Before getting into the article, I wanted to make this a place everyone can share and learn from people experiences, not just me. I’m happy to have the first guest blog from my former teammate at Phillips Exeter and Williams College graduate, Colby Cretella. One of the best teammates and guys I’ve ever played with. Super passionate about the game and getting better in every aspect. Funny story Colby and I were talking about the other day is his last year at Exeter we were going to prom and I had gotten out of baseball practice and he was sports opt out so we were in the this tiny shooting room in the rink that the guys had converted from an old squash court. I don’t know how many games of posts we played but the last game went so long we were actually late getting ready and for pictures. Great times. Enjoy the story from Colby and follow his on his new hockey insight Instagram @thehockeypath for some great analysis on the game!
One thing that makes hockey so difficult is the randomness. Quite frankly, hockey is one of the most random sports out there. It’s controlled chaos, with 12 competitors and 4 officials jammed into a playing surface confined by boards and glass. The game, played on ice, happens outrageously quickly, and the difference between making a great play and a terrible one is often miniscule. Additionally, the top players can’t have the same impact they have in other sports. In basketball, the Lakers can make sure that Lebron touches the ball every offensive possession. You can’t just hand Sidney Crosby the puck in the offensive zone. There are more variables involved in this gameand the best team doesn’t always win.
It’s not uncommon for a goaltender to outright steal a game, or for one team to control possession for the large majority of timebut end up with a loss due to a few untimely turnovers. Bad bounces can hurt a team, calls can go the wrong way, sometimes luck can even show up as a broken stick at the wrong time. Sometimes I think back to the series Washington had vs. Pittsburgh in the playoffs during 2017 and 2018. It seemed like each of the two years, the team that won didn’t actually control play better than the other. Both winners seemed to just find a way to make the most of their chances and shut down the opposition despite lots of time in their d-zone.
Flash back to my sophomore year of college at Williams. We were the #1 seed in the NESCAC tournament and had compiled the most regular season wins in program history. We finished our regular season with a 9-game unbeaten streak and had won 14 of our last 15. That stretch included two wins over defending national champion Trinity, an overtime victory over then #3 Plattsburgh State and a shutout win over archrival Amherst to clinch the regular season crown. We were a buzzsaw. Furthermore, we were a dominant team in our home rink (The Chap as the boys refer to it). We had one loss there all year, and it came all the way back in November.
We had proven to be the top team in the league over ~20 games, but we still needed to prove we were the best in the event that mattered most to us – the NESCAC tournament. If we won in the Conference Quarterfinals, we would host the NESCAC final four for the first time in school history.
The matchup was against Tufts. We had played them twice in the regular season, and we had two convincing wins. A 4-0 win at Williams, and a 2-0 win at the Malden Valley Forum outside Boston (Malden is quite a place to play as a college player and takes you right back to your youth hockey days). In those two games we were dominant and we had all the confidence in the world heading into the game. Not overconfidence, but the kind that you want heading into a playoff game.
The thing with the NESCAC playoffs is that is one game elimination. And anything can happen. Literally anything. The year before, the #1 seed Trinity played the #8 seed Tufts in round 1 and Tufts won 2-1. That Trinity team was ridiculously good too. They received an at large bid to the NCAATournament and won the whole thing.
The game itself was a battle. Anyone who has played in the ‘Cacknows how hard Tufts will play. They are tenacious and they will grind for a full 60 minutes every night. In a league not known for its physicality, they are one of the few teams that plays with an edge. That night, they brought that edge.
After period 1, it was scoreless. We were had the better chances, but nothing was going in. In period 2, we took a lead early on from a goal by my classmate CJ Shugart. He was an absolute beast around the net throughout his career. Really big guy, but had the silkiest hands. A perfect combination.
That goal lead gave us the lead we were after, and Tufts still hadn’t scored on us in over 150 minutes of hockey. The Ephswere executing as planned.
But then the tides turned. Mid way through the period, Tufts scored 2 goals in a minute and all the momentum shifted. It was a brand new game.
For the rest of that period, we mounted our best attack. We controlled most of play and the chances, but nothing was going in. That’s hockey sometimes. We went into the third period down one goal.
The locker room during a game like this, and in a situation like this, is something that is one of the most unique experiences I will ever have in my life. It’s tense. It’s almost indescribable. The seniors’ careers are on the line for the sport they’ve dedicated a large part of their life towards. And the collective group that is the team has spent a serious amount of time for the last 6+ months in order to get to this point and to perform in this moment.
That locker room was certainly a little tight, but not nervous in the slightest. We had a strong leadership group. We were calm as could be given the situation, and we were determined to get the tying goal and winning goal in the next 20. It was ours to take and that’s what we planned on doing.
Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. We had a strong push, but just couldn’t get the goal that was needed to tie the game. We were out. It stung like crazy. We did a get an at large bid to the NCAA’s and had a nice run, but it was still a disappointment to not have gone further in the NESCAC tournament.
Looking back on a hockey career years later, you will always think back to games like this. The one’s that got away. The one’s that you should have had, but let them slip away. In fact, there are even moments from that very game still ingrained in my memory. In the first period I rang a shot off the goalie’s mask on a 2 on 1. The puck was an inch from going in and giving us the early lead that we were desperately after. In the second period I fed my line mate with a pass from behind the net after a strip on the forecheck. I thought for sure that would go in, but the goalie robbed him. Those are the moments you keep in the very back of your brain, and occasionally think “what could have been”.Sometimes you think about those plays even more than the most impressive plays you made in your career.
But the other reflection I have now is that it is all just a game in the end. Win or lose, the mere act of competing is an absolute thrill. Lacing them up with 20 of your best friends is an unbelievable experience. All the preparation that goes into it.Showing up on campus in the fall with all the guys, having workouts together in the gym, getting on the ice together for fall skates. All that build up is so special and enjoyable. And it’s all for the common goal of having success on the ice once the season rolls around. Come late fall, you get to take the ice and battle against another group of guys who have also been preparing all year for this. It’s an incredibly special experience, and for all those who still play at a competitive level, cherish it. Whether you win or lose the big game, it is a thrill to compete.
But damn, winning the big game is a lot more fun than losing.
Thanks for reading and thanks to Spenser for putting this site together.
As an aside, I’ve recently started and Instagram focused on the analysis of hockey plays @thehockeypath. So, I would appreciate if you check that out.
About the author: Colby was Williams College class of 2018. He captained the team during his senior season and served as an assistant captain his junior season. Prior to Williams, he played for the Bay State Breakers, Phillips Exeter and Notre Dame WH (CT). He currently lives in New York City, where he works for an investment banking firm.
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