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Campus Convos: Tyler Hayes

By Craig Peterson, 11/21/17, 6:30PM EST

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"I took pride in those types of situations; blocking pucks, getting in corners and winning battles."

In our Campus Conversations, we sit down one-on-one with some of our alumni playing Division-I NCAA hockey. They offer candid comments and insight into the world of hockey after high school, including life in juniors and the process of getting to the next level. Check out their first-hand accounts of triumphs and successes as well as struggles and failures along their journey to playing college hockey.

This week, we feature Brighton alum and current Niagara University defenseman, Tyler Hayes.

A 2014 graduate, Hayes played two seasons of varsity hockey for Brighton, playing an integral role in the Bulldogs’ run to a 2013 Division-I state championship; helping the school win back-to-back titles. His senior season, Hayes scored seven goals and 20 points in 31 games, leading Brighton to its third straight state championship game appearance. The Bulldogs fell to Detroit Catholic Central 5-1 that season, but Hayes walked away with second-team all-state honors and is one-of-five players off that 2013-14 Brighton team to go on and player Tier-II junior hockey or above.

Undrafted and non-tendered after his senior season, Hayes was invited to a USHL tryout for Sioux City but was ultimately cut from the Muskateers. That tryout, however, allowed him to be seen by other junior teams and provided Hayes another invite to another tryout, where he eventually landed with the Topeka Roadrunners in the NAHL.

Spending two seasons there, Hayes played in 123 games and totaled eight goals and 42 points during his career with Topeka. In April of 2016, he became the fourth Roadrunner to commit to Niagara University in the Atlantic Hockey Conference.

As a freshman last season, Hayes played in 18 games for the Purple Eagles and scored his first-career college hockey goal shorthanded against Mercyhurst last November. His season was cut short by a knee injury, however, and that left him sidelined for 10 months. Still working his way back, Hayes has appeared in two games this season for Niagara, as the team has started 6-3-1 overall with a 5-1-1 conference record.

This Week’s Campus Convo with Tyler Hayes:

Hub: You played a couple years of Triple-A hockey growing up, but made the change to high school your junior year at Brighton, what factored into that decision?

TH: “My freshman year, I was playing for Little Caesars and things didn’t work out from the jump from Bantam to Midget Minor. I switched teams to Compuware [the next season], had an okay year there but figured out that Triple-A just wasn’t the right place for me. I don’t think I was developing as a player enough. I needed to get more one-on-one time being in the gym or being on the ice with a skating coach and developing as a player.

“Overall, I think a change was definitely needed where I could figure out what kind of player I was and develop my play, which I could do that at Brighton.”

Hub: Who gave you that one-on-one time you were looking for at Brighton?

TH: “The three coaches that I had were Paul Moggach--who's been there for a while now--Kurt Kivisto was our assistant coach who played at Michigan State, so he knew a lot of the college skill, and then also Rick Bourbonais, who was our defensive coach.

“With all three of them, Coach Rick developed me into a defenseman. I was a forward before and then when I went to high school switched to the defensive side and since then, I haven’t looked back. Kurt Kivisto, he just knew the level we needed to be at, which really pushed our team to win championships. He really helped me. And then of course Coach Paul, our head coach, he was the personal side of it. He changed me not necessarily on the ice but more into a better person. He’s one of my mentors that I’ve had throughout my life where I could chat with him whenever I need.”

Hub: You tried out for Sioux City in the USHL but didn’t make it, is there something to gain from a tryout even if you don’t make the initial team? Can you still benefit from a good showing at a tryout?

TH: “Yea, of course. Coach Bournbonais always told me, ‘You never know who’s watching you.’ As he always said that throughout high school, he kinda put it into my head that there’s always eyes in the stands, so I just had to play my game no matter where I was at. So when I was at Sioux City, I was lucky enough that Coach [Scott] Langer from Topeka was there. So yea, definitely important even if you don’t make the team that you still benefit in some way from it, even just by getting seen by other teams and coaches.”

Hub: Did you ever find your role on the team changing? How did you handle a shift from one role to another?

TH: “I went from Brighton being a top-2 defenseman and then to Topeka being sixth and seventh. I got scratched about nine games my first year. My role I adopted was kind of a hard, grit player in the corners and blocking shots. My second year at Topeka, I became another top man, top 2 again. I kept my role from the first year but added a little more offense. Then coming into my first year of college last year, I had to go back to blocking shots and being the gritty player in the corners while also trying to get a little P-P time here and there but focusing on the defensive side whether it was 5-on-5 or penalty kill. I really took pride in those types of situations; blocking pucks, using my body, getting in corners and winning battles and just being a hard-working player throughout the defensive zone.”

Hub: What’s been the biggest hurdle in your career thus far?

TH: “Fortunately, starting last year, I was given a good opportunity to play. I saw lots of minutes. Unfortunately, Game 18 of our season last year, we were at Air Force in Colorado Springs and I got a knee-on-knee hit. I went to the doctors the next week and found out I had blown out my knee; tore my ACL, my MCL, my meniscus. Currently, I’m coming back from that so overall that’s been my hardest thing to overcome.

“Now battling through that and cracking the lineup again, getting the time that I used to. That’s been my biggest hurdle.”

Hub: How did you deal with the long road of rehab and keeping the big picture in focus when the day-to-day can be so frustrating?

TH: “You just gotta stick to the process. You might have your down days, you might have your up days. You just have to keep your mind steady and always be positive. Never let yourself get down because if you put yourself down you’re just gonna start to bottle up and it gets worse.”