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01/30/2019 11:00 PMMichael McKeon had gained a great deal of leadership experience entering his senior season with the Hand boys’ ice hockey team. This winter, Michael is drawing upon the lessons that he learned on the links to lead the Tigers to a white-hot start on the ice.
Michael is a senior captain who plays right wing for Hand. He started playing hockey at age five and then joined the Yale Youth Hockey organization, before suiting up for the Tigers as a freshman. After serving as a captain for the Hand boys’ golf team last spring, Michael is reprising his leadership role with the hockey squad and has guided the Tigers to a record of 10-1-1 under first-year Head Coach Brian Gonsalves. Michael has seven goals to go with 13 assists on the season, leading Hand in both helpers and overall points.
“It’s nice being a leader here, and I’ve taken some of what I’ve learned from golf and applied it here,” says Michael. “We work hard every day, and Coach Gonzo has done a great job. He’s made it easy for us to buy in to what we want to accomplish. He pushes us daily. My line-mates also deserve a lot of credit.”
As a winger, Michael often stretches into the defensive end in order to stave off scoring opportunities from the opposition. Although that can be a stressful endeavor, Michael likes contributing to the Tigers by getting in on all the action. Of course, he also enjoys finding the back of the net.
“It’s tough when you are in the defensive zone and trying to clear the puck to get the pressure off,” Michael says. “I love being able to get a lot of scoring opportunities and being lucky enough to bury passes from [fellow senior captain] Griffin Fitzmaurice. I love him as my center.”
Michael says he felt a little overwhelmed when he went up against older players as a freshman. However, getting so much playing time at an early age taught Michael how to dig deep and unlock his potential.
“I was intimidated playing with 18-year-old kids as a 14-year-old freshman,” says Michael. “But it was a good experience to get the feel for high school hockey and realize that I had to work hard in the offseason to be ready.”
Now, Michael is an experienced upperclassman who’s helping Hand’s new players grasp the attributes that they’ll need to thrive with the Tigers.
“Being a captain is great. It’s awesome to set examples for the younger kids,” Michael says. “It’s great to teach them the ways of high school hockey, and it’s great teaching them things every day.”
Coach Gonsalves says that Michael was ready to go right from the first drop of the puck this year. With the Tigers deep into their season, Gonsalves describes Michael as a shining example of what it means to be a leader.
“Michael bought into the process right away. From the first meeting, summer and preseason workouts, you could tell Michael was 100-percent committed to being a part of changing the culture both on and off the ice. He was hungry and excited at the opportunity,” says Gonsalves. “As the season has progressed, Michael’s game has matched his ability to lead off the ice. He currently leads our team in both points and assists. Michael’s work ethic also goes well beyond the rink, as he currently has a 3.7 GPA. Michael embodies the meaning of a captain with his ability to lead by example in all aspects of being a student-athlete.”
While the Tigers have already clinched a berth in the Division III State Tournament, they know that their journey is far from finished. Hand has to face some formidable foes during the latter half of their campaign, and Michael says the Tigers are looking to use those challenges to fuel them toward a title.
“Halfway through the season, we’ve been successful, but we have a long way to go,” says Michael. “The hardest part of our schedule is right now. We have a long way to go, but we will be ready come playoff time.”