Beca shines through tough times

POTSDAM — This weekend's homestand against Princeton and Quinnipiac should bring back memories of some of the high points of Clarkson senior forward Matt Beca's career.

As a freshman, Beca was on a Clarkson team that defeated Quinnipiac 4-2 in the championship game of the ECAC Hockey Tournament.

In his sophomore year, the Golden Knights edged Princeton to win the ECAC Hockey regular-season title and eventually reached the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals.

But the last two years have brought trying times for Beca and the Golden Knights, who enter tonight's 7 p.m. game against Princeton with just a 1-13-2 record in conference games.

"It's definitely been tough," Beca said. "If we lost four games in a row in my freshman or sophomore years it would have been like the end of the world is happening. Now we're, I'm not going to say used to it, but we're not panicking and still trying to work hard to get back on track.

"It's a big difference coming from those early successful years to this one. You kind of see how small the margin is between winning and losing in this league. A bounce here or there can really turn things around for us."

While Clarkson has gone from the heights to the depths in Beca's career, the Mississauga, Ontario, native has been consistent.

He leads the team in scoring with 14 goals and 13 assists and he's recorded an goal or an assist in 41.5 percent of the team's total goals. That's the biggest impact by one player since Todd White played a role in 48 percent of the team goals in the 1996-97 season.

"He's had a real good career here and I think this year might be his best year, in terms of his play on both ends of the ice," said Clarkson coach George Roll. "He's been asked to do a lot this year, play the penalty kill and power play, and there's been very few off-nights, if any, for Matt.

"He's been a big plus to our program, been part of two championships. Certainly the senior year has not gone the way he's wanted, but it's not because of his play. He's had an outstanding year for us."

Beca, who is 5-foot-10, 181 pounds, will turn 24 on March 6. He played four years of junior hockey before coming to Clarkson as a 20-year-old freshman in the fall of 2006.

"I went (to juniors) as a 16-year-old, so I knew I'd be there at least two years if I wanted to go to college," said Beca. "I had a couple offers and stuff after that. I almost went a year before I came here, but I decided to kind of wait it out a little bit. My last year was obviously my best year, so that's when the majority of the offers started coming."

Beca had a unique recruiting visit to Clarkson. He visited the campus on a weekday, during practice, while the 2006 Winter Olympics were being held.

He was sitting in Roll's office after practice while a U.S-Russia men's hockey game was on television. Erik Cole scored and the announcer said, "That's Erik Cole, a Clarkson product."

Even with that luck of timing by Roll, Beca was probably still heading to Clarkson. He had been recruited by Lake Superior State, Bowling Green and Northeastern, but chose Clarkson.

"They were on the rise," Beca said. "They had a lot of good players and they told me I'd have the opportunity to play right away, where some of the other schools weren't quite sure. I liked the smaller-town feel and the whole rink and atmosphere at games."

Some freshmen take time to adjust to the NCAA Division I level, but Beca hopped on a line with juniors Shawn Weller and Steve Zalewski and produced 10 goals and 17 assists in his first year.

He led the team in scoring the next year with 10 goals and 24 assists and had 11 goals and 13 assists last season.

"From the minute he got here, he's been productive," said Roll. "He's always got a smile on his face, if things are going good or bad. He's been very cordial with the people around the program.''

Beca's ability to blend in with any line may help him as he attempts to play at the professional level in the future.

"There's been a lot of teams in to see him and I know there's been some interest," said Roll. "He'll get an opportunity. Teams like him. He's got to get stronger and improve in some areas. His hockey sense and his skill level gives him a chance."

To see the full interview with Matt Beca on video, and other bonus Clarkson coverage, check out Cap Carey's blog at http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/section/knightstales.