When one thinks about the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA for short, there is always a couple of schools that rise to the top of mind. Ohio State, Brown, Yale, Cornell, Boston University are some of the standouts. Now if we shift focus to one of those, Cornell, you start to think about some of the famous faces to graduate. Superman himself, Christopher Reeves, and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and T.V.’s fictional Andy Bernard on The Office headline the pack.
Switching our focus to hockey, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, Ken Dryden and Joe Nieuwendyk have all worn the famous red jersey, but one close to home is hoping to wear it more frequently. Goaltender and North Bay native Nate McDonald was used sparingly last season as the third-string netminder, but loves what he sees at Cornell.
“It’s amazing. Really, it’s a dream come true.” The former Powassan Voodoos standout said.
“I was talking to a lot of schools but Princeton and Cornell were the main two. Being from a small town like North Bay and being able to get an Ivy League education while playing hockey for one of the best Division One programs in the United States is a deal I couldn’t pass up. I’m really lucky and thankful for the opportunity that I have.”
Of course, being the third-string goaltender, McDonald didn’t see much ice time last season, but that figures to change this year.
“I’m working really hard this summer,” McDonald said.
“Everybody knows when you get to a higher level that you need to be ready when that opportunity comes. It looks likely that I am going to get my chance this year so I am just doing the best I can this summer to make sure I am ready for it.”
And by getting ready, the stopper of pucks means he is putting in loads of time on and off the ice.
“I have been travelling back and forth to Ottawa to work with Charlie MacTavish, who is the Ottawa 67’s goalie coach. I will also be working with (Battalion Assistant Coach/Assistant GM) Adam Dennis as well. So having two sets of eyes with a little different perspective I think will help a lot. I can pick and choose what I like from each and apply it to my game.”
“Off the ice, I have been working really hard in the gym, probably the hardest that I have ever worked. I have also been following my nutrition a lot more strictly which I have tried in the past, but not to the extent that I have this year but it is going a long way to make sure that I am in proper shape heading into camp in August.”
NCAA seems to be the path less travelled by hockey-mad kids in Canada, especially since Major Junior is offered across the country with the QMJHL, OHL and WHL, but as seen by fellow North Bayite Colton Point prior, it is an option.
“I was drafted by Peterborough and then my rights traded to Niagara and sort of bounced around,” McDonald said to explain the beginning of the process to go to the NCAA.
“I went to OHL camps and to be honest if I was sixteen years old and offered a contract with the schooling package I would have gone that route. But I was a late bloomer and being able to play some more Junior helped me to develop and to have an opportunity to play hockey while I went to school was intriguing to me rather than having to wait until I was finished playing in the OHL. I’m really happy to choose this route and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Members of the Powassan community will certainly look back fondly of Nate McDonald wearing the jet on his jersey as he was instrumental in bringing home the Copeland Cup in 2017, and one has to think that experience will help in proving his worth with Cornell.
“I was under a phenomenal coach in Scott Wray and he showed me how to win. He showed me how to compete, what it takes to win a championship which is something that not a lot of people get to experience," said McDonald.
"He showed our team what it takes on and off the ice to win games and a championship and I have carried that with me into a winning atmosphere in Cornell.”
With an attitude and championship pedigree like that, it’s not hard to envision McDonald leading the Big Red to a Frozen Four and beyond.
