In His Own Words - Frank Stegnar

Got to chattin' with an old friend the other night who had just moved back from college in the States... most guys would ask each other how they were, what they majored in, what their plans for the future are... we talked hockey. Turned out he'd been playing Division 1 in the States for the last few years (that's high-quality puck), and so I asked him to write up something for the blog, just a recap on the experience. Always the good guy, he obliged. Now you all go on and read it while I sulk in my room that my career topped out in high school. Carry on.

Frank Stegnar here, 2010 graduate of the University of Massachusetts – Lowell NCAA Division 1 Ice Hockey team. Over the past four years, I have spent all my time training and playing in a league that is just beginning to gain TV recognition in Canada. But before I dive into my past four years, it might be better to know a little background on me. It all began in the Bert Robinson Minor Hockey Association, where I played on the same team with blog owner Adam Amato. After many years of minor hockey, I found myself a rookie in the OPJHL (Provincial Junior A) with the Brampton Capitals. I was fortunate to have been given crucial playing opportunities that season by Coach Randy Novak, which lead to my success in a veteran-laden division. This season put me at a crossroads – NCAA or OHL? I was being heavily-recruited by both, with the same packages on the table – school and hockey. The OHL is every kids dream in Ontario, and the NCAA is a foreign concept to most, as it was to me at the time. So, why did I choose the NCAA? I chose the NCAA route for two reasons: the school had an excellent college of management, and the hockey was arguably the best in the nation (Hockey East). Playing in front of 6,500+ fans every game, while getting a top-accredited degree, was an opportunity that my family and I could not turn down. Head Coach Blaise MacDonald, along with his assistants at the time Chris Mackenzie and Ken Rausch, offered me a package I could not refuse, and I have could never thank them enough for the past four years.

Now that you know what the decision was like, how about the experience? The atmosphere? Well…with opportunity certainly comes hard work. My introduction to the demands of an NCAA Div 1 program was like running into a wall. Fitness testing and body fat testing immediately upon arriving on campus (before school started) and then a month and a half straight of 6am workouts/practices coupled with a day full of class and another skate/lift after class. It is important to note that the hockey game schedule typically did not start until mid to late October. The first month and a half was all training and no games, talk about a shock! Even once we began playing, it was always practice Monday-Thursday, with games only on Friday and Saturday nights. The crowds…are unlike anything seen here in Ontario: The school’s band playing fight songs and popular music during the stoppages, an entire student section of 1,500+ students all chanting un unison against a specific player/team, and over 6,500+ fans per game…try finding that somewhere around here. If you can’t get fired up for an NCAA Division 1 game, you might not have a pulse. If you ever have the chance, I recommend taking in a game. Of course, it is not all glitz and glamour. My schedule was incredibly rigorous and demanding, the school requirements are no different for athletes, and time management became my biggest priority. But in the end, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Our coaches emphasized the importance of being student-athletes, with ‘student’ being the first concern. My coaches may have been more academically strict than other coaches but ultimately it made me more independent and more mature. They are in the business of transforming boys to men, and NCAA Div 1 hockey does just that. The perks come with hard work, and each year presented the same challenges. The good thing: you are so busy that you don’t get a chance to think about the time passing…and before you know it, you are graduated!

Americans love their collegiate sports, especially NCAA Division 1 sports. I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to play in the U.S. hockey system, and definitely recommend taking in an NCAA Div 1 hockey game in the near future.