LYNN — Some coaches believe leadership is the most important ingredient in a winning recipe. With a senior captain who personifies the “lead by example” phrase in Kyle Ouellette, the St. Mary’s boys hockey team can check that box.
Ouellette, a defenseman, is eager to lead the Spartans through what some might call a “redemption season.”
St. Mary’s, fresh from a Division 1 state championship in 2015-2016, was bounced from the tournament in the first round last winter. Making the postseason exit even tougher is the Spartans peaked going into the “Super 8” but were eliminated after a loss in the play-in game.
Now the Spartans are hungry to erase those memories, and they’ll lean on Ouellette in order to do so.
“Kyle brings leadership,” St. Mary’s coach Mark Lee said. “He’s a senior captain that leads on and off the ice. He leads by example. He’s an honor student, does very well in school. He does very well on and off the ice. He’s a total team player. Kyle’s very unselfish. He’s a great kid.”
A fifth-year varsity player, Ouellette has a vivid recollection of last season’s shortcomings. Instead of dwelling on it, he and the Spartans are using those sour memories as fuel to the fire this winter.
“It was easily one of the worst feelings,” said Ouellette, a Salem native who also plays for St. Mary’s baseball team. “We went to the ‘Super 8’ and we wanted to prove to everyone that we deserved to be there. It didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to.
“We’ve kind of used that loss to drive us,” he continued. “We learned from it. It’s helping us this year. We’d like to be a ‘Super 8’ team and not have a play-in game. We’d like to be in it as one of those top six seeds.”
Ouellette likes the Spartans’ returning cast. And with a handful of new members to the team, the goal is for St. Mary’s to play like a well-oiled machine out of the gate.
“We definitely have a lot of returning players,” he said. “We have a sour taste in our mouths from last year. We have a lot returners who are leading the way and a lot of seniors. We also have a few really good transfers and I think that’ll help level everything out. We have depth through all four lines.”
One of the returners who will play a key role is Ouellette’s younger brother, Kory. A sophomore defenseman, Kory plays alongside his brother to form a potent duo for the Spartans. The two also carry plenty of experience, as they were both members of the 2016-2017 team that won the Division 1 state championship.
“My defensive partner is my younger brother,” Ouellette said. “He was an eighth-grader on that state championship team. I have a picture framed in our house of us together at the (TD) Garden (after winning the state championship). It’s something that I’ll have with me and I’ll cherish forever.
“We have pretty good chemistry. We usually know where we are on the ice. He’s more offensive, I’m more defensive. We’re brothers so sometimes we go at each other, but at the end of the day we get the job done to help the team win.”
Lee has gotten a firsthand look at the duo the Ouellette brothers have formed. He said the chemistry they build off the ice as siblings carries over.
“They work great,” Lee said. “They’re very close off the ice and on the ice as well. They anticipate each other’s movements. They’re both great defensemen. They’re brothers and they’re together off the ice a lot. I think that translates into making them a great pair.”
Kyle knows the ins and outs of the position and serves as a great role model for Kory. Lee said the elder Ouellette plays his role aggressively, but understands the balance between making smart plays and being over-aggressive.
“He’s a very schooled defenseman,” Lee said. “He only had one penalty the entire season last year. He’s a very aggressive player too, but he’s very clean and very smart. Those are the ways he leads by example. He pays attention to defense and does things right. He’s the guy you want to see walking around the community wearing a St. Mary’s hockey jacket.”
And it doesn’t hurt that Ouellette serves as a role model in the classroom too. A member of the National Honor Society at St. Mary’s, Ouellette carries a 4.03 GPA. He’s interested in studying biology and is considering Colgate, Fairfield, Roger Williams and University of Rhode Island.
“Our coaches stress that school comes first,” Ouellette said. “We have to get schoolwork done if we want to be on the ice. Last year as a junior I was inducted into the National Honor Society, which you have to have a 4.0 GPA to be in. It’s important to budget my time and I think I do a pretty good job at that.”
Ouellette begins his senior season Wednesday evening (5) when the Spartans host Matignon in their season opener at William P. Connery Rink.
