New York Hockey Journal

April 2020 www.nyhockeyjournal.com 9 NORTHERNSTING.COM @northernsting FOLLOW US NORTHERNSTING.COM AAA SPRING-SUMMER TOURNAMENT TEAMS @NORTHERNSTING NORTHERNSTING.COM AAA SPRING-SUMMER TOURNAMENT TEAMS @NORTHERNSTING ing him for what was to come once he arrived in British Columbia. "South Kent was one of the best things to happen to me in my hockey career," Crasa asserted. "It's a tight-knit commu- nity and the people there help you as a person. You're surrounded by athletes and teachers who care about you, and you have the time to put your work in when- ever you can. We had ice in the mornings and throughout the day, and practices for 75 minutes every day. We had two work- out facilities, one in the rink and one in the middle of campus. Whatever work you put in, you're going to get out of it." The labor continued for the 5-foot-11, 185-pounder during the summer prior to his trek to the West Coast. Making sure the fundamentals in his game were good for his next challenge, he worked out and skated several times a week. He also took some time to rest, allowing his bruises from the previous campaign to heal. Crasa's toil during the offseason paid immediate dividends. Through his first eight contests with the Capitals, the right-handed shooter tallied nine goals and two assists. "I was fortunate. It was a quick tran- sition for me," Crasa said. "Pucks were bouncing the right way and everything I shot found its way into the net. Of course, you realize it's not going to be that easy every night. It only gets harder as the year goes on, and you just try to stay con- sistent throughout the whole year." Crasa was able to provide consistent offensive production throughout the season and into the playoffs, but it was his defensive game that he feels im- proved the most as a BCHL rookie. "The defensive side of the game is what you need to get to the next level," Crasa explained. "You can't be getting beat in the 'D' zone and getting knocked off loose pucks in the corners. We stressed a lot about the 'D' zone and our board battles. It's what we spent most of our practice time on, and that really helped me." The heavy focus on defense came as a bit of a surprise to Crasa, who was well aware of the perception that the BCHL is more of an offensive circuit. "I heard that you have time with the puck, but it's not as open with dipsy- doodling like everyone says it is," he said. "It might be against some teams, where it's more of a run-and-gun game. But the other games are tight, hard-checking, and you don't really have time and space." Where Crasa had time, at least more time than usual to focus on hockey, was away from the rink. With his NCAA re- quirements more than fulfilled, he took the year off from taking any classes, and for the first time in his life was able to dedi- cate every moment to the sport he loves. "Hockey's always your main priority, but you have to factor in school. When I went out there, hockey was my priority and my life," Crasa said. "You wake up early, work out, take an hour off, go to practice, and then you have the rest of the day to work on your game, get more rest, and do whatever you need to do to get better. I had time to better myself and my game." Next season will be a different story for Crasa. While he plans on returning to the BCHL to further his development after decommitting from Sacred Heart University earlier this season, he intends on taking a college English course. And if Crasa does return to the BCHL, he hopes to add more memorable mo- ments to the ones he experienced this season. His favorite one came toward the end, just before the league canceled the last three rounds of the playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "We were down 1-0 in Game 5 of our first-round series against the Powell Riv- er Kings and fighting our way the whole game. Nothing was going our way," Crasa recounted. "Then lucky enough, I was able to tie it with 37 seconds left. It was a record attendance for us this year that night, so the place was going crazy. It was surreal. And then we brought it to overtime and just dominated for six minutes straight. Shift after shift we were in their zone, one forward changing at a time, and we were able to bury one to win the series. That was the best thing to happen this year." The special night proved that the people Crasa spoke with before the sea- son were right, that he would enjoy his time playing in the BCHL. @LeoScaglioneJr feedback@nyhockeyjournal�com Cathy Schmidt (top); Laura Landry (middle); Mijen Multimedia Matthew Crasa (Stony Brook, N.Y.) made plenty of friends on and off the ice, as community service is a major component of life as a BCHL star.

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