Ryan LaMere Emerges As Leader On Defense At St. Cloud State
Nov. 8, 2001
By Tom Nelson
SCSU Athletic Media Relations
SCSU sophomore defender Ryan LaMere has been taking a lot of good natured ribbing from his teammates over the past two weeks.
The banter in the lockerroom centers around LaMere's recent offensive flurry that has produced two goals in the past two weeks, including his first career goal in a 4-0 win at Mankato. The goals come after going scoreless during his freshman season at SCSU.
"It was a big relief to get that first goal," LaMere said. "I feel a lot more comfortable with the puck now and I don't feel the pressure to score that first goal."
LaMere may be pumping up his offensive numbers this season, but he knows that his number one job is on defense.
"To score goals in not necessarily my job on the ice," LaMere said. "I just need to play my role on defense because we have tons of guys up front that can score."
LaMere and the rest of the SCSU defensive unit has certainly been playing their proper role in recent times. Last winter, the Huskies charted a school record 2.29 goals against rate in 2000-01 (fifth in the nation).
SCSU is up to its old tricks once again in 2001-02, as the Huskies lead the WCHA with a 1.75 goals against average.
LaMere has played a key role in SCSU's ongoing defensive success, since his emergence as a starter in 2000-01. A 1999 graduate of Holy Angels High School and a resident of Bloomington, LaMere redshirted his first season in St. Cloud.
"I learned a lot during that (redshirt) season," LaMere said. "The pace of the college game is so much faster than high school, and sitting out that first year really helped me learn a lot."
LaMere acknowledged that the redshirt season allowed him to hone his hockey skills and hit the weight room.
"Coming out of high school, I wasn't strong enough and my shot wasn't hard enough. I spent the whole year in the weight room. You need that extra weight and strength to handle the guys down low in this league."
In 2000-01, LaMere gained three assists and was an impressive +15 on the plus/minus. With the departure of Duvie Westcott and Brian Gaffaney from last year's defensive group, LaMere has become one of the veteran leaders at the blue line.
As he looks forward to the remainder of the season, LaMere sees the potential for success.
"This team has great chemistry," LaMere said. "No one thinks that he's the best player...no one thinks that they are above the rest of the team."
SCSU's defense is an outstanding example of the team's all-around excellence. Some outsiders predicted a slide after the Huskies lost Westcott, Gaffaney and All-America goalie Scott Meyer in 2001, but LaMere and his fellow blueliners used it as motivation.
"We are trying to prove a lot of people wrong. We lost some key players from last year but everyone is really contributing on defense. We are still a very young group on defense, so everyone is getting a lot of ice time, and our goaltending has just been amazing," LaMere said.
An economics and finance major, LaMere's brother attended St. Cloud State and was one of the reasons for his move up I-94. He also liked the atmosphere created by Coach Craig Dahl and the rest of his coaching staff.
"On my visit I met some of the guys from the team and it really seemed like a family," LaMere said. "I liked the coaches and the campus. It seemed like the right place to go."
He also saw the potential for hockey success at SCSU, and he has been part of 39 victories during his collegiate career. In 2001-02, LaMere counts winning a WCHA title and NCAA crown as ultimate goals but he realizes the most important game is always the next one.
"We just have to play consistent and take it one game at a time, and I think we have the potential to be there in the end," LaMere said.
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