Brennan hitting the high notes

BC coach Jerry York said Mike Brennan "really brings a spirit to our club." (Mary Schwalm/Associated Press)

When he's not getting under opponents' skin on the ice, Boston College captain Mike Brennan has another outlet for his energy. Whether his teammates are as enthralled with his hobby, well, that's open to interpretation.

"He sings a lot," said teammate and fellow senior Matt Greene. "He has a wide array of music selections. He's a New Yorker, so he's a little louder than us Boston kids. He has a really good voice. Just his voice in the room, he's good. I don't know if he could win any awards, but for a hockey guy, you don't usually hear a hockey guy with a good voice."

Brennan, a 22-year-old Smithtown, N.Y., native, said he's been singing for as long as he can remember. It keeps him loose, as well as those around him.

"I'm not the only one in the locker room who enjoys singing," said Brennan. "Ben Smith and Nick Petrecki both join me. I don't know if it aggravates the guys or what. When I was younger, they didn't like it. But I don't think the young guys say anything to me anymore being a senior, but when I was a freshman, the seniors used to give it to me pretty good. I come from a happy, singing family."

And a family with a strong work ethic. Brennan's father, Michael, is a Suffolk County police officer on Long Island and his mother, Rosemarie, is a nurse.

When BC (23-11-8) takes on North Dakota (28-10-4) in the school's third straight Frozen Four appearance Thursday in Denver, Brennan will provide the leadership and calm, musically and otherwise.

"I read a quote [recently]," said Greene. "It was Gordie Howe's 80th birthday. The things that described Gordie Howe were that he was a fierce competitor on the ice and a great [person] off the ice, and I don't think you can fit that any better to Mike Brennan. I certainly can't say Mike Brennan has had an NHL career, but you talk about the competitor he is on the ice and the kid he is off the ice, I don't think you could fit that quote any more perfectly. He's a kid with such great morals. It's great to see the moral switch flip off when he gets on the ice. You need that, you need that intensity. You need that competitive attitude."

Brennan has been durable at The Heights. He has played in all 166 games and competes with an edge. At times, it has landed him in the penalty box, but this season he has reduced his penalty minutes from 87 and 89 the last two years to 50. That restraint hasn't been lost on his teammates.

"He's been much closer to the line the last couple of years," said Greene. "You put the captaincy in his hands and he does really, really well with it. It's hard to not cross that line all the time when you're that close and I think he does a great job at gauging when he can and when he can't. I don't know if it's his reputation the last couple of years that is getting him those extra couple of penalties that I'm not sure he deserves, but he is always that close. It's kind of a tossup on the bench as to whether or not it's going to happen. It's tough to play against a kid like that."

Brennan, who spent two years with the US National Team Development Program before college, takes pride in being a stay-at-home defenseman. His job is to punish anyone who gets too close to the Eagles' net and he relishes it.

"I'm not scoring a ton of points and I'm not on the stat sheet every night," he said. "You've got to bring something to the team and I like to think I play with a little bit of an edge and I like to compete really hard. I try to play with a lot of heart and be as consistent as possible.

"In the past two years before this, I was taking a lot of penalty minutes and I think it was hurting the team. You have to get to that happy medium and straddle the line just perfectly and step away from it when you think you're going to go over it."

Coach Jerry York said his team's attitude and success have been channeled through players such as Brennan.

"He really brings a spirit to our club," said York. "He plays a lot of different roles but he has a contagious spirit of living life to the fullest. He's an incredible young man and it kind of permeates our locker room. He's got a little [Mark] Messier in him. He can be very strong and very firm if he thinks anything is getting out of line."

For the seniors, they know it's their last shot, and Brennan said he's going to savor every second.

"It's an unbelievable experience being in this tournament," said Brennan. "Everyone is always looking forward to the national championship and getting to the prize. I think it's the steps along the way that are the most fulfilling."

Now that sounds like a sentiment you could sing to.