Brian Ward did a bit of traveling before settling in at St. Lawrence University, where he is a senior economics major and captain of the men’s hockey team. He attended Haverhill High as a freshman before a transfer to Governor’s Academy in Byfield, where he repeated his first year, and was a three-year, three-sport athlete.
Ward then left Governor’s after his junior year for the first of two stints in the United States Hockey League with the Tri-City Storm in Kearney, Neb. He enrolled at Dartmouth, but a back injury kept him off the ice the first half of the year, and upon his return, Ward decided the program was not the best fit.
By January, he was back in USHL. A year and a half later, he was skating for another ECAC program, at St. Lawrence. “I’ve been all over the map,’’ said Ward, now 24. A first-line center, the 6-foot-1, 202-pound Ward has totalled 23 points (9 goals, 14 assists) for the Saints (17-3-4), who host Clarkson in the ECAC quarterfinals this weekend.
Q. When and where did you start playing hockey?
A. I was probably three or four. My dad [Brian] played in high school and always loved it and my older brothers played. We used to build a rink in the backyard. That’s when it all started, back in Haverhill. I was always chasing my brothers’ heels, in street hockey, too.
Q. Did your brothers play in college
as well?
A. Patrick, who’s 29, went to Central Catholic and Eric, who’s 26, played at Governor’s and they both played at Framingham State.
Q. What do you like about the center position?
A. I’ve played wing a few times and I’m not a huge fan of that. I like how I get free rein and can go all over the ice. I have to be a little more active in the D-zone than the wingers do. I’m a little more accountable in the defensive zone, that’s for sure. I like taking faceoffs and being at the center of the action.
Q. What’s your best tip on taking faceoffs that you can pass on to a young hockey player?
A. I guess it’s to cheat as much as possible to get every advantage you can. The referee will try to keep you straight and keep your stick on the right part of the dot. You have to cheat as much as you can without getting kicked out. You kind of get your feet angled and finagle your way into the best position possible.
Q. Your highlight of the season so far?
A. We’ve beaten some really good teams. The highlight was probably beating Quinnipiac (4-3 on Feb. 12) when they were the No. 1 team in the country. I scored in overtime [with 1:33 gone] in that one.
Q. Was it a nice goal?
A. There was a scramble out front and I grabbed the puck and threw it toward the net and it got to the back of the net. It went off two or three guys and I didn’t know I scored it until the next day. I think it went off a defenseman’s skate and it was such a scramble they couldn’t tell until they looked at in slow motion.
Q. Where’s your favorite place to play?
A. I like playing at Quinnipiac. It’s pretty new and pretty nice and they get really good crowds and pack the place. Cornell is pretty cool, too. They have some pretty rowdy fans. The fans read newspapers when we’re being introduced and then throw them in the ice. Quinnipiac fans are more hooting and hollering types.
Q. Do you have a secret talent?
A. I do. I’m thinking which one I should share with you. I’m pretty good juggling and pretty good at pool, billiards. I’d probably say juggling. It’s good to have in the locker room. I can do pucks and do lacrosse balls. I’ve got some behind-the-back tricks I can do.
Q. Do you have role models?
A. My dad would be one. For an athlete it would be [Detroit Red Wings center] Pavel Datsyuk. He was [the 171st pick in the 1998 draft] in the draft, a diamond in the rough and he ended up being one of the NHL’s best players. And I like the way he plays. He’s fast, shifty and creative.
Allen Lessels
For the full interview, go to bostonglobe.com/north.
