As Dylan Hubbs recalls it, he was a 17-year-old rookie with the Olds Grizzlys of the Alberta Junior Hockey League wondering how he was going to make his mark surrounded by older, more offensively talented teammates.
Getting regular shifts on a scoring line seemed unlikely. Ditto for power-play possibilities. That left penalty-killing duties.
"I got into an energetic role, just like now,'' said Hubbs, a winger for UAA. "I got to the point where I worked on it every day in practice -- we worked on the power play every day, so I used that as my time to work on killing penalties.
"It kind of became my thing.''
Just six games into his sophomore season, Hubbs has scored two short-handed goals, equaling the most by a Seawolf in a single season in two decades -- Mitch Kean bagged three shorties in 1993-94.
Preventing power-play goals is of course every penalty killer's principal job. Scoring short-handed is a bonus. Effective penalty-killing requires anticipation, sheer labor, sacrifices like blocking shots and the ability to clear the puck from the defensive zone when presented the opportunity.
UAA coach Matt Thomas said the 5-foot-9, 167-pound Hubbs possesses plenty of the prerequisites to prosper on the penalty-kill.
"His speed is improved, so he's faster at closing space,'' Thomas said. "He'll block shots. And he's fearless about getting into battles. You have to be super-competitive to kill penalties, and he is.''
Hubbs scored his second short-handed goal of the season Saturday night in a 3-3 tie at Maine. After defenseman Chase Van Allen cleared the puck from UAA's zone off the glass and over the head of a Black Bears defenseman, Hubbs chased down the loose puck and slipped a forehand between the pads of goaltender Matt Morris.
Hubbs' first shorty of the season came against Air Force when the Seawolves were killing a major penalty. He cranked home a one-timer off Van Allen's pass to open the scoring.
"Penalty-killing can be a huge momentum-changer,'' Hubbs said. "If we get scored on, that's momentum for them. And if we kill it, it's huge for us.
"And if we score, it destroys them. That's a game-changer for us.''
UAA's single-season record for short-handed goals belongs to Dan Gasperlin, who scored five in 1983-84. Derek Donald, a member of the Seawolf Hall of Fame, owns the school's career mark for the nine he delivered from 1988-92.
The NCAA records in those categories are jaw-dropping. Michigan center John Madden, who went on to win three Stanley Cups -- two with New Jersey, one with Chicago -- as a junior in 1995-96 scored 10 short-handed goals. Madden had another eight as a senior and finished with 23 career short-handed goals for the Wolverines.
Former Alaska Aces center Zach Harrison once scored three in a game for Minnesota State-Mankato.
Seawolves notes
Thomas said sophomore winger Brad Duwe of Soldotna, who left the series opener at Maine last weekend with an upper-body injury suffered in a collision and sat out the series finale, is day-to-day. Duwe did not practice Tuesday when the Seawolves returned to the ice after taking Monday off following a roughly 20 hours of travel home from Orono to Anchorage.
Thomas in the series finale in Maine moved senior Brett Cameron from his usual spot at right wing on the first line to center on the second line. Thomas said he likes that the 6-3, 214-pound Cameron gives the Seawolves more size in the middle. Cameron remained at center in Tuesday's practice at Sullivan Arena.
UAA (3-1-2 overall) on Friday opens its Western Collegiate Hockey Association schedule when it entertains Lake Superior State at Sullivan Arena. Lake Superior, guided by first-year bench boss Damon Whitten, the former Seawolves assistant coach, is 0-8-0 overall, 0-4-0 in the WCHA and has scored just 11 goals in its eight games.
For what it's worth, UAA and Lake Superior last season split series in Anchorage and in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
Reach Doyle Woody at dwoody@alaskadispatch.com, check out his blog at adn.com/hockey-blog and follow him on Twitter at @JaromirBlagr