Home > Blogs > Southwest Blog > Archives > 2008 > March > 27
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Miami’s Mercier at home on the ice
By Pete Conrad
Staff Writer
OXFORD — With so much travel, so many games and so much cost involved, most hockey players at the developmental stage must grapple with some disruption in their home lives.
But at age 14, Justin Mercier began a complicated journey of constant change, a four-year journey which brought loneliness and ultimately an inner strength that has helped him become one of the top college hockey players in America.
Mercier, the second-leading scorer for a Miami University hockey team preparing to play in its third straight NCAA tournament Saturday, March 29, was born and raised in Erie, Pa. He was reared by a loving family, but he was serious about hockey. If he wanted to play at an advanced level, he would have to move to another town, another team, another school, even another family — a “host family,” whose parents normally have a son who is on the team and are willing to take in a teammate from out of town.
Mercier went through this at age 14. And again at age 15, and 16 and 17. “I had gone to five high schools in four years and played for four different teams,” the junior forward said.
“Each year the level of hockey was a step up,” he explained. “That was one of the reasons I kept moving. It was another opportunity for me to get to that next level.”
But the personal cost to Mercier was high.
“My freshman and sophomore years, I was very homesick,” he said. “You’re used to being able to say good night to your parents every night. I called home every day. I wanted to get that one taste of home. “Hockey was my saving grace,” he added. “I always used hockey as the glue that held me together.”
It was the one constant in Mercier’s life.
“Within that glass, everything’s the same,” Mercier said. “The blue line is always going to be where the blue line is, the net is always going to be where the net is.
“It was almost my home away from home, and that made me a better hockey player because I love being out there so much,” he said. “I always tried to make myself better. I knew as soon as I got off the ice, I’d have to go back to a home I was unfamiliar with, to the school I wasn’t sure about.”
He didn’t feel comfortable with his first host family. There was nothing wrong with the family, he was quick to point out; it was just so different from his own.
“It was an eye-opening experience,” he said. “The mom made dinner only once a week. At 14 years old, I was expected to make my own dinner. The family didn’t interact much. That’s just how they did things. But I’m from a very close family.
“The father (of the host family) saw I was kind of out of my element and offered to find a new host family,” Mercier said.
The name of the new host family was Steffes. If that sounds familiar, it should. The Steffes’ son, Gary, has six goals and 10 assists for the RedHawks this season.
“Mrs. Steffes made dinner every night,” Mercier pointed out. “Gary and I could hang out, we’d go out and shoot basketball together. I didn’t have that with the other family. That made it enjoyable, and it helped out with my homesickness.”
Then, a little irony.
“For the next three years, Gary and I never really saw each other,” Mercier said. “I committed to Miami, and later I learned that Gary committed here. That was kinda neat. I get along with everyone on the team, but Gary and I definitely have a different relationship that’s brotherly love.”
Mercier said he has benefitted from the constant motion of his high school years.
“I think moving away at such a young age, it made me grow and mature in ways that never would have happened had I not moved away from home,” he said. “It taught me time management and money management. It taught me manners, how to carry yourself in public.”
Still, Mercier can’t get enough of mom (Karen) and dad (Doug). He said he still talks with his parents practically every night.
“My parents are very happy for the team and for me,” he said. “It’s not often that you can accomplish a season like this. How many kids can say they’ve played for the No. 1-ranked team in the nation? My parents are happy seeing me happy.”
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Updates coming from Worcester, Mass.
Miami hockey fans:
Stay tuned for updates from reporter Rick Cassano beginning Friday, March 28, from the NCAA Northeast Regional in Worcester, Mass.
All four teams — Miami, Air Force, Minnesota and Boston College — have practice sessions and press conferences scheduled on Friday at the DCU Center.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Check for updates
Check back later for updates from the NCAA hockey tournament.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Miami Hockey
