NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- In many professions, the end of college and beginning of a career can overlap. Hockey is no different.
Two of the newest Norfolk Admirals are experiencing that firsthand.
"We finished on a Saturday," said Admirals' forward Matt Crasa. "I was lucky to get a call around Monday or Tuesday that following week and met the team on the road in Reading, Pennsylvania."
"We lost on a Saturday and then I flew right out to Iowa on Thursday," fellow forward Jack O'Leary added.
Crasa is in his final semester at UMass-Lowell. Once his season wrapped up, he jumped right in with the Admirals and signed an amateur tryout on March 21. The team signed the forward to a standard deal on March 31. O'Leary followed a similar path, from the Big Red of Cornell to the blue and yellow of Norfolk. It marked a quick transition for both young players.
"As a newcomer coming in, you're a little bit shy and hesitant," O'Leary noted. "There are some really great guys that help it, so it was a smooth transition for sure."
"Whether guys are 30 now or 24, we've all been down a lot of the same paths," added Crasa. "We know a lot of similar people, but I think the older guys have been good to me, making it pretty seamless."
As the puck drops on their professional careers, however, one month still remains until graduation. That means school work is still part of the equation as they balance hockey and wrapping up their college credits.
"I'm not too worried about the school part right now. Don't tell the professors," smiled Crasa. "There's a lot of time in the afternoons to cook dinner, a couple hours here, a couple hours there. It's pretty easy."
"I had to email all my professors," O'Leary said. "I have to keep up with all my work and stuff with them and probably do all those tests when I get back."
The early journey has been an exciting one for the two newcomers, from amateur tryout to spots on the postseason roster. Now they get a chance to play meaningful hockey right from the jump and are trying to introduce themselves to the professional ranks by helping the Admirals raise the Kelly Cup.
"A big thing for me was looking for a team that's in that hunt and have a chance to play meaningful hockey as opposed to just playing for yourself," Crasa said. "I think just playing for something bigger is definitely exciting and this time of year is awesome."
"I could tell from the two games I played here that the fans are super passionate," pointed out O'Leary. "It's a really, really great place to be and I'm super excited and to be in a playoff spot is awesome."
The Admirals open their Kelly Cup hunt Wednesday night at Scope against the Wheeling Nailers. Game 1 of the first round best-of-seven series is set to face off at 7:05 PM.
