For Cornell’s Beau Starrett, hockey is a family affair

(Photo courtesy of Cornell Athletics)

 

Fans of NHL players can easily point out that some superstars were just born to play hockey. In other cases, family history can be a harbinger of success, or at least an indicator of potential.

For Cornell Big Red sophomore forward Beau Starrett, it is a mixture of both.

Starrett has ties across all of college hockey in his immediate family. As the youngest of four brothers, he benefited from growing up in a household where a trip to a rink was routine.

“Having three brothers play hockey is pretty rare,” Starrett admitted in an interview with Pucks and Recreation.  “It was always something big in our family, whether it was hockey clinics or games. It was always good to have brothers to look up to and push me to do better.”

Starrett’s siblings can write quite an interesting hockey story. His oldest brother, Pete, played at Harvard from 2008 to 2012, while Troy, the second-oldest, was a captain at Babson College’s Division III program. Shane Starrett is currently a sophomore goaltender playing for the Air Force Academy.

“It is funny, because we always have a little friendly competition between each other to help us perform,” laughed Beau. “We almost have a full line of hockey players with two forwards, a defenseman and a goalie.”

Beyond the friendly competition, Starrett had multiple family members he could model his game after.

“Growing up, I remember attending my older brothers’ games,” said Starrett. “I remember going to Harvard-versus-Cornell and feeling the electric atmosphere during that game. I knew that Cornell had a great program and it has been a good journey getting to this point.”

 

Starrett, who battled back from two long-term injuries in as many seasons in 2014-15 and 2015-16: “I just remember who and what motivates me to do better.” (Photo courtesy of Cornell Athletics)

 

Finding his own way

That journey has not always been easy. You could say that being the youngest sibling in a hockey family imposes immense pressure to perform, but Beau has had to face many challenges in his playing career, the most significant of which have been injuries.

One ailment limited him to just seven games in his final season with the South Shore Kings of the USPHL. Another one early last season only allowed him to play 15 games for Cornell.

“I view the injuries as a speed bump,” said Starrett. “They have motivated me to do whatever it takes to overcome challenges.”

Starrett’s desire to push past these injuries and focus on hockey has helped enable the Cornell team to get off to a quick start this season. With a goal in this past Friday’s victory over Miami, Starrett helped the Big Red push a winning streak to four games.

Starrett credits his hockey family for his ability to supersede any future challenges that come his way.

“I just remember who and what motivates me to do better,” said Starrett, who hopes to play for the Chicago Blackhawks after they selected him in the 2014 NHL Draft. He knows that he could be presented with a possibility that could be even rarer than having three older hockey-playing brothers who play hockey, and that is a playing career in the professional ranks.

“Peter works as a financial consultant and Troy works in wealth management,” said Starrett about his brothers’ success outside the rink. “However, I would like to keep playing for as long as possible. It is tough to get away from the hockey world.”

 

- John Morton

A new chapter in the Riley family hockey story

What do you want to want to be when you grow up?

This question was one that we all heard throughout our younger years. For most, the answer was something generic. A firefighter, a police officer or maybe a pilot.

For Jack and Brendan Riley, the answer was more specific: Division I hockey player.

The Riley family is well known throughout the college hockey world. Jack and Brendan's grandfather John (Jack) Riley, played hockey at Dartmouth and coached at Army West Point for 36 years. Of his five children, one son played at Harvard, two at Boston College, one at Brown and his daughter played at St. Lawrence.

After he stopped coaching at Army, his son, Rob, took over, and was eventually joined by his brother — Jack and Brendan's father, Brian — who assisted. In 2004, Brian took over as head coach, and now enters his 13th season and the 67th consecutive year with a Riley as the Black Knights bench boss.

Jack and Brendan are two of Brian's three children, with daughter Dani being the middle child. As a Division I hockey head coach, it is easy to understand how his children all grew up to be athletes. Jack plays hockey at Mercyhurst University, where he is a redshirt junior. Dani played four years of lacrosse at Merrimack, while Brendan is joining his brother as a freshman for the Lakers this season.

'On skates at an early age'

Raising children while being a Division I hockey coach could make it difficult to balance time between home and work. However, it also allows for an opportunity to expose one's children to the game at a young age. Brian Riley shared his memories of how his sons got into hockey with Pucks and Recreation.

"It's kind of funny, Jack was on skates when he was one, just kind of walking around the rink on his skates," he said. "They were both on skates at an early age, but with me being a coach and being up here at the rink and them coming up to see me at the office and watch games.

