When a skater is in a slump, he typically needs to see a puck go in to snap out of it.
That’s what happened for Neil Shea in his first season at Sacred Heart. After a disappointing two years at Northeastern, the Marshfield, Mass., native arrived to the Fairfield, Conn., campus with little confidence. His first month in a Pioneers uniform was underwhelming, as the left wing just couldn’t find the back of the net.
Finally, in an early November game at Mercyhurst, Shea scored on a first-period power play. He added another goal later on, and that was all the transfer student needed.
“I hadn’t scored at that point or anything. My confidence was pretty low,” Shea said. “I got one, and ended up getting a second one in the third period. That helped me find my confidence a little bit, and once I got confident and started finding my game again, I think I really started to feel better about myself.”
Shea spent the rest of the season on a hot streak. He wound up being the Atlantic Hockey co-scoring champion, leading the Pioneers with 11 goals and 20 assists. With his mojo all the way back, Shea averaged a point per game in his last 28 games and made the All-Conference second team.
In one season, Shea made quite an impression on the program. Pioneers coach C.J. Marottolo (North Haven, Conn.) notes that Shea was voted an assistant captain by his teammates.
“He started out a little slow. I think that was getting used to a new place, new coaches, new teammates,” Marottolo said. “Once he got going, he really took hold of his year and had a great year. He was a guy that we counted on night in and night out.”
Since his freshman year at Marshfield High School, Shea had been a high-volume player. In two years at Lawrence Academy, Shea totaled 91 points in 56 games. In the 2018-19 season, he helped the Chicago Steel reach the USHL Clark Cup finals with 43 points.
Unfortunately, Shea didn’t see the playing time he was used to at Northeastern. He played 16 games his sophomore year, netting two goals and four assists. Shea admits his time in Boston was frustrating.
“At the end of the day, wherever you go you want to play a big role and get a good opportunity,” Shea said. “Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. … I was lucky to get to Sacred Heart and get a good opportunity. The coaches stayed patient with me until I found my game again. I’m really grateful that they did.”
Marottolo had watched Shea play at Lawrence alongside Austin Magera, an SHU grad senior last year. When Shea became available, Magera pleaded for Marottolo to pick up his old teammate.
The Pioneers coaching staff knew what Shea was capable of, so no one panicked when he struggled out of the gate. They talked with him about life outside of hockey and continued giving him chances to contribute. Marottolo stressed the importance of giving Shea time to get comfortable in the program.
“We gave him a lot of responsibility and let him grow through it,” Marottolo said. “We didn’t expect instant results. That’s kind of unrealistic to put that pressure on a player. He knew that we expected a lot out of him, but we kept giving him opportunities.”
Shea needed time to transition from a Hockey East program in Boston to a school half its size. It helped to focus on improving as a 200-foot player. At 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, Shea excels on the forecheck, where he can knock down pucks and make plays in tight.
The most important thing in those first couple of months was regaining confidence. Shea treated every practice rep like it was a game and tried things outside of his comfort zone. That extra preparation helped Shea believe in himself going into each weekend series.
“Get uncomfortable, because if you’re never working on them, you’re probably not going to be able to do them,” Shea said. “Just doing things over and over again in practice, making sure you’re giving it your best every rep. Once you start to do it in practice for so long, it’s going to become second nature to you.”
Shortly after that Mercyhurst game, Shea went on an eight-game streak with at least one point. His defensive awareness also keeps him on the ice for special teams. Shea’s plus/minus of plus-13 ended up leading the Pioneers by a wide margin.
Maybe Shea didn’t envision his career turning out this way, but safe to say he found both a home and his confidence in the past year. With two seasons of eligibility left, Shea will continue to do it all for Sacred Heart.
“He’s out there keeping a lead and he’s out there when we need a goal to tie the game,” Marottolo said. “Those types of special situations, he’s out there. He’s a special player for us.”
