Corrigan balances complex life of a student athelete

Life is about balance; not allowing your highs to get too high, or your lows too low. In Asian philosophy, yin and yang represent how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn, thus providing a state of balance.

Buffalo State sophomore John Corrigan attributes this idea of "balance" to his success both in the classroom and on the ice.

The Wethersfield, Conn. native is in his fourth semester at Buffalo State where he has managed to record a perfect grade point average of 4.0 in all three of the semesters he has completed.

But Corrigan's good grades become more impressive when you learn he spends most of his time outside the classroom on an ice rink as a second-year defenseman for the Bengals.

Corrigan admitted that the life of a student-athlete could sometimes be extremely stressful, as he often needs to balance living the life of a student while also living the life of a hockey player.

He explained that it sometimes gets overwhelming, especially when assignments and training overlap. But Corrigan said playing hockey helps him stay on top of his schoolwork.

"The main goal is to try and balance everything. It seems like in hockey season, it's actually easier for me to do better in my school work and do better hockey-wise," Corrigan said. "They go hand-in-hand. You've got to have dedication to do both things. They tend to keep you on track with one another."

Corrigan said his role in the academic department is perfect, and expressed that he is starting to better understand his responsibility as a hockey player as well.

He missed some playing time this season, having only seen action in 18 of 25 regular season games the Bengals have played. Corrigan said that although he firmly believes his academics have not affected his on-ice play, he has struggled to try to stay in the starting lineup night-in and night-out.

Bengals head coach Nick Carriere said there is always room for self-improvement — both on and off the ice — and that it takes a determined person to do well as a student and a hockey player.

"I think he can do both. I think guys like John put a lot of work into their academics. I think there are plenty of hours in the day to improve yourself," Carriere said. "If you combine [athletics and education], with academics being first and the athletic experience being second, there aren't too many hours left in the day for sleep and whatever else social that you want to do. I think it does require a lot to excel at both."

Corrigan said there are things he needs to improve on in order to be a force for the Bengals throughout an entire season.

"Hopefully, I will be able to do a better job in the offseason, working out, and preparing myself for next year," Corrigan said. "I want to make sure that I am definitely a standout guy and one of the guys that can hopefully be a veteran player for to a team that younger freshman can look up to."

Carriere said that Corrigan has great skill as a hockey player, but he is always looking for more from his players.

"For us, the biggest thing is getting (Corrigan) to simplify his game and to play more consistently," Carriere said. "When he plays consistently, he can be our best defenseman on the ice. When he does that, that's how he is going to give himself the opportunity to get back here."

Carriere believed that effort and attitude are directly related to success —in hockey, the classroom, and in life. He also said these are seemingly some of the only things that people actually have true control over.

"As a hockey player, there's not much that you can do, so you make sure you're in shape, and you make sure that when you're on the ice you compete at a very high level, and you make sure that you come to the ice with a good, positive attitude," Carriere said. "When you do those things, you'll go a long way in hockey and in life."

Kyle Bukolt can be reached by email at bukolt.record@live.com.