Zack Finlay '14 Recruiting Profile

My goal is to become a teacher, ideally in the area of social studies and/or physical education. I have worked through my bantam and midget hockey years with young kids who are learning the game of hockey and I really enjoy it.  I also have a lot of respect for teachers who are genuinely interested in you as a student and help you to get the most out of their classes.  My experiences with those teachers along with my personal experience of teaching young kids to play a sport that I love is what has motivated me to pursue a career as a teacher.

As for me as a person, I am a competitive, motivated individual.  I enjoy competing and being part of a team.  Next to my family, my team is the most important group of people that I am a part of.  I value and respect what it means to be a teammate in both winning times and in losing times.  I strive to do my part to be a good teammate and provide all I can to making our team effort successful ever night.

I have had my share of let downs in hockey and school in recent years.  In  my Bantam age years (first year AA, second year AAA) I was in the top 2 or 3 in team scoring and always wore a letter.  In my Minor Midget AAA year I was named team Captain and was again in the top 3 for scoring.  I was training hard in the offseason and ready to take the next step to Midget AAA.  Regrettably I was cut on the last day of training camp.  I affiliated with the team while playing Midget AA and ended up playing in 10 of the 32 regular season games and all of the Midget AAA playoff games.  At the end of the season the Head Coach confided in me that he had made a mistake and that he should have put me on the team.  

In my final year of Midget eligibility I was ready to step in a build on my AAA experience from the previous year.  I had an excellent offseason preparation program and came to camp in excellent shape.  Despite having a good training camp, the newly appointed coaching staff once gains released me on the last day of training camp.  As it stands right now I play Midget AA and have been asked to affiliate with a Junior B team.

the last two years have been difficult.  However, they have forced me to know and believe in myself and to continue to work at getting better.  I have used the experience to motivate myself, and also to better under stand that not every coach is going to like what I have to offer as a hockey player.  With that said, I believe in my ability and my positive contribution to hockey teams, so I will continue to work hard in hopes of finding a team where there is a fit for me.

The let downs in the hockey world have also helped me to better face the challenges of school.  A disappointing test score doesn't have near the same negative impact that it used to.  I have adopted a scholastic work ethic that mirrors my hockey work ethic and it is beginning to show in my grades.  I am becoming a better student, with better quality work being done, and better preparation for tests and exams .  

I believe I have a lot to offer a college as a student athlete, and I know that the college experience has a lot to offer me.  The combination of my solid support network and my being forced to face and manage the challenges of the past couple of years have equipped me to take on the challenge and opportunity that is afforded to college athletes both as a hockey player and a student.