There are players who lead on the ice - scoring goals, directing players, giving pep talks on the bench - and there are players who lead away from the rink - going to class, getting good grades and being an upstanding member of the community.
For his teammates and coaches, MSU senior right wing and team captain Adam Hall fills both roles.
Hall was an on-ice leader in MSU’s 6-1 win over UMass-Amherst on Friday at Munn Ice Arena - notching his first career hat trick and recording his 100th career point.
But Hall, an assistant captain last season, is also a CCHA All-Academic honoree and is no stranger to team volunteer activities - such as speaking at local schools through the D.A.R.E. program.
“Adam Hall is the consummate leader,” MSU head coach Ron Mason said. “It’s nice to see him display that in a game. All the guys have a great deal of respect for him, and tonight he really stepped it up and was able to accomplish some things that he hasn’t been able to accomplish in a while.”
Hall’s three-goal effort Friday - a power-play tip-in at 3:51 of the first period, a point-blank wrister four minutes later and a longer wrist shot in the third - was the first Spartan hat trick since former right wing John Nail scored three against Miami (Ohio) on Jan. 20.
And senior left wing Joe Goodenow said he might know the secret behind Hall’s goal-scoring success.
“He started naming his sticks this week,” said Goodenow, Hall’s roommate. “But don’t tell him I told you that.”
Hall admitted he wrote words on the tape of the sticks, but the “names” - “Fierce,” “Work” and “Lead” - are really just reminders of desired styles of play.
By the way, “Work” scored all three goals.
“Every now and then you just write a little something on there that’s inspirational,” Hall said. “But (the hat trick) felt really good. I think John Nail got one here last year, and I remember just being on the bench and seeing him score his third goal and his eyes light up.
“It’s just a great feeling to see all the fans and to see your teammates rushing you.”
Goodenow said he was giving Hall a hard time about the stick-naming, but he’ll keep quiet if Hall keeps scoring.
“Whatever works,” Goodenow said. “I always make fun of him for his superstitions, but this time (they) actually worked maybe.
“He hasn’t been scoring right out of the shoot this year like he always does, so it’s great for him to get unleashed.”
Freshman left wing Brock Radunske, who plays on a line with Hall and freshman center Jim Slater, scored his second goal of the season Friday, but that wasn’t his only highlight.
“I was pretty excited just to be on the same line as (Hall),” Radunske said.
“I was pretty happy for him when he got that third one in. Even in practice, he’s all like beating (junior goaltender) Ryan Miller - I couldn’t ask for a better situation than to be on a line with him.”
Hall closed his night with an assist on junior defenseman John-Michael Liles’ goal 5:34 into the third period, giving him four points Friday and 102 (66 goals, 36 assists) for his career.
And he showed no ill effects from a “skate bite” above his ankle that forced him to miss significant practice time last week.
“Maybe we’ve got to leave him off a couple days every week and he’ll come out and get us a hat trick,” Mason said.
