New England Hockey Journal - December 2015 - 24

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Holy Cross senior forward Matt Vidal
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By Tim Bresnahan

N THE IdEALIzEd, nostalgic
version, senior year of college
constitutes one final fling of carefree living before the obligations
of the proverbial real world invade and establish permanent residence.
Matt Vidal's senior year was never going to follow such a script. His obligations
not only as a Division 1 hockey player
but as captain of the Holy Cross squad
wouldn't allow it, nor would his pursuit of a
double-major degree, nor would his duties
as head of the team's breast-cancer fundraising project. But September brought an
infinitely more profound burden, when he
learned that his mother, Nancy, had been
diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. That
somber news has intensified Vidal's resolve to make the most of his final year on
the Worcester, Mass., campus.
"At times, it's been hard. But she tells
me that what helps her get through it is
hearing that I'm doing well, so it's kind
of motivated me to do even better in
school and even better in hockey," said
Vidal, who hails from Manorville, N.Y.
"And calling her every night and telling
her that I'm doing well ... kind of makes
her day, so I make a sure point to do that.
"When you think you have had a hard
week - when you have two exams and
two papers - all you do is call home and

24 NEw ENGLAND HOCKEY JOURNAL December 2015

hear her voice, and it's just like, 'What I'm
going through isn't so bad.' In hockey, you
get hit hard or the first two periods the
puck doesn't go in and you're frustrated,
and I just think of her and it puts a lot in
perspective and kind of refocuses me."
Classmate Jake Bolton knew early on
in their Holy Cross career that Vidal was
captain material: "He just has that aura of
somebody you want to play for." But the
manner in which Vidal has dealt with the
responsibilities and emotions of this autumn has heightened that level of respect.
"He still does everything he has to do
for himself and his family and for all the
guys on our team as well," said Bolton, a
defenseman and assistant captain from Ellington, Conn. "And it's honestly amazing;
it's another thing that pulls guys even closer to him - the fact that he can handle all
that. It's a lot (for) one person to take on."
And yet, Vidal has thrived on the ice.
Through 10 games, the right winger had
tallied nine points - well ahead of his career pace - and had emerged as the prototypical player in the aggressive system
of second-year head coach David Berard
West Warwick, R.I.).
"We want to play as fast as we can, offensively and defensively," Berard said.
"He provides a lot of speed. His greatest
strength as a hockey player is he can really skate, he can push the pace. When
we don't have the puck, he can defend

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New England Hockey Journal - December 2015

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