Manitobans in the NCAA spotlight

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This article was published 09/10/2024 (542 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It likely escaped the notice of most of those in attendance at historic Appleton Arena but it was a special night for Manitoba hockey in Canton, N.Y., Saturday night.

The St. Lawrence University Saints — led by co-captains Drake Burgin, Mason Waite and Ty Naaykens, all from Winnipeg — were hosting the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers, captained by Tanner Andrew of Virden and Deloraine’s Grady Hobbs — in the season-opener for both NCAA Division I squads.

The Saints prevailed 3-2 in overtime, with Waite, a 24-year-old defenceman, drawing a primary assist on the winning goal.

If there was a temptation for the Manitobans to pose for a pre-game group photo, they resisted the urge.

“That’s maybe a little too friendly before the game,” said Hobbs with a laugh during a phone call this week from Rochester, N.Y.

Hobbs, a left-winger, and Andrew, a right-winger, are linemates and roommates at RIT. They are also very familiar with the exploits of the Winnipeggers from St. Lawrence, having faced off against the Saints on three occasions in previous seasons.

“I’ve known Grady since we were kids and I know Drake Burgin — I had a short stint with him in Winkler (in the MJHL) — and I’ve known Mason as well through friends of friends, and then Naaykens, obviously from playing against him in the MJHL,” said Andrew.

“It was kind of cool to see that we’re going to play against each other and not only that but also wear Cs for our teams.”

Added Waite: “The five of us have played against each other before but it was pretty cool to see five guys up there from Manitoba all wearing Cs on their jerseys,” said Waite, noting the curious college hockey tradition of naming multiple captains. “Kind of unique. Kind of weird.”

All five Manitobans are integral members of their teams and as seniors, they’re hoping to cap their NCAA careers with a big finish in their final season of college eligibility.

A season ago, the Tigers went on a late season run to capture the Hockey Atlantic conference title before finally bowing out 6-3 to favoured Boston University in the regional semifinal of of the NCAA Tournament.

“It was a tough one, because we were playing really good hockey at the time, especially after our final game and winning our conference,” said Andrew. “We were playing really good hockey. I think you could ask a lot of the guys — if we had another crack at BU — it’d be a different game.”

Hobbs led the MJHL in scoring with 43 goals and 81 points in 60 games during the 2019-20 season with the Dauphin Kings.

“The culture that’s been developed is that our expectation is to win every year,” said Hobbs. “No matter who leaves or who’s coming in, there’s a culture and there’s a foundation that’s been built here that our expectation is to win. We have, I think, 14 guys back that were on the team that won the conference last year. So we know how to win and the expectation is to win.”

St. Lawrence, on the other hand, reached the Eastern College Athletic Conference final but lost 3-1 to Cornell and thereby denied a trip to the national tournament.

“We lost 12 guys, so we’re definitely a lot younger, but we have most of our leading scorers, so I think we’re more skilled this year, maybe a little less gritty, but I think we’re just as fast as last year and probably a little more skilled,” said Waite. “So hopefully, we’ll make some more plays this year.”

Naaykens, a 6-1, 200-pound forward, has morphed into an excellent two-way forward by adding speed and 20 pounds since his freshman season.

“There’s going to be highs and lows throughout the season and we’re going to gain a lot of experience,” said Naaykens, 23. “I think we just have to continue to grind. There’s going to be games where you can’t skill it up, and we’re going to have to play that heavy-style game. I mean, when we get into ECAC play, we’re going to learn that and I think that’s going to be beneficial and carry forward.”

Burgin, a 23-year-old defenceman who scored twice in Sunday’s 5-2 win over Canisius, is loving life in the small upstate New York college town a short 30-minute drive from the Canadian border.

How big is hockey in Canton?

“It’s pretty big I’d say,” said Burgin, noting home games in Canton are preceded by both Canadian and American national anthems. “I mean, it’s us and then there’s also Clarkson (University) nearby, which is a town 10 minutes away and a rival school. So the town kind of gets behind the team and whenever we end up having a rivalry series, those are usually our biggest games.”

All five Manitobans have ambitions of turning pro after the 2024-25 campaign.

“I’m very focused on just having a good season and getting wins for the team, but obviously that creeps in your mind,” said Waite. “I’m kind of just keeping an open mind about it. I don’t want to force anything or change how I’m playing or acting around the rink, and you know, at the same time, I’m also here to get a degree, and that’s a good backup option as well.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca