NU freshman made a slick transition

When Kyle Kraemer began playing ice hockey, there was only one problem. He couldn't stop. Literally.

He could skate and skate, but when it came time to stop . . . well, he just didn't know what to do.

When the Northeastern freshman was 13, he was a standout roller hockey player but decided to try the ice at the urging of family members. He took to it, but decelerating on skates was far different from roller blades.

"Everyone thought I was crazy out there," said Kraemer, "but once I got the puck on my stick and did some things, [the coaches] thought, 'This kid can play, but we have to teach him how to stop.'

"I would drag my feet on the ice [as in roller hockey]. I finally could stop right-footed, but if I went into the boards left-footed, I'd either have to turn to my right foot to stop or use the boards as a cushion. It took a while to get the hang of it."

Kraemer's game has steadily improved, and the St. Louis native is one of the reasons the upstart Huskies went from three victories last season to 13-16-5 this year (9-13-5 in Hockey East). Northeastern, the No. 7 seed in the Hockey East tournament, begins its best-of-three series against No. 2 Boston College tomorrow night at Conte Forum. The squads were even during the season series, 1-1-1.

One relative who has mentored Kraemer is his uncle, Joe Micheletti, a former NHL player who is now a TV analyst on New York Rangers games for MSG network. Kraemer said his uncle thought he could excel at ice hockey.

"I loved it," said Kraemer. "It was unbelievable. At first I was kind of scared because I didn't know what I was getting into. It was hard for me to get the hang of it, but once I got the hang of it, I liked the contact. You can get your anger out if you're mad or something."

Micheletti said ice hockey was a natural extension of Kraemer's natural abilities.

"He was one of the top roller hockey players in St. Louis," said Micheletti. "He played on some national teams. He could always score. He always had good hands and good vision. I give him the credit for deciding to play."

Prior to college, Kraemer spent two years in relative obscurity playing for the Wichita Falls (Texas) Wildcats of the North American Hockey League. Northeastern teammate Chad Costello also played there. Kraemer said his goal was to find a home with a Division 1 school.

"I would watch the Frozen Four games on TV and it was pretty cool," he said. "I always wanted to play there, I just never knew how hard it was. I was wrong. It took me a lot of steps."

He almost didn't make it to Northeastern. He was being wooed by Northern Michigan before Northeastern coach Greg Cronin even saw him. Micheletti urged patience, which wasn't easy for Kraemer.

"I didn't like all the pressure he was under," said Micheletti. "I just convinced him that he shouldn't do anything until he visited all the other places that wanted him."

When Cronin finally arrived at Wichita Falls, 2 1/2 hours northwest of Dallas, it was an experience.

"There is nothing out there, just barren fields," said Cronin. "It was like being on the moon."

But it was worth the journey. Cronin saw Kraemer play three games and was sold after the second one. It didn't hurt that Cronin and Micheletti were close friends, dating to their days with the Islanders organization, Cronin in the front office and Micheletti on the TV side.

"I knew Greg would be honest with him," said Micheletti. "To me, that is so important."

"My skating, my turning and stuff, I still have a tendency to do roller hockey stuff in the way I skate and the way I turn," said Kraemer. "Every once in a while, [Cronin] will tell me to stop playing roller hockey."

Cronin said most of the differences are subtle.

"They don't cross over like a pure ice hockey player does," said Cronin. "They also handle the puck differently. To stickhandle a ball is different than stickhandling a puck. Their top hand is much more adept at controlling the blade.

"The wide transitional turns, you have to coach that out of him. That doesn't work in ice hockey; you've got to stop and get back.

"I don't even look at him as a roller hockey player anymore, but I think the story is so remarkable because how many kids do you see in Division 1 hockey that started picking up ice hockey at 13?"

Kraemer has caught fire with linemates Jimmy Russo, a junior, and Bryan Esner, a senior. The combination first played together during a series against Providence Feb. 16-17, and in five games together, they have combined for 14 points. They had 5 points in the Huskies' 4-2 win over Boston University in the regular-season finale, with Kraemer potting a pair of goals, including the winner.

"We're all pretty fast," said Kraemer. "We're good at cycling. Bryan Esner's speed is crazy -- he's so fast -- and Jimmy adds a lot of skill to the line. We're all creative and all make things happen."

No matter how long Northeastern's postseason lasts, Kraemer believes the freshman- and sophomore-laden program is only going to get better. And he no longer worries about stopping, because he's just getting started.