Third Year's the Charm for Super Cooper Canadian Speed Skater Becomes NESCAC's Leading Scorer

Author: David Lindholm

Maybe you've seen him: the Panthers have the puck deep in their defensive zone, and number 11 is flying around the opposite blue line, eagerly awaiting the puck. Often one of the defensemen will find him with that perfect tape-to-tape pass and he'll turn, one-on-one with the other team's defenseman, and then it's over. A few quick moves and he's behind the defense, another flash and the puck is in the net. The fans in Kenyon Arena have almost come to expect this from Kevin Cooper '04, and yet every time it happens, the crowd is thrilled. Twice in this Saturday's game against Tufts, one last week against St. Michaels, and two against Norwich before that. He's found the net 21 times this season, leading the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) and 12th in the country.
Scoring was not Cooper's original goal on the ice, but skating fast was always a priority. Growing up in the Northwest Territories, he was originally a speed-skater, and didn't start playing hockey until after his ninth birthday. It proved to be a good base, and when his family moved to Mississauga, Ontario, Cooper began to play in the competitive Minor Leagues in Toronto.
About seven years later, now playing with the Mississauga Senators, the hockey coach at the New Hampton School in New Hampshire approached Cooper after a game.
"This coach came up to me, and said he liked me, and things just went from there," says Cooper. "I didn't know anything about private school before I went to New Hampton, coming from Canada. But I visited there and just loved the idea of hockey and school together, and I took a chance and went with it, and it was awesome." He started at New Hampton as a junior and had a great year in terms of hockey, and loved the coach, Brad Holt, who is a close friend of Bill Beaney's. Cooper learned about Middlebury, and was awe-struck when he came to Kenyon Arena to play the Middlebury JV team.
"I saw (Kenyon) and it was unbelievable, I was hooked on (the College) hockey-wise, and I heard about the academics here, and all that made me turn to Middlebury," he says. The combination of this and the promise of working with Beaney brought Cooper to choose the Panthers instead of Division 1 schools.
It didn't take long for Cooper to settle down at Middlebury, despite a tough first year. He needed to adjust to the speed of the college game and the system that the Panthers employed, but he did end up fourth on the team with 10 goals, and had 10 assists as the team made it to the National Quarterfinals. Sophomore year continued in the same pattern, as Cooper emerged as a star and led the team with a stunning 28 goals and 13 assists, including a hat-trick to win the NESCAC Championship. "I didn't know what Middlebury was going to be like," he said, "but I guess it's better than I could've hoped."
This season has the potential to top even last year's outstanding season, when the team missed out on a bid for the National Championship with a 4-2 loss to archrival Norwich. "It's been unbelievable this year. Our team has just come together; we gelled really well. Our seniors have been great, like Rob Chisholm, the captain, is just a great leader. He knows what to say at the right time. And even our freshmen have stepped up big."
As for this year, Cooper knows that the team can go places. "If we come to play every night, like we can, there's no doubt about it. We'll be in the finals," he said with conviction. "I can tell, we have the talent this year. We have the team."
The greatest worry for this team is just that they won't play their best in one game, and Cooper knows the price for that. "Last year, against Norwich, we didn't come to play one night, and we're done." With the team almost assured a bid in the National tournament, the Panthers are likely going to get a chance for revenge against the Cadets. And does the pressure ever get to him?
"I don't really feel pressure to score goals," he said. "I know everyone talks about it, but I just try to play my role. I've learned a lot about how to play defense, and that's helped my offense. But I don't really care, you know, as long as we win."