Jan. 4, 2007
By Danny Martin, Staff Writer, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Published January 4, 2007
COLUMBUS, OH -- It's a statistic that doesn't please Aaron Lee.
It took the Alaska Nanooks junior left wing the entire 2005-06 season -- 39 games -- to receive 18 penalties worth 36 minutes. As the Nanooks face Ohio State this weekend to open a Central Collegiate Hockey Association two-week road trip, he's already been whistled for 19 penalties for 38 minutes and this season is only 18 games old.
What makes the statistic alarming is the 6-foot, 208-pound native of Calgary, Alberta, has seen the back of the penalty box more this season than the back of the net. He has one goal among his five points after scoring 10 goals in both his freshman and sophomore seasons.
His production last season tied him with then-freshman right wing Kyle Jones for second place in goal scoring for the Nanooks.
"I think it's just something I've got to improve on," said Lee, after Wednesday night's practice at the OSU Ice Arena. "I think part of it is just me not moving my feet. Instead, I'm laying a stick on a guy rather than moving my feet and it shows on the stats board."
Nanooks head coach Tavis MacMillan said Lee is experiencing frustration this season after posting 10 goals and 10 assists last season and 10-5-15 totals in his first season in a Nanooks uniform.
"He's obviously gripping the stick tighter and there's frustration in his skating, and that's leading to penalties and a lack of discipline," said MacMillan during the team's stopover in Minneapolis on Wednesday afternoon. "He obviously needs to get back to where he was playing at the end of last season."
The Nanooks saw the Aaron Lee of old this past Nov. 10, when he had a goal and an assist in a 2-2 tie at Northern Michigan. Lee skated that night on a line with senior center Jordan Emmerson and Lee's brother, Jeff, a freshman left wing. It was the first time at any level of hockey that the Lees played together.
"I think I was in the right place at the right time," said Aaron Lee, "and the big thing was I had some confidence. I wasn't worried about making a mistake -- I just went out there and played and it paid off."
MacMillan saw some positive emotion from Lee that night, too, in the Berry Events Center.
"I saw a smile on his face and I saw him enjoying himself; but that also comes with success," he said. "Those guys were playing well and they were making plays."
The Nanooks may not always see Lee score goals, but they'll see him block shots and battle in the corners for the pucks.
And as was the case on a couple of occasions as a freshman, they'll see him sacrifice his body.
In January 2005, he was involved in a fierce collision with Michigan left wing Jeff Tambellini at center ice during a CCHA game in Ann Arbor, Mich. The force of the collision flattened Lee and dented the facemask of his helmet so hard that it left a welt on his forehead.
Lee lost his stick while helping kill a penalty during a November 2004 game against Nebraska-Omaha at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks. He kicked away a puck and blocked three shots, including taking one to the groin.
Lee would enjoy that persona returning this season.
"That's what I want to get back to," he said. `That's where I want to be. I want to be the guy that gives a hit and takes a hit and lays down and takes a shot to make a game.
"That's part of the reason that I think I'm struggling as of late because I haven't played the way I should be. I've got to get back to the old Aaron Lee."
He also wants to try to not get back into the penalty box.
