Oct. 22, 2010
Joe Pereira - the lone senior skater on this year's Boston University men's ice hockey team - has seen it all through his first three years with the Terriers.
Whether it was winning the 2009 national championship as a sophomore or suffering through the frustrating seasons as a freshman and junior or playing in Fenway Park and Madison Square Garden or being rushed to the hospital after a freak on-ice injury, Pereira has already had quite an eventful career.
After last season did not live up to the always-high expectations for BU hockey, Pereira - now a co-captain of the squad - is ready to do his part in helping this year's team enjoy the success that it did during the magical championship run just two years ago.
"We're trying to get back to where BU hockey belongs. Last year obviously wasn't good enough," said Pereira. "We expect to win the Beanpot. We expect to win Hockey East. We expect to be one of the 16 [teams in the NCAA tournament]. Sitting at home, you have a sour taste - especially after seeing Boston College win [the NCAA title] again. So you figure, why not make it two and two?"
Pereira, a native of West Haven, Conn., arrived on campus in 2007 as part of a talented seven-member class, and of that group, goaltender Adam Kraus is the only other player left on this year's team.
Over half of the class has moved on to the National Hockey League, as Colin Wilson enters his second year with the Nashville Predators and three others left for the professional ranks after last season. One day after the Terriers had their season come to an end this past March in the Hockey East semifinals, Nick Bonino signed with the Anaheim Ducks. Defensemen Colby Cohen and Kevin Shattenkirk are now in the Colorado Avalanche organization.
"It's weird not having those guys around and it's crazy that senior year is already here," said Pereira. "I've been staying in touch with them and hoping they all get their shot in the NHL, but I get one more chance here at BU - `one last kick of the can' as [associate head coach Mike] Bavis says. Last chance at Beanpot and Hockey East [titles] and last chance at NCAAs. You have to lay it on the line."
While less heralded coming in than some of his classmates, Pereira was still an accomplished player in the prep ranks following a great career at South Kent School in Connecticut. He led the team in scoring during the 2006-07 season and helped the Cardinals earn their first-ever appearance in the Division I New England playoffs.
After initially deciding to stay in-state and give a verbal commitment to the University of Connecticut, Pereira instead choose to make his way to Commonwealth Avenue when the opportunity arose.
"I always dreamed of playing big-time hockey in college and South Kent and Coach [Geoff] Marotollo prepared me well. BU had an open spot, and when they called, I jumped at the opportunity. I knew nothing was for granted here and that all I could do was work hard and see what happened."
Pereira quickly became a popular teammate not only with members of his class, but also with the upperclassmen at the time. The self-proclaimed "goofball" was a recognizable personality around the rink, always smiling and laughing, and kept things fun with various jokes - most of which nobody could understand.
As former Terrier Jason Lawrence told Inside College Hockey during the 2009 Frozen Four, "Joe tells jokes, but they're not funny because no one can understand them. Every word he says is like mumbled into some different language, and I think we're all laughing at that instead of the actual joke. He's good. He lightens the mood in the locker room. He's good to have around."
On the ice, Pereira worked hard to prove to the coaching staff that was capable of becoming a regular as a rookie and made his debut in the second game of the season at the University of Alaska-Anchorage. He went on to dress for 30 contests that year and started to show his versatility by playing on the second, third and fourth forward lines.
"Pretty much everybody was the best player on their last team before coming here, but you have to find a role when you get here," said Pereira. "There's only 12 forwards playing - you're not the goal scorer anymore. Maybe you have to block shots, hit people or make good back checks. As a freshman I saw that and embraced it."
As a sophomore during the championship season of 2008-09, Pereira developed a good chemistry on the fourth line with then-juniors Zach Cohen and Luke Popko. That team enjoyed success right from the start of the year and the lines were quickly intact due to that.
In the Hockey East title game against UMass Lowell, Pereira suffered a freak injury when he curled around the BU goal and the blade of his stick got caught up in the net and snapped. A jagged piece sliced into his stomach and hit his spleen.
Trying to tough it out, Pereira told athletic trainer Larry Venis that he would be ok despite showing obvious pain as he slowly made his way back to the bench. After going out for one more shift, however, Pereira returned to the bench and promptly fainted, causing a quick rush to Massachusetts General Hospital, which was fortunately just around the corner from TD Garden.
"It was definitely scary," said Pereira. "I just wanted to do everything I could to stay on the ice, but this was pretty serious."
Despite telling the doctor that he simply had to return for the NCAA tournament, he was quickly ruled out for the NCAA Regionals in Manchester, N.H., and was soon after told that he might not be able to make the trip to the Frozen Four in Washington, D.C., let alone play.
Fortunately for him and the rest of the team, Pereira got late clearance to make the trip to the nation's capital, and despite not being able to provide energy on the ice, his presence provided energy to his teammates as they went on to capture the fifth national title in program history.
"Joe was such a big part of that team, always bringing high energy and intensity and being an inspirational guy," said junior Chris Connolly, Pereira's fellow co-captain this season and a freshman on the championship team. "He had worked so hard and I'm sure he was dying to play, but just for him to be able to make the trip meant a lot to us."
Pereira recovered from the injury and enjoyed his best offensive season yet as a junior, putting up 21 points on five goals and 16 assists. He spent some time on the top offensive line and had his career-best performance in a 6-5 overtime win at Harvard on Nov. 24 when he tallied two goals and a pair of assists.
While his on-ice role has changed from time-to-time due to his versatility, his off-ice role remained steady until he was named a captain last April. Head coach Jack Parker, who is entering his 38th season behind the Terrier bench was very pleased when his players elected Pereira to the role.
"The guys look up to him because of his personality, enthusiasm and his work habits," said Parker. "He does the right thing in every area. He's a great kid. He treats people well. He treats people on campus well. He's a student that works hard and does well in class."
"I've just tried to be more consistent with everything do," said Pereira when asked about inhering the captain role. "I remember [2008-09 co-captains] Johnny [McCarthy] and Matty [Gilroy] were the hardest-working captains I've ever seen. They were always doing extra sprints or first in line in drills or not letting other guys know they were tired. I think a lot of comes down to your mindset and attitude."
Pereira has paid his dues and done everything that's been asked of him. One of the few true veterans on this year's young squad, he will be counted on to shoulder a part of the scoring role on one of the top lines.
"He's paid every price you can pay with injuries, with playing third-line left wing when we know you can play first-line right wing, or just killing penalties, and he'll just say `Coach, I'll play anywhere you want.' - that's the type of player that he is," said Parker. "His role will be enhanced this year. He's a good hockey player and he deserves it because of his talent and his attitude. He's going to see a lot of ice time for us and we're excited that he's going to be so important for us and I'm hoping he has a great senior year for us and for himself because he deserves it."
While some of his friends are away making a living playing hockey, Pereira is still here on campus hoping to close out his collegiate career on a high note, and his coach is confident that his team's captaincy is in good hands.
"We always talk about we want a team full of BU hockey players and Joe Pereira has always been and will continue to be a BU hockey player," said Parker. "We'd like everybody to have his attitude."