"It's just a sport that they really fell in love with, and being around the rink as much as they were really drew them to the sport."

Jack and Brendan both have numerous memories of being around their dad at work growing up. This lifestyle naturally influenced their interest in hockey, though whether they would each sustain that passion all the way to the NCAA level was not always certain at the start.

"Growing up, and I'm sure my dad would tell you the same thing, everyone didn't know if I was actually going to be a hockey player," Brendan admitted to P&R. "He would always tell me 'You know, Brendan, you don't have to play hockey if you don't want.' But being around the program and being around such a good hockey mind helped me learn the game."

Perhaps those initial doubts came as a result of one of Brendan's early hockey experiences.

"It's a pretty funny story," he said, "I was playing mini-mites or something. I was playing a game, and I got my first penalty. I think I two-handed a guy who took the puck from me and I was crying in the box, so that's pretty much the first thing I remember: Sobbing."

That notwithstanding, the two brothers would develop dreams of growing up to play Division I college hockey, but achieving that is much easier said than done. They both had to work hard, go to prep school and play in juniors to eventually live the dream.

"It was at an early age that I saw that he (Jack) really did have good hockey sense," Brian said, "and that's something that you can't teach as you get older. That gave him a solid foundation and he worked on the other parts of his game, just getting bigger and stronger.

"He also has an unbelievable trait: He loves to play but he wants to win, and you can see that when he's out on the ice.

"Brendan, on the other hand, is a different player than Jack. Good size, skates well, and really was kind of a late bloomer. He went away Kimball Union in New Hampshire prep school for two years and had success there. I think watching him over those two years, his skating ability and knowing that he's getting bigger that there's a good chance that he would have an opportunity to play Division I college hockey."

Off to Mercyhurst

Their play in prep school and juniors got the brothers onto the recruiting radar. When it came time for Jack to decide where to go, familiarity played a big role. He shared the factors in his college decision with P&R.

"I grew up watching the (Atlantic Hockey) league play, so I had seen Mercyhurst multiple times," Jack said. "They've always been one of the good teams in the league; they are at the top of the league every year. When it came time to choose colleges, the assistant coach (at the time) Bobby Ferraris called me and he said they were interested, so I came here to visit and I just fell in love with the campus.

"I grew up knowing Coach (Rick) Gotkin, too, and he's always been a good guy and a good coach in the league, so when it came to choose I felt like Mercyhurst would be a good spot."

Jack is now entering his fourth year at Mercyhurst. However, unlike the previous three, a new chapter begins, as he will no longer be the only Riley on campus. Besides his new teammate in Brendan, his sister Dani is joining the Laker community as a graduate assistant lacrosse coach.

It may seem somewhat improbable for three children from the east side of New York State to end up at a small school in Erie, Pa. However, the development did not really surprise Brian.

"They are a close-knit bunch, and they like the feel of a small school," he said. "Jack has really enjoyed his experience, so that kind of drew Brendan there. When Dani was looking at grad school, she had the idea of 'Wow, maybe I can go to Mercyhurst and be there with Jack and Brendan.' It's really kind of neat how it worked out."

Not only will the three be attending the same school, but this season will be the first time Jack and Brendan are on the same team in competitive hockey. With both being forwards, it is also possible that they could see time on the same line.

"We've played in summer leagues together, like men's leagues and stuff like that," said Jack. "I always joke and tell people that it's going to be hard not to yell at him on the ice because normally I yell at him to do this and do that because he's my brother, so it's easy.

"I think it would be fun playing with him. Just from the aspect that he's my brother and that I've never been able to play with him. I know what type of player he is, we actually kind of fit together. He's got the speed and the body type I wish I had. I definitely think it would be a cool experience, and if it were ever to happen against my dad's team that would be even more crazy."

Brendan had similar thoughts in terms of the idea of playing with Jack. Not only would it be an opportunity to play with his brother, but as a freshman playing with an established upperclassman, it would be a valuable learning experience as he looks to establish himself. He also envisioned being on the receiving end of some passes from his brother.

"I'm sure he'd set me up for a few backdoor tap-ins," he expressed.

'Army's basically been my favorite team'

Playing against the team they grew up rooting for (Army) is certainly a unique aspect of playing at an Atlantic Hockey rival. To go along with that, playing against Army of course means playing against a team coached by their father.

Jack has experienced this already in his career. He certainly rose to the occasion during one of the meetings with his father's team. On Dec. 6, 2014 Jack scored two goals and added two assists en route to a 6-3 victory over the Black Knights in West Point.

