Patience and perseverance has landed an Ivy League scholarship.
Okotoks Oilers captain and third-year defenceman Tucker McRae announced his commitment to the NCAA Division 1 Dartmouth College starting in the 2022-23 season.
“For me, I’ve always been patient with school and hockey,” said McRae, a 2001-born blueliner from Calgary. “I took another year of (U18) just so I could focus on my marks and make sure I was the most well-developed I could be to go to the next level.
“And I feel like it’s paid off here. I’ve been patient here, trusting the process with Okotoks until I was 20.”
McRae said Dartmouth reached out earlier in the season and he kept in communication with the Hanover, New Hampshire school.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better spot, I think it’s the perfect fit for me academically and on the hockey side of things too,” he said. “(Ivy League) has actually been a goal of mine since about Peewee or Bantam, I told my parents that’s what I wanted to do and I’ve just stuck with that and was thankful enough that it paid off.”
Though an Ivy League school, Dartmouth competes in the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) against the likes of Brown, Colgate, Clarkson, Cornell, Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Quinnipiac.
Big Green alumni include NHL veterans Lee Stempniak, TJ Galiardi, Ben Lovejoy, Tanner Glass as well as former Oilers defenceman and assistant coach Kyle Schussler.
“They’ve got a whole new coaching staff in there, which is super exciting and it’s opportunity for me,” McRae added. “And talking to (Schussler), he went there and I’ve heard nothing, but good things about the culture at the school, the academics and I’m just really looking forward to it.”
In his third season with the Oil, McRae has seen an expanded role on and off the ice as the veteran leader on a rookie-laden blueline.
“He’s been here with us for three years and through a tough time with COVID and everything and as an organization we couldn’t be happier,” said Oilers head coach/GM Tyler Deis. “It’s well deserved to an unbelievable person that’s been part of our organization. We’re just extremely happy for him and his family that he has that opportunity to play Division I hockey at an Ivy League school.”
McRae leads all Oilers defenceman in scoring with 32 points in 48 games and ranks third on the team in the category as the quarterback on the team’s potent powerplay.
“For me, the biggest step in my game has been the confidence,” he said. “Stepping in as an 18-year-old defenceman, your nerves are there and you don’t want to make mistakes and especially last year with the help of guys like Eric Parker, Seth Bernard-Docker, they helped a ton, watching the way they carry themselves off the ice and on the ice.
“That was huge for my game heading into this year and this year I’ve been building on it ever since camp.”
Deis said the blueliner’s overall game is where the biggest strides have been made.
“He plays important minutes for us, he defends well for us and plays well in all situations,” he said. “We rely on him to help with the younger guys, teaching those guys what Okotoks Oilers hockey is all about.”
After a promising rookie season in 2019-20, McRae wasn’t able to get in many opportunities to be seen as his sophomore campaign was significantly curtailed by the pandemic and restrictions on sports in the province.
“Last year definitely was hard mentally, sitting at home and knowing you couldn’t really take steps towards progressing to your goals,” McRae said. “That was tough for me, but the biggest thing was sticking with it, my parents helped me out with that a ton, making sure I was focused.
“We got a couple games in last year, but I think this year my focus and the extra-time I spent working on my game really paid off. It’s a huge relief.”
McRae is the fifth player on the Oilers 2021-22 roster with a NCAA Division 1 commitment, a group that includes Rieger Lorenz (Denver), Bowden Singleton (North Dakota), Conyr Hellyer and Connor Gourley (Arizona State).
Weekend split
A Jekyll and Hyde weekend saw the Oilers thrive on the road.
Following a 3-1 home defeat to the Drayton Valley Thunder on Jan. 28, the Oilers regrouped for a comprehensive 5-1 result over the Bulldogs Jan. 29 in Blackfalds.
Okotoks blueliner Riley Bodnarchuk continued his strong form with a two-goal effort with Rieger Lorenz also scoring twice and Dean Spak adding the other marker while shorthanded.
This week, Okotoks (25-21-2) is home to the Olds Grizzlys on Feb. 1, and then are up for a challenging weekend set with a trip to Brooks on Feb. 5 and a rare Sunday matinee at 4:15 p.m. on Feb. 6 versus the Spruce Grove Saints.
For more information go to okotoksoilers.ca.
