Spring Break
Scherer Key In The Huskies' Turnaround
Jim Merritt
Issue date: 5/6/07 Section: Sports
When the buzzer rang on March 16, the 2006-2007 season of UConn hockey came to a heartbreaking end as the Huskies lost, 3-1, to Army in the Atlantic Hockey tournament semifinals.
For senior captain Matt Scherer, it was the heartbreaking end to a four-year chapter of his life - one that, when it finished, left even the strongest of leaders emotional.
"Even after a little over a month from when we last played [in the semifinals] it still really hasn't sunk in that that could be your last time that, you know, you're ever going to really play hockey for serious competition," Scherer said. "Obviously, I got a little choked up about it. It was just rough."
Who wouldn't get choked up after being the leader of a Huskies squad that climbed a long way from the 11-23-2 record a season ago to grab home-ice in the first round of the Atlantic Hockey tournament for the first time in team history?
Scherer had nothing but praise for the season and the team he was leaving behind.
"I really felt that we had given ourselves a chance [to win a conference title]," Scherer said. "You know, I came into it with a lot of positive thoughts and I was really happy with the way we performed this year."
Performance-wise, Scherer had his best year at UConn, leading the Huskies in goals (22), points (36), shots (146) and power-play goals, en route to an All-Atlantic Hockey Second Team selection, where his 22 goals were good for second in the conference and 10th in the nation.
Not bad for a West Coast guy from Seattle, Wash., who came 3,000 miles to play for the Huskies.
For some, the trip to Storrs from Seattle is a daunting task. But for Scherer, the decision to come to UConn was an easy one.
Scherer said the geography of the Northeast wasn't an issue. Even after a blizzard hit the Storrs campus leaving him snowed-in for a few days during his visit, the people he met and the campus he fell in love with sealed the deal.
For senior captain Matt Scherer, it was the heartbreaking end to a four-year chapter of his life - one that, when it finished, left even the strongest of leaders emotional.
"Even after a little over a month from when we last played [in the semifinals] it still really hasn't sunk in that that could be your last time that, you know, you're ever going to really play hockey for serious competition," Scherer said. "Obviously, I got a little choked up about it. It was just rough."
Who wouldn't get choked up after being the leader of a Huskies squad that climbed a long way from the 11-23-2 record a season ago to grab home-ice in the first round of the Atlantic Hockey tournament for the first time in team history?
Scherer had nothing but praise for the season and the team he was leaving behind.
"I really felt that we had given ourselves a chance [to win a conference title]," Scherer said. "You know, I came into it with a lot of positive thoughts and I was really happy with the way we performed this year."
Performance-wise, Scherer had his best year at UConn, leading the Huskies in goals (22), points (36), shots (146) and power-play goals, en route to an All-Atlantic Hockey Second Team selection, where his 22 goals were good for second in the conference and 10th in the nation.
Not bad for a West Coast guy from Seattle, Wash., who came 3,000 miles to play for the Huskies.
For some, the trip to Storrs from Seattle is a daunting task. But for Scherer, the decision to come to UConn was an easy one.
Scherer said the geography of the Northeast wasn't an issue. Even after a blizzard hit the Storrs campus leaving him snowed-in for a few days during his visit, the people he met and the campus he fell in love with sealed the deal.
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