From Athens Messenger
By Allan Brown
One of the first things a keen eye notices when watching Andrew Sacca play the game he’s loved since the age of six is his intense determination when attacking the ice.
The second thing someone would likely note is his incredible speed as he tackles the task at hand in any given game.
So, it’s not surprising that the Bobcats’ Hockey forward notices those same attributes in not only his game, but how he attacks his life, too.
“When I first started skating, I felt like I was kind of faster (than the other players),” Sacca said Tuesday following an intense second day of practice following the recent Christmas break.
The speed has proven to be a Godsend for the Bobcats in Sacca’s four years with the team. That — coupled with an admitted confidence — has proven beneficial both to the squad and to the forward.
“I try to stay confident always, not just in hockey, but just in general.”
That confidence, plus a keen sense of self that Sacca displays not only when he is playing the game, but even just talking about it, are vital to the team as it continue its reach for the ultimate prize, a national championship.
For Sacca, life at the rink has taken on a life of its own in the past 15-16 years.
“My neighbors were playing and I ended up loving it right away,” the 22-year-old said, explaining that he joined an organized league soon after that first encounter with the game.
He played with the AA Arctic Foxes in his native Pittsburgh area until he was 12 and later was affiliated with the Pittsburgh Penguins AAA club before coming to Ohio University four years ago.
“That was the best hockey. It got me to become a better player,” Sacca said of the leagues he participated in before coming to Athens.
“I talked to a couple of junior teams (before deciding on coming to Athens) and it wasn’t really something I wanted to do. I’m happy I committed to OU,” he said.
Also on the list of things Sacca decided he didn’t want to do was play a position other than forward.
“I knew I wanted to play forward when I played goalie (a few times) when I was younger and after giving up a few goals, I knew that wasn’t for me.”
It’s all panned out just fine for Sacca in his current role with the Bobcats as in four years with the squad he’s scored 23 goals and had 35 assists for 58 points. Five of those goals and 12 of those helpers have come during the 2022-23 campaign.
As with every player interviewed to date by The Messenger this season, Sacca sees this particular squad as a special one.
“I would say honestly how close we are. It reminds me of my freshman year,” Sacca said when asked why he felt this team stood out and is dominating its opponents to date en route to a 16-4 mark at the end of the first half of the season.
He attributes part of that to “how intensely we practice” and also “We want to win it all this year. That’s the goal and I feel like we have the players here to do that.”
Sacca thinks another reason this current incarnation of the Bobcats has excelled is the leadership of Head Coach Lionel Mauron.
“Lio has been a great thing for this program,” Sacca said. “He talks to you, he listens to you. He takes hockey knowledge to the next level. It is fun to play for him and fun to play in front of the fans.”
As for Mauron, he feels Sacca brings many multidimensional assets to the team.
“Andrew plays with a lot of energy, he is very vocal, and plays with an edge. He uses his body well to protect pucks and he has an ability to find open ice to create offense. He is very valuable on our power play, and we rely on him for secondary scoring,” Mauron said.
“He is a competitor, and he likes to challenge his teammates. He always tries to play with high energy, and it pushes other players to up their level. He never backs down from a fight and he has that underdog mentality that reflects our team’s mindset,” the coach added.
Mauron also reflected on the maturity level Sacca possesses that benefits the squad.
“He is more mature as a man; he controls his emotions more effectively and seems to understand the game better every day. His role has changed not only on the ice, but also in the room and he has done a nice job understanding the dynamics of the team. He has learned what he needs to do for the team to succeed and sometimes it’s not only shining as an individual player, but helping others perform. He has become more altruist and willing to put the team first,” Mauron said.
When talking about how his own game has matured and changed during his time at OU, Sacca admits to a few key elements that have strengthened his play.
“I think I just became smarter and know where to be on the ice. I’m just finding that I’ve become a better player, a better person,” he said.
Part of that personal growth includes being able to use his experience to help the underclassmen be the best that they can be.
“For me, it just comes naturally,” Sacca said when asked to explain whether as a senior he feels the need to lead. “I feel all of our seniors do that.”
And when questioned as to what advice he gives his teammates, the answer was simple, direct and reverts back to that key word mentioned earlier in the interview.
That word is confidence.
“It’s so easy to have confidence and also so easy to lose it,” he said, noting that he likes to talk to the underclassmen and it’s been a goal of his to encourage them and pump them up with the same mindset that he tries to display on a daily basis.
To that end, Sacca tries to live by example and remain confident even during the turbulent times.
A line from his Linkedin account — “I am a motivated person who wants to succeed” sums up his philosophy perfectly.
And while Sacca was at first at a momentary loss for words when asked about what motivates him, after a few seconds of intense reflection he gave an honest and insightful answer that both explains how he plays the game and lives his life at the same time.
“I would just say I want to be the best. I’m a very competitive person.”
The athletes he admires, such as Michael Jordan, Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin all display similar traits and inspire Sacca to consistently do the same.
Growing up about 10 minutes from PPG Paints Arena where his beloved Pittsburgh Penguins play, he was fortunate enough to meet ‘Sid the Kid’ during the captain’s first years with the team and Sacca’s early days of playing organized hockey.
It’s an encounter Sacca has never forgotten.
During that meeting with Crosby, it was probably not even on Sacca’s radar at the time that he would eventually continue playing the same sport his idol excelled in and that as a Bobcat he would one day play more than 100 games at the collegiate level.
That’s a pretty safe assumption to make as the 5-5 140-pound right-handed shooter didn’t even realize when that 100th game milestone mark had come on Nov. 12 until after the fact.
“It’s funny, I didn’t even know it was my 100th game. It’s crazy how fast it went,” Sacca said, adding that he relishes playing hockey, especially in front of the home crowd at Bird Arena.
“The atmosphere here, it’s pretty cool. It’s definitely something I will look back on.”
Driven by the desire to be the best he can be, though, doesn’t mean that Sacca doesn’t find time for hobbies outside the sport.
“Honestly I like to cook everything,” Sacca admitted. “My teammates definitely agree and sometimes (OU forward) Phil Angervil and I will make some really good steaks together. He makes really good asparagus with it too.”
Another passion of Sacca’s is reading.
“I like reading anything that could help me in life or give me a new perspective. I’m currently reading The 48 Laws of Power. My roommate (forward) Zach Curry had it first and he started talking about it and I thought it sounded interesting and purchased it myself.”
Sacca will graduate from OU in May with a bachelor’s degree in sports management with minors in marketing and analytics. And, of course, those studies are closely linked to Sacca’s eventual career aspirations.
While his immediate future is all tied into the team’s belief that they can be national champions, his long-range goals don’t veer that far away from the sport he loves.
“I would eventually like to be a GM and work my way up to the NHL,” Sacca said, adding, “Even recently, I’ve thought about coaching, too.”
It’s a job that Mauron thinks Sacca would be well-suited for.
“Andrew would be a high intensity coach who demands a lot of effort from his players. He sees the game well so I expect him to be a smart situational coach, I have no doubt he could do well in that role. He has overcome a lot of challenges as a player and he’d be able to help a lot of players find their ways,” Mauron said.
With the same determination he uses to attack the opponents on the ice, he hopes to tackle the wheelings and dealings of a top spot in the pros one day.
And with the confidence Sacca displays on the rink, it’s not difficult to imagine that his strong mindset will lead him to becoming a success behind the scenes of the game one day, too.
(Originally published at https://www.athensmessenger.com/sports/senior-sacca-driven-by-competitive-edge-to-be-best-he-can-be/article_c6ea4840-8dcb-11ed-b87f-cf753d9637f3.html)
