May 14, 2015
Championship view with Nate Leaman
Nate Leaman, who just completed his fourth year at PC, is the first head coach in school history to lead a men’s team to an NCAA Championship. Chosen the USCHO.com Coach of the Year, he guided the 2014-15 Friars to 26 victories — their most in 32 years — and the program’s first back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
Your team made 30 years disappear in three periods. How heavily did the weight of history rest on your shoulders during the NCAA Championship game?
It wasn’t something we thought about at the time. Providence College has a very rich tradition of success in ice hockey with great teams and great individual players. We celebrate that in our program, so by making it to the championship game, we wanted to build on this tradition.
The Friars were the underdogs, not only in the final game, but throughout the NCAAs. How does it feel to have led the team through that?
We were the favorites all season long with our preseason ranking of #1 in our league and #3 in the nation. This was very new for all our players, and it was a great, healthy experience. Losing to UNH (in the Hockey East Tournament quarterfinals) put us in the underdog role for the NCAA Tournament. Our guys were comfortable with that, and I think it helped us.
It intensifies your focus. It gives you a sense of purpose and play. We had great focus every game.
What was going through your head during the last 30 seconds of the championship game?
I was just into the process, making sure the guys on the bench knew who was up next and what their responsibilities were. When we missed that empty net with 24 seconds left, I took a deep breath.
What made this particular group of guys tick?
Playing to our identity was what made us tick… This is a very complete team; we could play the game gritty in the dirty areas, and we had enough skill to play a wide-open game. We like to work teams down low in the offensive zone. We’re a team that hits, that’s in your face, when we are playing our best hockey.
“We’re a team that hits, that’s in your face, when we are playing our best hockey.” — Nate Leaman
Tell us about the tie you were wearing during the NCAA Tournament.
One of my best friends, Mark Tyo, died in January. We lived together for two years in college (SUNY-Cortland). We played together for four years and were captains our junior and senior years. He was the guy I stayed in touch with the most, and every summer we got together.
One of our friends, Derek Lalonde (hockey teammate at SUNY-Cortland), sent me Mark’s tie before the tournament and said Mark would have liked me to wear it. Derek coaches the Toledo Walleye of the East Coast Hockey League and said he was 2-0 wearing it. I’m happy I was 4-0, and part of that is Mark.
You came here from Union four years ago. When did you first feel like a true part of the Friar family?
Almost immediately. First, Father Sicard (Rev. Kenneth R. Sicard, O.P. ’78 & ’82G, College executive vice president and treasurer) arranged for me to live in an on-campus apartment the summer after I was hired. I was living away from my family, but that made me feel really comfortable and was a small window to how much of a special community we have here at Providence College. Then, there were a lot of speaking engagements early with a few other coaches. I felt right at home with Ed (Ed Cooley, men’s basketball coach) and Bob Driscoll (athletic director).
What’s the best coaching advice you’ve received?
“Trust your gut … always trust it.” I’ve heard that a lot. I try to take bits and pieces from everywhere I go and every coach I coach with, but it all comes down to being yourself, coaching to your strengths, and surrounding yourself with the best people possible, which I have been lucky enough to do at PC.
Who has inspired your career as a coach?
Shawn Walsh, who I coached with at the University of Maine, where we won the national championship in 1999. Shawn, along with the other coaches on that staff, Grant Standbrook and Gene Reilly. We were second in the league and then lost in the Hockey East Tournament, and went on to win the national championship. Ron Rolston at Harvard was another big influence. He went on to coach the Buffalo Sabres. I talk to him every two or three days.
Sum up your coaching style in less than 10 words.
High standards. Relentless about holding guys to that standard.
What’s next?
We want to keep the basecamp close to the peak. We want to be in the top four of our league, make it to the NCAA Tournament, and try to get to this level again. It’s not easy, and you need some breaks. It’s about sustaining success.
What’s it like to have your own bobblehead?
We won the national championship. I’m just glad we could back up the bobblehead.
