Andrew adapting to life in college hockey

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This article was published 28/01/2022 (1514 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There are a lot of changes for a freshman player in NCAA hockey.From going up against grown men and getting back into the swing of things in school, the first season can be the most frantic.For Virden’s Tanner Andrew, one of the biggest changes has been getting used to cooking for himself.“There was definitely a bit of adjustment during the first few weeks,” Andrew joked. “Once I got into a routine though, it hasn’t been too bad.“There’s a lot you have to learn when it comes to living on your own, as there’s no billet family to help you out, but I think it’s gone pretty well so far. My roommates have been awesome and I’ve also kept pretty busy with school (where he’s studying business management). It’s nice to get back into a bit of a groove with that and have something to do.”Andrew’s also been busy on the ice as a freshman for the RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) Tigers.Going into a road game last night against the Bentley Falcons, Andrew has suited up in 16 contests and had recorded an assist for the 11-10-2 Tigers, who compete in the Atlantic Hockey conference.Although he didn’t suit up for the first few contests, Andrew got a crash course into what life in the NCAA would be like once he suited up on a regular basis.“Obviously you don’t want to be sitting in the stands, but I think it was honestly a good thing for me as I realized just how ready I needed to be to be able to compete at the next level,” Andrew said.“You are going up against seniors who are 24 or 25 years old and the pace of the game is extremely fast. When you go up against an out-of-conference team like Notre Dame, who are always ranked in the top 20, there’s a level of speed that you need to play at on every shift.”Thankfully for Andrew, he’s been getting a lot of advice from the team’s coaching staff, which is led by longtime bench boss Wayne Wilson.He’s also been getting help for the team’s co-captains, forward Will Calverley and defenceman Dan Willett.“They’ve been awesome to all of us freshmen,” Andrew said. “They’ve shown us the ropes and they’ve also done a great job of calming everyone down in certain situations. It’s something I really appreciated, especially as I’m transition to college hockey.”Another aspect of NCAA hockey that has been a total change for Andrew is the wild atmospheres from each school’s rink, especially at the Tigers’ home, the 4,300-seat Gene Polisseni Centre in Henrietta, N.Y.“The crowds are always big when you go to a NHL game, but the student sections here are something else,” Andrew said. “They are always full and everyone’s going crazy for the entire game.“It was definitely a different feeling from what I was used to, especially after having no fans last year, but there’s really nothing like it.”Although he had just a single point to his name going into this weekend, Andrew feels like he’s made a lot of strides in his game.“My defensive play has come a long way, especially since I’m more of an offensively minded type of player,” Andrew said. “Everyone in college hockey is so talented, especially on offence, so it’s very important to be able to compete on both sides of the puck.“I’ve learned a lot from my coaches and my linemates (Colton Trumbla and Andrew Petrucci). They’ve been a massive help to me, especially in practices, as they’ve pointed out the little things I can get better at. They are all great people to bounce ideas off.”Andrew also got help in that part of his game last spring, when he rounded out his junior career with a 20-game stint with the British Columbia Hockey League’s Chilliwack Chiefs.“My coach (Brian Maloney) did a lot to get me ready for the next level,” said Andrew, who also spent two-and-a-half seasons in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League with the Virden Oil Capitals and the Winkler Flyers following a two-year run with the Southwest Cougars under-18 AAA program.“We went over a lot of things on video and he pointed out a ton of stuff in different areas of my game that I could get better at. He knows what it takes to play at that level (which he did for the Michigan State Spartans for four seasons) and he was a massive help.”Andrew’s experiences in the BCHL and the NCAA have also been passed on to his younger brother Hunter, who is suiting up for the Powell River Kings and has committed to the Canisius Golden Griffins.“He’s going to be a rival once he gets to Canisius, but I’m extremely proud of him,” Andrew said. “Hunter’s bounced a lot of questions off of me over the last couple of years and he’s learned from some of the mistakes that I’ve made as he’s chosen his own path.“We got a taste of what it would be like to play against each other last year in the MJ when I was with Winkler and he was with Virden. It was definitely a little weird but I think it’s going to be pretty fun for our whole family when we take each other on in college.”» lpunkari@brandonsun.com» Twitter: @lpunkari