But for Brendan, that first encounter will come on Jan. 13, in the rink he practically grew up in.

"I always tell everyone that it's probably the hardest thing I've ever done," he said. "It's super difficult. I've grown up and Army's basically been my favorite team in any sport. We grew up basically going to all of my dad's games, even the away games.

"So when I made the decision to go to Mercyhurst, I kind of thought in the back of my mind, 'I could still root for Army,' just not when we play against them."

Despite the admitted difficulty of playing against Army, Jack has clearly shown the ability to succeed. When asked if his brother had any advice to offer about playing against Army, Brendan joked, "I know they normally try to take a couple runs at him, so probably keep my head up."

Their dad certainly knows what it is like to return home to play against one's father. All of the brothers in Brian's generation paid the same visits to West Point when the elder Jack — who passed away in February at the age of 95 — was coaching the opposition; a homecoming of sorts.

"I always knew how excited we were to come back to play against my dad," Brian reflected. "More just because of being able to play at West Point, our home. We wanted to make our dad proud of hopefully playing well. I'm sure the boys are going through the same thing. The opportunity to come back and play here at West Point in front of family and friends, play in the rink where they grew up, is probably really exciting for them." 

It is definitely a special moment when Mercyhurst and Army face off for all members of the Riley family. As the coach of the opposing team, however, Brian has to balance the role of being a coach and a parent. While he has to do his job during the course of the game, he allows himself to appreciate the moments in brief spurts before and after.

"At the start of the game when you see him introduced and he comes out to the blue line, you're just really proud as a parent," he said. "As a coach, the game is going on and it's pretty fast and I'm not saying that I don't notice when he's out there, I do, but it's really after the game where I can watch video and see how he played. It is really exciting, and I just can't imagine what it will be like to have both of them out there.

"It's always been a special moment for me after the game to be able to go through the line and give Jack a big hug afterwards, and now to be able to give them both a hug afterwards will be really, really special and something that I'll always cherish."

Jack can appreciate that balance as well. He realizes that his dad is doing his job and doing what he can to help his team win. At the same time, he knows how much his father hopes for the best for him.

"The first time I remember just looking up and I was almost in awe seeing him on the other bench because I knew deep down he was rooting for me but at the same time he can't root for the team," Jack said. "He always jokes and says 'I hope my son scores a hat trick, but we win the game 4-3.'”

More coaches to come?

Playing hockey has been a big part of the Riley's lives. For many members of the family, after their playing careers ended, they were able to continue to their heavy hockey involvement through coaching.

Brian was able to grow up learning from Jack, who besides his lengthy NCAA tenure coached Team USA to its first Olympic gold medal in 1960.

"I think what I learned from my dad is that the most important thing is to care for your players more as people than hockey players," Brian said. "When you do that you create this relationship and develop this bond with your players that it's really about kind of being part of a family. When you have that bond as a coach with your players, they will do anything for you."

This desire and passion for coaching is something that appears to have been passed on to his children. His daughter has already taken her first opportunity as a coach. Along with her, both of his sons have expressed interest in coaching someday.

Given the knowledge base they have developed and growing up in a family full of hockey, Brian thinks the job would bode well for Jack and Brendan.

"I'm sure if that's what they do they'll both be very good coaches, much better than me," he said.

Jack has already succeeded in achieving the goal of becoming a Division I college hockey player, which he remembers setting in grade school. In the future, he can see himself putting all of his knowledge of the game to the test.

"Besides being a Division I college hockey player, being a coach has been my other goal," he said. The only thing I really know is hockey.

"I know the ins and outs of coaching from my uncles, my dad and my grandfather. I just want to be a coach somewhere, so wherever the opportunity is hopefully I can achieve that goal."

Being just a freshman, Brendan likely has a number of years until he needs to decide on the next phase of his hockey career. However, much like his older siblings, he acknowledged that coaching may be a possibility in his future.

"Like people say it's not only what you know, it's who you know," he said. "So we're pretty fortunate in that respect that we've got a few connections."

- Andrew Wisneski

Meet the Press: Doyle Woody talks anxiety in Alaska, life in the Twitterverse

Photo courtesy of Doyle Woody

If only 19th century Congressman J. Proctor Knott — remembered for his sarcastic Duluth, Minn., tourism plug — had a crystal ball at his disposal.

