Ice Hockey

By GARY FITZ, The Nashua Telegraph


It's the stuff of legend when you first hear it. Just think about the odds of scoring two short-handed goals in the space of just 15 seconds.

But Assumption College freshman Pat O'Kane admits it wasn't quite as incredible as it might seem. Both were short-handed goals in the waning seconds of a 6-3 victory over Salve Regina earlier this month.

Still, the two goals gave O'Kane three for the game and four for the week and he was named both the Northeast-10 Conference Player and Freshman of the Week.

Through 15 games, O'Kane is the leading goal scorer for the Greyhounds with seven. Not bad for a 5-foot-7, 160-pound freshman winger who has quickly played himself onto the first line.

"Pat O'Kane has the been the highlight of the Assumption hockey team so far this year,'' said first-year coach Lance Brady, whose team is off to a 2-10-3 start. "This is a kid who shows up every day to work hard, support his teammates and improve as a hockey player.''

"He has taken on a leadership role on the ice in a quiet but very effective manner.''

After helping Bishop Guertin win a hockey championship during his senior year in 2007, O'Kane spent a year honing his hockey and classroom skills at Williston-Northhampton School in Easthampton, Mass.

His decision on where to go next pretty much came down to Assumption or Saint Anselm, two schools in the same conference. Because he's a young player on a young team with a first-year coach, O'Kane says Assumption is a good fit for him.

"I think because of the coaching change we all came in equal,'' O'Kane said. "Even the freshmen were recruited by a different coach.''

The first thing O'Kane always has to prove is that he can handle the physical aspect of the game.

"I may be short, but I use my speed to get around bigger players,'' O'Kane said. "There are big kids in this league but, knock on wood, I seem to be able to avoid taking a big hit.''

"His speed is what you notice first,'' Brady said, "but his willingness to turn defensemen, take the hit and keep pursing the puck is just one of his great attributes as a winger. I look forward to watching him develop as a hockey player over the next three and a half years.''

O'Kane, whose hometown is Hollis, looks forward to developing as a line with fellow freshman Taylor Larsen and sophomore Pat Fitzgibbons.

"We're a really young team,'' O'Kane said, "and we're only going to get better.''