Appropriately recognized as a final tour for a talented group of Northeastern men’s hockey seniors, the 2004-05 campaign has seen such Husky veterans as Jason Guerriero, Keni Gibson and Tim Judy continue to make sure they leave Huntington Avenue on a high note.
Quietly, unassumingly and just as assuredly, a young Northeastern defenseman continues to log minutes, observe the experienced talent around him and rise his way up through one of the most competitive collegiate hockey conferences in the nation.
Steve Birnstill entered the Hockey East as a 17 year old, a true freshman, when a strong number of his peers opted for continued experience in junior leagues. He immediately found his place at Northeastern, even if that meant competing against such national powerhouses as Boston College and Boston University.
“He was a lot more mature than kids his age,” said Husky coach Bruce Crowder. “Some kids are just that way. He came in and he knew that he was going to get plenty of ice time and plenty of opportunities. He was going to play and live with his mistakes a little bit. Now he’s taken it to the next level and that’s what a lot of people were expecting.”
The Commack, N.Y.-native played in all but two of the Huskies’ 34 games as a freshman and as a sign of his faith in the blueliner, Crowder paired him with Judy, a tireless worker sure to have an effect on Birnstill’s training and in-game habits.
Even in a disappointing season that saw the Huskies miss the HE playoffs for the second straight year, the results when the two were together on the ice were hard to ignore. At 9-3-2 with them together, the team was drastically different than its final record of 11-16-7.
“When I played with Judy last year, it was definitely a good thing,” Birnstill said. “Judy is a great player and he makes himself very easy to play with, he’s a leader. Whenever I mess up, if Judy and [senior defenseman Donny] Grover tell me, I’ll listen. I’ll take it, absorb it and use it.”
Birnstill’s own impact on the team was obvious as well. With a goal and six assists, he fell behind just Judy (1-11-12) and Jon Awe (2-11-13) for the top scoring defensemen on the team.
So far this season, it’s been the same story as Birnstill is sixth in scoring (2-13-15) and second for defensemen following Judy’s late-season offensive splurge (5-12-17).
“You have to work hard every time you step on the ice in this league,” Birnstill said. “Coming from Apple Core (Eastern Junior Hockey League), sometimes you win games 8-0 and you don’t really get into the habit of working hard every time you’re on the ice. When you get here, if you don’t work hard, you’re not going to win a hockey game because every team can win. That was the biggest thing getting used to and the biggest thing they try to embed into you here.”
Night in and night out against quality opponents last year, Birnstill came prepared and gained invaluable knowledge of his opponents. There was also plenty of time to get used to his surroundings.
“I remember the first time I played Boston College, playing against guys like Ben and Pat Eaves, that was pretty intimidating at first,” he said. “I was used to watching those guys on TV, but stepping into the game and playing them was different. After a while, you respect everyone. Everyone in the league is a good player.”
When Crowder began his workouts for Birnstill’s rookie season, he planned on seeing Birnstill being prepared to learn, whether or not his opportunities on the ice would be coming soon and fast.
“You’ll probably never, ever get the complete player, because he’s probably not playing here,” Crowder explained. “I think what you need to do is get kids who’ll break habits, who will get into the system. You don’t know how quick kids will change or will be willing to break habits, but you have to get them to believe that what we’re doing is right, that even though they’ll get burned once or twice, in the long run, it will work.”
Both coach and player agreed on Birnstill’s tendency to be overly hard on himself.
“There’s always pressure,” Birnstill said. “I’m pretty hard on myself. I think sometimes I put a little added pressure that I don’t need.”
It’s an asset that both helps and hurts Birnstill, Crowder said.
“One of the worst, but best assets about him is that he’s hard on himself. He takes a lot of pride in what he does. You can’t beat yourself up though, it’s part of the learning process, because he’ll have a chance to go out and prove himself.”
Crowder can smile when he sees his seniors with a final chance to make a statement in this year’s tournament playoffs. He can also see Guerriero with a Walter Brown finalist type season and Gibson with an Eberly Award at the 53rd annual Beanpot.
However, he’s aware of what’s to come next season, and what Birnstill will mean to the defensive unit.
“There will be some holes to fill,” Crowder said, noting the loss of Judy, Grover and Awe. “I’m hoping that Mike Morris will step it up, and guys like Ray Ortiz. You always hope that your freshmen will be impact players because there are questions that always arise over what freshmen will do.”
Birnstill has high hopes for his future.
“I want to get better each year,” he said. “The coaches here are great and help a lot with that. Hopefully I can get progressively better and then maybe go on to play at a higher level. Right now though, I’m just thinking about playing at Northeastern.”
