.m. Friday in Bridgeport, Conn. Bertsch is Air Force's lone area player and one of two Coloradans - the other is sophomore defenseman Brad Sellers of Centennial.

Bertsch, a sophomore forward, and his linemates - team captain Mike Phillipich and freshman Paul Weisgarber - are role players. Mostly, their job is to make players as miserable as possible.

"Sean is a regular-shift/penalty killing guy for us, and he has gotten to be very good at his role," coach Frank Serratore said.

The role isn't glamorous, and it's even tougher for a player listed generously at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds. But the former Pikes Peak youth hockey player has earned his place on one of America's best teams.

"I've pushed myself to do everything I can to be a Division I hockey player. It's a surreal feeling ... For a minute, you step on the ice and say, ‘Wow, I'm really playing these guys. It lasts about 10 seconds, until one of them hits you, and then it's ‘Oh, man, I'm going to get you back for that one.' Then you don't think about it anymore."

Bertsch's path to this moment hasn't been without bumps. After three years with Pikes Peak teams, he left home his senior year in high school to skate in Des Moines, Iowa, in the United States Hockey League, the top junior league in the nation. After a season and a few injuries, he got cut.

He got healthy and eventually landed a spot in Billings, Mont., in the North American Hockey League. He scored 39 goals in two seasons and was team captain in 2005-06.

He was getting some college interest, but mostly walk-on offers or Division III spots (there is no Division II in hockey).

"I always believed I could be a Division I hockey player," Bertsch said. "The thought I wasn't going to make it never really entered my mind."

As Serratore tells it, Mike Bertsch - who coached CC for six seasons (1982-88) and for the last 5½ years has been assistant executive director for marketing and communications at Colorado Springs-based USA Hockey - asked if Serratore could make a few calls on his son's behalf.

"I always liked Sean as a player and I told his dad that," said Serratore, who has recruited several players from Billings, including senior defensemen Greg Flynn and Michael Mayra.

Serratore asked all the usual questions - grades, test scores, etc. - and as late as it was (April 2006), it appeared Sean didn't have quite the credentials to get into the academy. But he asked whether the academy prep school would be an option.

The catch? The prep school doesn't have a hockey team.
"I told Frank you'd have to ask him," Mike said. "Frank said, ‘Give me his phone number.'"

There was the dream. There was a chance. And, remembering that car conversation, there suddenly was a decision to make.

"Wouldn't you know, that one turned on me," Sean said.
"He made a lot of sacrifices a lot of other kids wouldn't make," Mike said. "He was determined; I think going to the prep school was indicative of that. He always believed in himself, and I admire him for that."

Sean watched from afar as Air Force won its first Atlantic Hockey Association Tournament for its first NCAA spot, a 4-3 loss to Minnesota.

He got his grades. Then he got his chance.

"It took me a while to get adjusted to Division I hockey; it's a little faster," Bertsch said. "Basically, I had a whole year off of hockey. And as much as you want it to come back quickly, it takes time."

It didn't take too long. He played in 35 games as a freshman, getting two goals and seven assists to help the Falcons win the AHA Tournament again, and get his first NCAA shot, a 3-2 overtime loss to Miami (Ohio).

"It was a heartbreaker," he said.

Undaunted, he and the Falcons are back. Bertsch has played all 39 games, with six goals and three assists, including an assist in the 4-1 victory over Colorado College in November.

We give each other grief about the cross-town rivalry, Sean said.

But not last weekend. As Air Force shut out Bentley and Mercyhurst to earn its third straight AHA title and NCAA berth, Mike was there.

"One of the first things he said when I came out of the locker room, he said, ‘Son, you came to the right place,'" Sean said. "That was a big compliment, coming from my dad. It was good to hear he was as happy with where I'm at as I am where I'm at."

Upon hearing that, the father stopped for a moment.

"When you consider the things someone goes through when you go to a military academy, you really either have to have gone through it or watch someone go through it," he said.

And with that, an old car trip transforms into the best of times.