This week, I sat down with Brandon McNally ’15, a forward on the men’s hockey team, before the Big Green traveled to Princeton University and Quinnipiac University, where they lost both games to fall to 0-8-0, 0-6-0 ECAC on the season. Last year, the team started 5-0-1 before losing its first game.
How has the season started off?
BM: Well, we had our first two games in New Jersey at the Liberty Tournament and those were probably the best two games that we’ve played so far. It might have put a litter damper at the beginning because we played so well and couldn’t win, especially the second game when we played Princeton. We outshot them by a lot and then just couldn’t score and they ended up beating us in overtime. So, that tough start right at the beginning, I guess, made it more difficult for us put everything together.
You were injured last year. How did you come back from that?
BM: It was really tough. I got to stay here over the summer, so I worked with Coach Miller, who is one of the best. I’m still doing rehab now just to make sure it doesn’t happen again or prevent it from happening again.
What is your favorite part of hockey season?
BM: There’s a lot of team chemistry this year. It’s fun going to the rink every day, hanging out in the locker room and talking with the guys. In the spring, you don’t see everyone because people take off-terms.
What is it like being in season over winter break? Do you have any breaks?
BM: Unfortunately, we don’t get to go home for Thanksgiving, but it’s kind of fun because it’s just us, the girls’ hockey team and the basketball teams. I think we have a few games this year actually during the break, which doesn’t make it so miserable just having practice every day. We’ll get to go home for a few days around Christmas. Well, at least I do because I’m from Boston. Unfortunately, some guys don’t get to because they live so far away. We come back the day after Christmas and then we have games a day or two after that. It’s fun that we get to go home, but it’s tough staying in game shape.
What would you say is the hardest thing about being a Dartmouth athlete?
BM: The hardest thing is probably just balancing academics and athletics. Athletics takes up so much time and sometimes professors aren’t really cooperative, but most of them are. Coming in as a freshman, the best thing was that as soon as you come in, you have a group of people that you are close with already. They share the same things that you like. I guess it’s sometimes harder to make friends outside of your team, but for the first few weeks you have people that you can lean on for the whole four years.
What do the new freshmen bring to the team this year?
BM: Most of them have been playing so far, so they’re obviously a big part of our team. We’re going to need them to start winning games. They’re going to be important to the whole team and if we end up making a run at the end, we’re going to need them.