In fairness, the town in question and its potential were little-known at the time. But if only Knott could have envisaged the existence of the WCHA. After all, among its travel destinations, the conference would include Minnesota-Duluth and a program from a much more far-flung U.S. location yet to come called Alaska.

And if only Knott could have foreseen the life and career path of a WCHA beat writer from that eventual state named Doyle Woody.

Maybe then Kentucky’s 4th District ambassador to the House would have held his tongue in 1871, rather than ramble over the “Untold Delights of Duluth.” For more than a century later, Woody would discover the hidden merits of frequenting Duluth’s Pioneer Bar, then proceed to coax a special local as to the untold (but serious) amusements of Alaska.

Woody has been covering Alaska-Anchorage hockey for the Alaska Dispatch News (nee Anchorage Daily News) for the better part of the program’s 37 years as a Division I institution. For more than half of that tenure, this meant following the Seawolves on the majority of their excursions to the Lower 48.

Amidst one of UAA’s two-night road bouts with the UMD Bulldogs, Woody sought his standard postgame reward a half-mile up from the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. That is, a few cold ones with his counterparts from the Duluth News Tribune.

That was when Bulldog women’s scribe Christa Lawler invited him to join her and a friend.

“The friend turned out to be Sarah Henning, an arts-and-entertainment writer for the News Tribune,” Woody told Pucks and Recreation.

“Long story short, Sarah and I soon after began a long-distance relationship of a year and a half — that wasn’t too difficult, because I traveled to the Upper Midwest often to cover hockey, plus I racked a lot of airline miles — before I somehow suckered her into quitting her job, packing her life and moving to Alaska.

“We eventually married, so my long con apparently is working. It was a pretty good weekend in Duluth for Alaska types — think the Seawolves earned three points (in the series), and I met my love.”

And that is the centerpiece of the fulfillment a career in college hockey reportage has yielded to Woody. Whether they have changed from long-distance dating to a hometown marriage or from chatting with fellow reporters at the watering hole to over the web, numerous relationships have gratifyingly lasted.

Odds are those perks will persist, even if the program that parented them does not.

Consternation over cuts

An East Anchorage native whose professional bio jokes that “He’s been covering hockey since the Ice Age,” Woody had one of his more thankless reporting responsibilities this past summer.

With the aftershocks of a rocky state economy reaching the public university system, both the Seawolves and instate rival Alaska Nanooks are on notice. Hockey is the crux of both athletic programs, and is thus a likely casualty amidst vast budget cuts across many departments.

“UAA fans here are understandably anxious and apprehensive about the fate of the Seawolves hockey program,” Woody said. “They know, worst-case scenario, that if the program is killed, it isn’t coming back.”

A mid-August report detailed three potential courses of action. One option would entail merging the UAA hockey program with its counterpart at the university’s flagship Fairbanks school. The other two would have the Division I sport evaporate from the state altogether.

The university’s Strategic Pathways committee is expected to announce its verdict in November. In the meantime, the Seawolves are scrambling to salvage any potential for a picture better than the present best-case scenario.

How that affects the air at Sullivan Arena for UAA’s four October home dates shall be seen. But as Woody articulated, the sudden discontinuation of the program-hosted Kendall Hockey Classic is the least of the stressors.

“UAA hockey supporters are on edge,” he said. “They don't know if the program will get gassed or simply endure budget cuts. Hey, it's tough all over in Alaska with the stagnant price of oil and a huge state budget crisis that hits the entire University of Alaska system, not just athletics.”

High-profile hockey content is not all lost on Woody’s beat. He still has the ECHL’s Alaska Aces to chronicle, and he keeps a keen eye on the state’s products in the NHL. Amidst the angst over the college program late last month, he penned a protracted narrative on Scott Gomez as the Anchorage native ended his 16-season, 1,079-game career.

But the Seawolves were there first, and that counts for something.

“Covering UAA has been a big part of my career,” Woody said. “(It) has allowed me to meet a slew of very good reporters and writers, many of whose work I admired, and so I tried to steal some of their better attributes — if you're not stealing something from talented colleagues, you're not trying.”

New age, same penman, same passion

Deep into the Internet-centric, new-media era, business trips to the contiguous states are deader than broadsheets. In turn, Woody does not hear the voices of his press-box peers nearly as often as he once did.

In some ways, convenience does not equal contentment for him.

“About the only downside of technology is that it’s so easy to find information that I no longer have to make the countless phone calls I made back in the ’80s and early ’90s,” Woody said. “But that also means I don't talk to as many hockey folks and strengthen connections. Plus, by not traveling, I miss out on a lot of postgame, at-the-bar sessions on the road.

