Syracuse club men’s ice hockey coach Nicholas Pierandri learned to grind out every single minute during his playing days at Boston College.

Then again, he didn’t really have a choice.

Surrounded by future NHL players like Brian Gionta, Marty Reasoner and Brooks Orpik, the Connecticut native had to fight for ice time. Whether that meant simply killing penalties or playing through his junior season with a broken wrist, he did whatever it took.

Respect was earned, not given, and he wasn’t afraid to throw his weight around in order to abide by that principle.

“I knocked out Orpik in practice. They had to bring the smelling salts out,” Pierandri said with a chuckle. “He was a freshman, and I was a senior. He tried to step up on me.”

Playing for Eagles head coach Jerry York, now the winningest coach in NCAA history, he learned how to play like a champion on and off the ice.

“Life lessons,” Pierandri said when asked what he learned from York. “How to handle situations, how to be cool under pressure, how to rise to the occasion when you get to the big games, and how to perform at your peak level.”

Now, Pierandri brings those lessons to the bench as the new head coach for the Syracuse club men’s ice hockey team.

“He is incredibly passionate about hockey and has brought the energy to a whole other level,” team captain Russell Suskind said. “All around, we look really, really solid.”

However, Pierandri’s ultimate task is building the squad into a nationally-recognized program. One of his goals is to produce the first NHL player from SU.

“I want to bring tradition to the club,” Pierandri said. “I want them to build their own tradition. There’s no question in my mind that Syracuse can be like a Boston College in hockey.”

After playing travel hockey as a kid, Pierandri developed into a promising athlete in high school. Playing for the Salisbury School in Connecticut, he was named an All-Prep School first-team selection in hockey during his senior year.

At that point, Pierandri thought his only opportunity to play collegiate hockey would be at the Division III level.

That all changed during a Christmas tournament.

“Marty was on the team that I was playing against, and Jerry happened to be at the game,” Pierandri said. “We were the only team to beat Marty’s team that whole year. I had two goals that game, and we ended up beating them in a total upset.”

York saw enough to offer him a spot on the Eagles as a recruited walk-on in 1995. After playing only eight games as a freshman, he was able to work his way into a consistent spot in the lineup the following three seasons.

The Eagles reached two Frozen Fours during that time, both of which ended in heartbreak.

But rather than mope about those defeats, he continues to use them as motivation.

“It does drive me, the fact that I didn’t get to win a national title and other guys did,” he said. “It’s something that’s a burning flame in there.”

Although he never played professionally, Pierandri has found a new passion in coaching. Since 2008, he has coached the Perinton Blades travel team and at Pittsford High School in New York.

“I like teaching kids the game. I like bringing the experiences I’ve had to them,” he said.

In the same way that he has seen his players grow and develop, Pierandri is hoping to see Syracuse rise to prominence. He has already held the team to a high standard during conditioning and tryouts, naming the four practice squads after Ernie Davis, Larry Csonka, Floyd Little and Jim Brown.

“I’ve been here three years, and tryouts were the most competitive they’ve ever been,” senior center Aaron Witzel said. “He’s pretty intense, but he knows what he’s doing.”

At the same time, Pierandri understands that on-ice results won’t be the most important measure of his success.

Much like his former head coach, he hopes to build a group of winners away from the rink.

“College hockey is an experience for them that should be enjoyable, but they all need to graduate and go on and start their lives,” Pierandri said. “How you can take the game and translate that into how to live your life, that’s the important thing.”

Published on September 16, 2013 at 1:13 am

Contact Tyler: tfpiccot@syr.edu