Feature: Union Minds Matter

The following article appeared in the October 12 issue of the Times Union. It can be accessed via the Times Union Web site by clicking here.

By Matt Graves
Special to the Times Union 

SCHENECTADY -- Most of the principals in Union's late free fall in last season's ECAC Hockey League race admit it was as much a mental collapse as a physical breakdown.

Coach Nate Leaman has taken steps to address both issues in the off-season, going as far as to enlist the services of a sports psychologist.

"Mental toughness is an area our program needs to grow with," said Leaman, who begins his fifth season tonight at home against Ferris State. "Bringing Wally (Bzdell) on board will certainly help us in that area. I think the other area he's going to help us in is helping the guys individually mentally prepare for a game. College athletes have other distractions than pro athletes. It's going to help them focus on a day-to-day basis and help them grow as players."

The Dutchmen were on the cusp of an ECAC Hockey League home playoff berth last season, holding a respectable 13-11-2 overall record before going 1-6-1 in February and finishing in last place. They were out in the first round of the playoffs at Quinnipiac in two games.

"I don't think our standings ever reflected what we had last year," Leaman said. "We had a very good team. We didn't take advantage of our opportunities. We had six games where we were either tied or down by a goal and we got a power play in the last five minutes of the game. We were 0-for-6 on them. We had a lot of freshmen and sophomores in those situations."

One of those sophomores, forward T.J. Fox, who compiled 37 points in 36 games, decided to forgo his junior and senior seasons to sign a professional contract.

"We have plenty of scoring coming back," said junior captain Matt Cook. "It won't be a problem for us."

With 18 lettermen returning, Leaman has reason to believe this may be the first Union team to make it beyond the opening round of the playoffs.

"You're going to see better goaltending first and foremost, and you're going to see a much more disciplined team," he said. "We had too many penalties, so it's something we started focusing on last spring. I think you're going to see a lot more speed and skill. Every year this group gets more and more talented."

Leaman said the firepower he has returning, along with a solid freshman class, more than compensates for the loss of Fox.

"A lot of people are overlooking Mario Valery-Trabucco and Jason Walters," he said. "Both of those guys put up more points than T.J. did his freshman year. We're happy for T.J., we're happy that he's getting a crack, but we more than know that we've got the guys in house to pick up for that. And I think a healthy Josh Coyle is really poised to have a big year."

The Dutchmen have five players back who scored more than 20 points, led by Coyle with 31 in 33 games. Walters had 27 points, Cook 26, defenseman Lane Caffaro 25 and Valery-Trabucco 23. Leaman has six new forwards coming in, led by John Sampson.

Union has nearly every defenseman back from last season in front of returning goaltenders Justin Mrazek, who worked out this summer with the Washington Capitals, and Rich Sillery.

"I feel as good as I've ever felt about the goaltending in this program right now because I feel like we have three guys that are Division I goaltenders," Leaman said. "Justin was able to go to Washington's camp this summer and he's built a lot of confidence and technique from that camp. We also have Corey Milan, who was the British Columbia goalie of the year."

The Dutchmen got off to a slow start in league play last season and only briefly recovered before finishing 7-14-1 and in 12th place.

"With this team, I think what hurt us last year was not so much the penalties we took, but that we were so poor on the penalty kill," Leaman said. "Part of that was goaltending. It all starts with the discipline, and it all starts with the head coach."

The players know they didn't get the job done last season and are eager to make amends.

"It's a fresh season," Walters said. "We've got a young team, but I think we've got a lot of skill. We had a big learning year last year. Being a young squad we made some mistakes, but we've learned from them. We have our goals. That's going to be a real team commitment for us to reach those goals, and I'm confident we can do it."

A little help from their seventh man might help them get there.

"Our skill level is as good if not better than any other team, so this game is mental," Coyle said. "A sports psychologist will help us get the mental edge, and that's what we need right now."