“I learned a lot about hockey, and reporting and writing, in those sessions, which also taught me how to travel on three hours of bad sleep and a bit of a headache.” 

Today, like Sarah before him, Woody has planted his feet more consistently in the Last Frontier. And the tradeoff of sacrificing visits to other venues for a clearer head extends to the blessings of Twitter. With that, the beat writers’ fraternity he once fostered in person is preserved from afar while information travels with the speed of a breakout pass.

“The Internet and Twitter help maintain a connection to college hockey, thankfully, as does live streaming,” he said. “Remember, I’m so old I recall when we had to get WCHA stats through a fax-back. You literally dialed a fax number, punched in some access code and waited for the fax to spit out the updated weekly stats.”

With current technology, there also remains ample space for casual discussion and shameless tourism plugs. Earlier this month, Woody gave a stick-tap to the Grand Forks Herald’s Brad Schlossman for the latter’s endorsement of Anchorage establishments.

And then there is the new venue for creativity, which Woody maximizes through his handle, @JaromirBlagr.

The play on the name of the NHL’s most seasoned active player inadvertently reaffirms his Alan Shemper-esque habit of joking about his maturity. Although, he admits he accepted the alias at the suggestion of a friend.

“Wish I could take credit for the Twitter handle,” he said, “but I'm not remotely that clever. That came from my friend Josh Nova, a Fairbanks boy and former co-worker who loves puns, and came up with that one in a heartbeat.

“It has also earned Sarah the nickname Mrs. Blagr among some readers. So, yeah, my bride is living the dream up here.”

Oh, the now-not-so-untold enjoyments of East Anchorage.

Nolan Zajac, David Carle follow family history to Frozen Four

David Carle’s businesslike approach is such that he resists savoring the anecdotal garnish he and his team helped to create so far in 2015-16.

The third-year Denver Pioneers assistant coach is bound for his first Frozen Four at Tampa’s Amalie Arena. That means his first involvement in a game at the home of his brother, minute-munching NHL rearguard Matt Carle’s, longtime employer. Not to mention, the home of the team that made him an honorary pick after a heart condition abruptly cut off his playing endeavors prior to the 2008 NHL Draft.

As long as there is another game to prepare for, those tidbits take the trunk in his vehicle.

“It could be in Seattle, for all I care,” Carle said in a phone interview with Along the Boards.

“If it was played in Philadelphia or Chicago, it would be just as special,” he added matter-of-factly. “The venue and the connection, it just happened to be a coincidence.”

But he had enough charity to humor the human-interest hankerings of his inquisitor by allowing, “Does it make for a better storyline? Yes.”

Carle simply wants to do his part to pen the tale that the Denver faithful has yearned for over the past decade. When the Pioneers meet North Dakota next Thursday evening, it will be their first Frozen Four faceoff since the elder Carle was a collegian 11 years ago.

“We both pride ourselves on trying to get to Frozen Fours and put banners up in our buildings,” said the younger Carle of the participating programs. “When we play each other, it’s never going to be a meaningless game, and this is going to be another great chapter.”

One that will not avoid evoking a previous chapter, even if the bulk of the acknowledgment is left to the audience and detached narrators.

Surname symmetry

Facing none other than North Dakota, the 2004-05 Pioneers defended their national title with a 4-1 victory in that year’s championship bout. In doing that, they matched UND’s second-best all-time count of seven national titles. Only Michigan boasts more banners, with nine to its credit.

But neither program has been back to the title game since. North Dakota has ventured to six more semifinals, including three with the help of brothers Travis and Darcy Zajac. But the artist formerly known as the Fighting Sioux last played on an April Saturday when Denver repressed Travis Zajac and company.

The youngest of the four Zajac brothers, Nolan, seeks to prolong that futility for the newly christened Fighting Hawks. The senior blueliner was 12 years old when his oldest sibling supplied UND’s only goal in its 2005 shortcoming.

He is now nearly twice that age as he pilots the Denver defense back to the national semifinals. For him, this comes after three previous NCAA regionals yielded a 1-3 record and no Promised Land passports.

“It just shows how hard it is to get to the Frozen Four,” he told ATB.

A reality that one might not think would strike the mind of a Zajac so easily. The aforementioned Travis brought UND back to college hockey’s closing weekend as a sophomore in 2005-06, leading the team with 29 assists on the year.

