Milford's Ryan Ginand wasn't happy about his sophomore season with the Northeastern University hockey team.
"I wasn't in shape physically and I wasn't prepared mentally," said the feisty left winger, who scored a team-high 10 goals in 27 games his freshman season but dipped to six goals in 30 games last year.
So Ginand worked hard during the off-season to correct his weaknesses and improve his quickness, and it didn't take long for the conditioning to pay dividends. He scored NU's first two goals in a season-opening 3-2 victory over Providence College and was named Hockey East Player of the Week.
Through six games, he had two goals and an assist and a team-best 31 shots on goal.
"When you're his size, you have to be strong on your skates, and Ryan is fearless in front of the net and in the corners in traffic," NU's third-year head coach, Greg Cronin, said of his 5-foot-9, 180-pound winger. "He'll take a beating to get to a rebound."
A team MVP and top scorer when he skated for the Marlborough-based Boston Junior Bruins in the Eastern Junior Hockey League, Ginand has added penalty killing to his repertoire this season.
Cronin, whose team improved from 3 wins in 2005-'06 to 13 wins last season, noticed a more focused and mature Ginand at training camp. It prompted him to expand Ginand's role, which already included power-play time.
"Being on the penalty kill means that you're responsible away from the puck, something Ryan has really improved upon," Cronin said. "He's got a quick stick and he anticipates well and those skills translate well in penalty killing."
Ginand honed those skills with the Junior Bruins from eighth grade through his senior year at Milford High and as a member of Team Massachusetts at the USA Hockey Festival. He was recruited for Northeastern by former head coach Bruce Crowder, but when he took the ice for the EJHL championship game prior to his freshman year at Northeastern, Ginand was told that night by Crowder that he was no longer the school's head coach.
That was the disappointing news. The good news was that the Junior Bruins won the championship.
"We had 13 incoming freshman recruited by two coaches, and Coach Cronin did a great job holding the team together despite our record," recalled Ginand, who scored a hat trick as a frosh against New Hampshire - with all three goals in the same period.
After moving to Milford from Arizona with his family, Ginand joined the Franklin Flyers at age 8. Originally a center, he was switched to wing by Junior Bruins coaches Chris and Peter Masters.
Ginand has also added 15 pounds since his freshman year of college to help ward off opponents. "I love ice cream and I ate lots of it to put on some weight," he said. "It's my favorite thing in the world."
NU has just one senior on the team, which means Ginand and his junior classmates are called upon to provide stability and leadership.
"We just have to play our coach's system and never slack off," said Ginand, 21, whose brother Philip, 19, a left winger for the Green Bay Gamblers of the US Hockey League, will attend Mercyhurst College in 2008. The Gamblers are coached by former Harvard head coach Mark Mazzoleni.
Ginand's youngest brother, Stephen, plays defense for the Junior B's.
"We keep our folks busy with our hockey schedule and luckily we can all keep track of Philip's games over the internet," said Ginand, who majors in finance. "Wherever hockey takes me, it takes me. But I have to produce to get there."
So far, the production has pleased his coach - on and off the ice. "Ryan's a terrific student, a very responsible young man," said Cronin. "He does what he has to do to be successful."
