BC Sophomore Ready to Prove Himself After Recovering From Injury
by Anthony Travalgia/CHN Reporter (@A_Travalgia)
(photo: Rich Gagnon)
When a neck injury ended freshman Will Vote’s season prematurely last season, things were finally starting to click for him.
A Jan. 12 goal against Providence jump-started a run of four points in four games, the young forward’s best stretch of his brief 20-game season.
“I was my finding my groove there. I think just clicking with my linemates really well, everyone on my line was playing a very high level hockey, and everything was going right for us,” Vote said. “Unfortunate that injury happened, but I think those four games leading up to it were probably my best of the season.”
Vote’s final game of the season came Jan. 21, when he picked up a pair of assists in a 6-2 win over Merrimack.
Without Vote in the lineup, the Eagles lost just once in the regular season before cruising to a Hockey East championship. Shortly thereafter, they made an appearance against Denver in the national championship game — ultimately the Eagles’ second loss following Vote’s injury.
“A different role than the guys playing on the ice. I think just for me, I was trying to do anything I could to support the team, whether that’s helping them out with things that I see from above, or just talk to them after the game,” Vote said.
The hope coming into the season was Vote would be a valuable piece of Boston College’s star-studded freshmen class. Vote was one of several freshmen that came to Boston College via the U.S. National Team Development Program. Having so many familiar faces surrounding him helped his transition to college hockey.
“It was very cool, we had six guys coming in from the National Team Development Program,” Vote said. “I was fortunate enough to room with Ryan Leonard and Will Smith before moving to BC. We grew a lot there and we continued to grow a lot our freshman year.”
Vote’s injury forced him to slightly shake up his off-season routine. The first half of summer was spent rehabbing, putting in the work to ensure his neck was fully healed. The second half of summer allowed Vote to get into the weight room and back onto the ice.
“I think I definitely learned a lot about myself and more about…
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