The first-line center tallied a goal and two assists in the eventual 6-5 semifinal loss to Boston College. He would subsequently forego the second half of his NCAA eligibility, signing with the New Jersey Devils that offseason.

The BC Eagles would likewise terminate Darcy’s freshman and sophomore campaigns in a 2007 and 2008 NCAA semifinal rematch. UND did not return to that platform until year after Darcy graduated.

In 2012, Kelly Zajac partook in a landmark phase of the Union Dutchmen’s rise to prominence. The starting center led his team with 34 assists in his senior campaign, which culminated in Union’s first Frozen Four experience. His college career would end with a 3-1 semifinal loss to Ferris State.

The youngest Zajac was apt to note that Union on that foundation en route to the 2014 championship, albeit two years too late for his brother.

“All of my brothers have made it to the Frozen Four,” Nolan said. “Hopefully, I’ll be the one to bring it all the way home. They could never finish it off. I kind of want to learn from those a little bit.”

Of his Denver team, particularly himself and his fellow seniors, he added, “We’re hoping that we don’t need to take that step where we have to lose to know how to win.”

Papa Pioneer

The Zajacs’ father, Tom, had a delectable Denver career in his own right. Per the Internet Hockey Database, he turned in back-to-back 33-point campaigns as a junior and senior.

But in terms of group glory, the future patriarch of the Zajac hockey factory ran into a bout of ill fortune. When he enrolled in 1973, the Pioneers were coming off a loss to Wisconsin in the preceding NCAA championship. They had just been to three consecutive national semifinals and five in the previous six years.

However, they would not reach that stage again until 1986, then went another 18 years before finally winning the title in 2004. That undoubtedly emboldens Nolan’s energy when he speaks of the team’s collective desire to achieve fulfillment for the university’s alumni.

“He’s pretty pumped right now to watch these games,” he said of his father, who will be in attendance next week. “I know my brothers are happy for me, too. I’m not sure who exactly they’re going to be rooting for, but I think they’re just looking forward to some good games.”

Unfinished business

As a specialist in defensive tutelage, Carle has worked closely with Zajac since returning to his alma mater at midseason in 2013-14. It is therefore easy to believe the former when he insists that the latter set family pride aside in this past weekend’s West Regional.

“Our players don’t think about stuff like that,” Carle said. “We were focused on our process because our whole team has the same desire.

“Ultimately, we wanted to get back to the Frozen Four.”

Carle also maintained that the two have not reminisced on the last time their bloodlines were simultaneously represented at that stage. Although, in terms of opposing North Dakota yet again, he offered, “I guess when you look at it, it’s fairly fitting.”

But even while taking a mental breather to delve into his dense family history when pressed, the youngest Zajac kept his head on a swivel, tilting toward the present and immediate future. He reaffirmed his status as a determined Denver senior at the climax of his career.

“It’s awesome to get there,” he said. “But we still have a long way to go.”

This article originally appeared on Along the Boards

Jennifer Kranz vs. Meredith Roth: Longtime friends, first-time faceoff

(Photos by Paul Swenson Photography, courtesy of Shattuck-St. Mary's)

Jennifer Kranz knows what she and her student-skaters at the College of Saint Benedict shall confront this coming weekend. She had a hand in making it happen, after all. 

The fifth-year coach at the St. Joseph, Minn., women’s college’s Division III hockey program has known her St. Norbert counterpart, Meredith Roth, since their playing days in the travel ranks. Two years her elder, she has since set a tagalong trail through Division I play, youth coaching and Division I assistant coaching.

“I have always looked up to her,” Roth stated in an e-mail to Along the Boards. “She has always been a great role model and sounding board for me in my development as a young person. Our friendship throughout the years has been impactful on me and some of the decisions I have made in my coaching career.”

That includes her latest decision to fill the vacancy with the St. Norbert Green Knights this past August. The most natural difference from past moves is that Friday’s faceoff at the Municipal Athletic Complex in St. Cloud, Minn., will be their first venture as opposing head coaches.

“Obviously, I know the hallmarks of the way she thinks the game should be played and what she expects of her players,” Kranz offered this week in a phone interview with ATB. “It’ll be interesting to see the differences (between her and predecessor Rob Morgan), the way her coaching style works with the personnel that she inherited.”

In a way, the two-game nonconference series will be a business-oriented catch-up affair. Nearly a decade has elapsed since the last time these two Midwesterners were both living and working in their native region, let alone for the same program.

But Roth’s offseason move was conducive to the first-of-its-kind reunion, and she knew it.

