Dec. 27, 2006
By Danny Martin, Staff Writer, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Published December 28, 2006
Posted in Sports
Trevor Hyatt isn't a candidate for a toothpaste commercial, but it's rare to not see a smile on the 21-year-old face of the Alaska Nanooks sophomore left wing/center.
"If you enjoy what you're doing, it goes far not only in hockey but in life,'' Nanooks assistant coach Wade Klippenstein, who recruited Hyatt for the Central Collegiate Hockey Association program, said Wednesday afternoon at the Carlson Center, where the Nanooks practiced for the final two games of this season's Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup Series against the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Friday and Saturday nights at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage.
"He comes to practice with a smile on his face every day and that's a good reflection of what's inside of Trevor Hyatt,'' Klippenstein said. "It's hard not to smile when you're around him. Some days are not always great days on the ice, but you need guys like that to keep things in perspective and keep everyone moving in a positive direction.''
Hyatt, who's from Anchorage, inherited his positive attitude from his parents, Cliff and Audrey, who are scheduled to be in the stands at Sullivan Arena this weekend.
"I've always had that attitude to never get down on anything, no matter what is going on,'' Hyatt said after Wednesday's practice. "You keep on going, and if you have a good attitude, it's going to work out.''
Hyatt has also been positive amid a scoring drought this season, as he has no points in 10 games. In 34 games, he has a goal and two assists; but like his smile, it's his work ethic which stands out for the 7-5-4 Alaska squad.
"When it comes to the game, I want to try to play as fast as I can and as hard as I can,'' said Hyatt, who also skates on the Nanooks penalty kill.
"I block shots, I try to make things happen to help push the game in a positive way for the team. I try to get the team's energy up and if that means blocking a shot, making a hit or taking a hit to make a play, I'll do whatever needs to be done to make an impact on the game.''
Klippenstein said players like Hyatt can get overshadowed by players who score goals.
"Obviously, that's (goals) what's most reported in the statistics,'' Klippenstein said, "but Trevor Hyatt is very reliable and he proved that last year in the playoffs.''
Hyatt scored the game's first goal in a 2-1 quarterfinal victory at Michigan State last March 10, but Nanooks coaches and teammates were just as appreciative for his ability to get the puck deep into the Spartans zone or bring it out of the Alaska zone.
"I took a lot of big hits right at the red line to get the puck deep into their end,'' Hyatt said.
Being a tailback for the Service High School football team for three seasons and also playing youth competitive and high school hockey in his hometown helped prepare Hyatt for giving and receiving hits in NCAA Division I hockey.
"I was always taught to suck it up and that it won't feel as bad if you're playing good,'' he said.
The engineering major's positive attitude benefited him in 2003, and eventually led him to the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Hyatt had started that season playing with the Dayton (Ohio) Gems of the North American League, but the team soon folded after struggling financially.
"The owner had a car dealership there and he ended up not funding the team anymore," said Hyatt, "and he backed out at Christmas and kind of hung everyone out to dry."
The Gems players were placed in a dispersal draft for any league interested in them, and Hyatt landed in Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League with the Estevan Bruins, whose coaches had seen him play the year before with the Alaska All-Stars in the Mac's World Invitational Tournament in Calgary, Alberta.
"I had never even thought of Saskatchewan or Estevan, and some guys would have been down, saying `I don't want to go to Saskatchewan,"' Hyatt said. "But I was like, `Hey, as long as you have a good attitude, it's going to be great,' and it turned out to be one of the best experiences in my life.''
Estevan is also where Klippenstein played junior hockey and the Nanooks assistant coach watched Hyatt skate for the Bruins in the latter part of the 2003-04 season and in 2004-05.
Klippenstein, though, didn't have to say much to convince Hyatt to come to UAF, as he was impressed with the school's engineering program and its hockey team.
"I knew the team was on the rise after the season they went to the Joe,'' Hyatt said of the Nanooks' third-place finish in the CCHA Super Six Tournament in Detroit in March 2005.
Hyatt grew up watching the Seawolves play at Sullivan Arena, but he also remembered the Nanooks winning seven of the first 13 Governor's Cups.
He was part of last season's squad which captured the eighth Cup overall, and fifth in a row, in the 14-year history of the series.
"It was a pretty big thrill to come away with the Cup last year,'' he said, "and now when I go back home, some people will say `You're a traitor."'
Even the lighthearted name-calling doesn't affect his attitude.
"It will be thrill to go down there and playing in front of my family and friends, and hopefully, we'll come away with a couple of wins,'' Hyatt said.
The Seawolves lead this season's series three points to one after a 6-5 overtime victory and 1-1 tie on Oct. 20-21 at the Carlson Center.
The Nanooks need two wins to return the Cup to Fairbanks.
"This series definitely brings another level to the game, and it's really exciting to play in it,'' Hyatt said, of course, with a smile.
