Two years ago, Nick Augustine wasn't getting a lot of accolades for his performance on the ice.
During tryouts in his sophomore year, Augustine was cut from the varsity squad and instead of giving up, he asked coach Mitch Major what he could do to make the team the next year.
“He needed to work on everything,” Major said. “He started hockey late in life, so he was behind on skating, stick-handling and shooting.”
The now-senior did just that, with Major's help. Augustine worked throughout the summer in the basement of his home and tried to perfect his stick-handling and shooting on the ice and in shooting cages whenever he could.
“If you go into the basement of his house, there is a full workout room and he's got a machine to work on his strides,” Major said. “His family has supported him to work on his goals and gave him the tools he needed. He had a long way to go, but he did everything I asked and more.”
Augustine made the team the next time around and the defenseman really started to stand out midway through the season, peaking during the playoffs.
“He's just amazing,” Major said of Augustine, who began playing hockey in sixth grade. “Usually when I have those meetings with players after they've been cut and tell them what they need to work on, they usually don't follow through at the level that you want them to. But he set goals for himself and said he was going to make it and he sure did.”
Though he could have played on a community hockey team if he had been cut from the Lakers' varsity squad a second time, Augustine was thrilled that his hard work paid off.
“Making the team was something I really wanted and it was worth all the effort I had to put into it,” Augustine said. “Getting cut was kind of hard, but I used it as motivation and it was great when I finally made it. Last year about halfway through the season, I started to get more playing time and I started to get more confident.”
With 13 players graduating off the roster last season, Augustine was not only one of the team's top returning players this year, but also was nominated by his teammates to be the captain.
“It was great to know that I had the support of my teammates and they looked up to me and thought of me as a captain,” Augustine said.
With the position as the sole captain of the team, Augustine had the opportunity to influence his younger teammates, including his teammate and little brother, freshman Zach, who began skating around the same time Nick did.
“He's the type of kid that when he talks, everyone listens,” Major said. “He doesn't have to be loud or raise his voice, they just all understand the type of commitment he's put into playing this sport. He's got the character to back him up and they respect him for that.”
There are no stats for his position or standout games that can be pinpointed as Augustine's best, but he has been instrumental in leading the Lakers to a 14-7 record and third place in the Division II/West.
“He's on the ice every other shift and logs as much time as anybody out there,” Major said. “We always have him out there and try to match him up with the other team's best player. That's just a tribute to him and his hard work. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again and he definitely has.”
“He needed to work on everything,” Major said. “He started hockey late in life, so he was behind on skating, stick-handling and shooting.”
The now-senior did just that, with Major's help. Augustine worked throughout the summer in the basement of his home and tried to perfect his stick-handling and shooting on the ice and in shooting cages whenever he could.
“If you go into the basement of his house, there is a full workout room and he's got a machine to work on his strides,” Major said. “His family has supported him to work on his goals and gave him the tools he needed. He had a long way to go, but he did everything I asked and more.”
Augustine made the team the next time around and the defenseman really started to stand out midway through the season, peaking during the playoffs.
“He's just amazing,” Major said of Augustine, who began playing hockey in sixth grade. “Usually when I have those meetings with players after they've been cut and tell them what they need to work on, they usually don't follow through at the level that you want them to. But he set goals for himself and said he was going to make it and he sure did.”
Though he could have played on a community hockey team if he had been cut from the Lakers' varsity squad a second time, Augustine was thrilled that his hard work paid off.
“Making the team was something I really wanted and it was worth all the effort I had to put into it,” Augustine said. “Getting cut was kind of hard, but I used it as motivation and it was great when I finally made it. Last year about halfway through the season, I started to get more playing time and I started to get more confident.”
With 13 players graduating off the roster last season, Augustine was not only one of the team's top returning players this year, but also was nominated by his teammates to be the captain.
“It was great to know that I had the support of my teammates and they looked up to me and thought of me as a captain,” Augustine said.
With the position as the sole captain of the team, Augustine had the opportunity to influence his younger teammates, including his teammate and little brother, freshman Zach, who began skating around the same time Nick did.
“He's the type of kid that when he talks, everyone listens,” Major said. “He doesn't have to be loud or raise his voice, they just all understand the type of commitment he's put into playing this sport. He's got the character to back him up and they respect him for that.”
There are no stats for his position or standout games that can be pinpointed as Augustine's best, but he has been instrumental in leading the Lakers to a 14-7 record and third place in the Division II/West.
“He's on the ice every other shift and logs as much time as anybody out there,” Major said. “We always have him out there and try to match him up with the other team's best player. That's just a tribute to him and his hard work. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again and he definitely has.”