“When you are making a career change, there is a lot that goes on from a personal standpoint, as well as professional,” she said. “You are looking for things that are familiar to you or that will create excitement in your new role. This matchup was certainly one of them.”

Between Kranz and Roth, familiarity dates back to when women’s hockey was raring to join the Olympics and yet to be an NCAA-sanctioned sport.

Chasing challenges

Hailing from the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha, Wisc., Kranz first crossed paths with Roth when the Iowa native joined the Wisconsin Challengers. A precursor to the Madison Capitols, the Challengers attracted collegiate athletic candidates to form national championship contenders. Their 19-and-under team had been to two USA Hockey title games, winning the crown in 1995.

Kranz maxed her eligibility with the local travel program, captaining the 1997-98 installment before enrolling at Providence College. At the time of her arrival, the Friars were at a proud peak in their history. They had just seen seven of their alums and incumbent players help the icebreaking U.S. Olympic team win the first-ever women’s gold medal in Nagano.

Roth, meanwhile, would break off to join a then-evolving elite prep program at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minn.

Both schools would have a turn hosting a renewed alliance between the two former Challengers. When Roth had her turn exploring college options, Kranz hosted her first formal visit to the PC campus. By the 2000-01 season, women’s hockey’s first under NCAA auspices, they were both on the Friars blue line.

Their second and final campaign as teammates culminated in an ECAC playoff title, the last Providence would compete for. Roth proceeded to step up as an upperclassman keying a run to the inaugural and second Women’s Hockey East championships.

By that time, SSM had formed a go-to pipeline to Providence. Other Faribault-formed Friars riding along on Kranz’s last hurrah included Kelli Halcisak, Ashley Payton and Rush Zimmerman. When that voyage was over, multifold employment at the Episcopal prep school 50 miles south of the Twin Cities opened as an option.

Alhough she said other acquaintances with SSM ties influenced her choice, Kranz admits the smattering of teammates played a convincing role.

“I had known about the school from playing against them and having teammates there,” she said. “In talking to my former teammates at that time that had gone to Shattuck, they let me know what a great place it was, and to know what kind of people they had become, it was a no-brainer.”

Sharpening with the Sabres

In addition to serving in administrative capacities, Kranz assumed coaching duties for the SSM Sabres girls’ varsity squad in 2002-03. The team functioned as a farm system for the perennially Nationals-bound, 19-and-under “prep” team.

Down the hall from her hockey office, the status quo was already the goal. In that particular season, future NHL talents Sidney Crosby, Jack Johnson and Drew Stafford were carrying the torch passed along by the likes of Zach Parise and Patrick Eaves. They would deliver the boys’ program’s third national crown in five years.

The girls’ program’s efforts to emulate that dynasty and become its own standard-bearer would soon reach its zenith. And the two friends who once followed their appetite to the established Challengers program would co-lead the culmination.

While Roth was seeking her next path upon graduation from Providence in the summer of 2004, an in-house regime shuffle brought Gordie Stafford (Drew’s father) to the helm of the SSM U-19ers. He would elevate Kranz to the assistant position, and the reclassified “junior prep” team needed a new director.

“The position opened up kind of late,” Roth recalled. “(Kranz) was the one who tipped me off about it, and also gave my name to the Shattuck powers that be.”

And so began the sequel. This time, they had their own dressing rooms and schedules to attend to. But as far as they and the rest of their colleagues were concerned, Kranz and Roth were again teammates of sorts on SSM’s collective coaching staff.

To amplify the bond, the two girls’ squads would take joint bus trips to weekend tournaments and showcases. And with the bench bosses of six boys’ bantam and midget teams, the coaches convened every Tuesday to feed off one another for the common cause.

“We could talk about anything,” Kranz said. “To be able to have that opportunity to sit down with coaches who had coached and played at different levels, that was a big deal.”

So was the revolution those meetings amounted to. Roth’s second season on the job saw the farm team undergo another classification change. They were now a 16-and-under squad eligible to represent the Minnkota District at USA Hockey’s 2006 national tournament.

It was there that Kranz, Stafford and their players successfully defended their title from the previous season. Future household names in Jocelyne Lamoureux, Monique Lamoureux and Brianna Decker had helped to finish what the likes of Roth, Halcisak, Payton and Zimmerman had started.

“It has been really great to see the girls’ program evolve firsthand,” said Roth, who had played in SSM’s first national tournament in 2000. “To think coming that close was exciting, to experiencing where the program is currently, it is really neat to think about how much the program has grown.

