The men’s hockey team may have been a sizable underdog against No. 6 Harvard last weekend, but it certainly did not look that way come game time. Thanks in large part to Nick Lappin ’16, the Bears turned in their best performance of the year, taking down the Crimson by a final score of 2-1.
It was an impressive team-wide effort by Bruno, but it was Lappin who tallied the decisive goal in the second period. After receiving the puck in traffic, the standout junior netted an impressive backhanded shot to give the Bears a two-goal lead. It was the seventh goal of the year for Lappin, who has played a key role on the team ever since he first donned his uniform as a freshman.
Last year, Lappin was named Honorable Mention All-Ivy, and this season, he has been looking to build upon his past success. For his efforts in beating Harvard this past weekend, Lappin has been named The Herald’s Athlete of the Week.
Herald: How did you first get into playing hockey?
Lappin: My dad played hockey professionally for a couple of years out of school, so he kind of influenced me to play hockey, in a sense. I first started learning how to skate when I was three, and then I was on my first team when I was four. And ever since that, I have been playing.
Why did you choose to come play hockey here at Brown?
Well I chose Brown for several reasons. One, I wanted to get an Ivy League education. Education was important to me, and I thought Brown offered one of the best educations in the world. And two, I thought Brown had the potential to win a national championship. Whether it’s this year or next year, I think we have a shot.
What does it mean to beat a team like Harvard, which was ranked sixth in the country at the time?
Obviously Harvard is a huge rival for us — for Brown in general — so any time we play them it’s a huge game, and the fact that they were ranked made it that much better. It was just a big win for us.
Can you describe what was going on in your head when you scored that goal to go up 2-0?
I saw (Mark Naclerio ’16). He had the puck near the wall — and then I saw that he saw me. He got the puck into a good area, and I was able to go to my forehand and then my backhand and get a quick shot off.
If you played any other sport, what would it be?
It would definitely be golf. I played golf in high school my freshman and sophomore years, and I continue to play in the summer.
What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
Well, hopefully I’m playing hockey. I want to play professionally after school, and hopefully that’s going to be in the NHL. But if not, I’m fine with playing overseas in Europe or something — I just want to be playing hockey.
Do you have any cool pregame routines?
I always put on my left stuff first. Always my left shin pad first, and then my right one. My left skate first, and then my right one. And tie my left one before the right one. And so on.
What is your favorite place to eat on Thayer?
I would have to say Mike’s Calzones.
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