April 1, 2003
NCAA Tournament
INCH Measures Up UNH's Patrick Foley

NCAA Tournament Coverage

Brackets | Info The Dean's List Frozen Four Team Capsules Other Stories --------------------------------- Cornell's Sam Paolini UNH's Patrick Foley --------------------------------- Midwest Reg. Final East Regional Final Northeast Regional Final West Regional Final Midwest Reg. First Round East Regional First Round Northeast Reg. First Rd. West Reg. First Round --------------------------------- East Reg. Capsules Northeast Reg. Capsules Midwest Reg. Capsules West Reg. Capsules East Reg. Preview Northeast Reg. Preview Midwest Reg. Preview West Reg. Preview

By Joe Gladziszewski

Leading by example is the only way to lead. That's what Patrick Foley, the junior captain of the New Hampshire Wildcats, says.

On a roster loaded with conference-leading point scorers and NHL draft picks, Foley wears the "C." He admits to being under-skilled in relation to some of his high-flying teammates, contibuting to the Wildcats' success with a tenacious work rate, steady defending, and doing the little things that coaches appreciate.

Foley brings "hard hat and lunchpail" qualities to the ice, and he's helped UNH reach the Frozen Four for the second straight year.

"When we've got to come up in the clutch we tend to do so, and that's because of the seniors and their leadership in the locker room that's carrying us through here," Foley said. "There's no second chances at this point in the season and that's what's driving us, what's keeping us hungry, and desperate to win the game."

He commands a tremendous amount of repect from his teammates. Foley is only the third junior to captain New Hampshire in the program's 79-year history. He was selected as an alternate captain to Darren Haydar during his sophomore year. That prestigious honor came following an entire season when he didn't play a game. He red-shirted the 2000-01 season following reconstruction surgeries on both of his knees.

After scoring a crucial goal in UNH's 3-0 win over Boston University in the Northeast Regional Final, the 22-year old native of Milton, Mass., answered some of INCH's questions about captains, crummy goals, and the city of Buffalo.

Inside College Hockey: What qualities make a good captain?

Patrick Foley: There's no other way, in my mind, of how to lead a team, other than by example. You can have some talkers, captains that just talk, and talk, and talk. They sound good, but when it comes time to go out on the ice, they don't perform and they don't do the things they talk about.

INCH: And that's not your style, I take it?

PF: As a leader, I just try to lead by example and make people better, try to make our team better. I don't push people, I'd rather pull them. We have 28 leaders in our locker room, it's not just me that's getting this done. That's why we're doing well right now.

INCH: That was demonstrated in your goal tonight?

PF: I'm not going to score with finesse and I'm not going to dangle you and put it top shelf, but I'm going to work around the crease and get the crummy goals there. That's what you saw tonight.

INCH: Have you ever been to Buffalo?

PF: When I was real young we went to Niagara Falls, but I've never been in the city of Buffalo really.

INCH: Any thoughts on going there? You guys have been in Worcester and Buffalo, not exactly hot spots in the early spring.

PF: We're not going on a tourist trip. We're going to win two hockey games. I don't know what's in Buffalo, but as long as there's a hockey rink and a different team to play, that's why we're going out there.