“Knowing that the players I had the opportunity to skate with, and a few prior to my time there, helped shape the program to where it is now, it is really special.”

The U-19 Sabres have since logged a fourth eventual U.S. Olympian in Amanda Kessel as another one of their alums. They have hung up a total of five national championship banners, three-peating in 2007 with the help of the Lamoureux twins, Decker and Kessel. The younger squad has claimed four of the last six titles in its age group, including each of the last three.

But neither Kranz nor Roth could stick around for any of that. New challenges came calling in the summer of 2006, a testament to SSM’s propensity for precipitously honing hockey talent and tutors alike. 

Both were bound for Division I coaching cabinets. Roth returned to Providence, where she would spend seven nonconsecutive years as one of Bob Deraney’s assistants. She sandwiched those stints around two years on Doug Derraugh’s staff at Cornell, reaching the 2011 Frozen Four. Kranz would work in Jeff Geisen’s administration at St. Cloud State for five seasons before the Blazers enlisted her in 2011.

“It really formed my coaching philosophy,” Kranz said of her experience with the Sabres. “It was a gift that I don’t take for granted at all. With the caliber of players that we had, they may have taught me more than I taught them.

“We were fortunate to have a great group. With the players that they were on the ice and the people that they were off the ice, it was no surprise that we had so much success. It did a lot to help me learn how far this game can take somebody.”

New settings, old habits

The Green Knights enter this weekend’s action on a six-game winning streak. At 8-4-0 overall, their .667 winning percentage matches that of their final record in Morgan’s valedictory season. And they have firmly guarded their third-place slot in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association standings.

Facing more of an uphill trek in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the Blazers can benefit from a rigorous close to their interleague slate. Of their nonconference opponents for 2015-16, only the 10-2-0 Wisconsin-River Falls team (on tap for next Wednesday) boasts a better record than St. Norbert.

Knowing her upcoming counterpart as well as she does, Kranz would likely see no harm in Roth’s spirit leaving a residual contagion in her ice house. “She thinks the game really well, she’s really passionate about it, and someone like that is really, really great for our sport,” said the Saint Benedict skipper.

Across the center-ice glass, Roth continues to reap rewards by emulating Kranz’s career path. Though maybe not a requirement, the presence of her longtime trendsetter can be another motivational booster.

Roth hesitated to proclaim any chalk-talk advantages in preparing her pupils to solve a personal and professional acquaintance. But she is more prepared than normal, if such a state is possible, to raise awareness of the bullseye her team brandishes.

“I think the only benefit I have in knowing Coach Kranz personally for this weekend of games is I know that the matchup will be very enjoyable,” she offered with a tone of unmistakable gusto. “I also know our team will get quality games out of her team, and push us to learn and grow.

“Once the game starts, it is about our athletes and the opportunity they have to compete, learn and grow from the experience. Should be an exciting weekend of hockey.”

One that is no fewer than six years in the making. During their simultaneous tenures as Division I assistants, Kranz and Roth’s teams locked twigs only once. The SCSU Huskies drew a 4-4 knot with the PC Friars in a Jan. 2, 2010 game at St. Cloud’s National Hockey Center.

Neither party recalls the more vivid details of that game, or even whether other team-related obligations kept either of them from being on site. Regardless, the upcoming series is a milestone on its own, as both coaches will call the topmost shots from the contesting benches.

And, as Roth will be swift to remind anyone, it lights the lamp on a career-building hat trick, with one of the assists on each play going to her friend-turned-temporary-foe. College player, youth coach and now college coach.

“Any time you have the chance to line up against a friend on the other bench, it always makes it fun,” she said. “When I was thinking about the coaching opportunity here at SNC, I discussed it with Coach Kranz. She went through a similar transition, from being a Division I assistant to being a Division III head coach. I value her insight a lot.”

She may want to hold off, though, on seeking tips for taking C-cuts around clichés. But their acquaintance has been long enough for Kranz to know what phrases fit Roth’s track record and her viewpoint of it.

“It’s been a joy watching her not only grow up, but to see her — ‘blossom’ is such a cheesey word — but really blossom as a coach,” Kranz said. “It’s absolutely time for her to spread her wings and be a head coach. There’s no doubt in my mind she’s going to be a success.”

“I hope she doesn’t excel too much this weekend,” she added with a laugh, “But she’s like a littler sister to me and a really good friend, so I’m excited for her.”

 

This article originally appeared on Along the Boards