While interviewing USM senior defenseman John Lounsbury, you’d never know he’s made the All-League team, been the Huskies’ captain for the past two seasons, or that he is single handedly credited for bringing back the winning ways to USM. Lounsbury, a communication major and Winthrop, MA native, was appreciative of the high praise, but felt there were a lot more guys on the team that should be thanked for the turnaround.
“It makes me feel great, but I am not the only one that stepped up,” Lounsbury said, “guys like seniors Nate Isabelle (Plainfield, NH), Erik Kent (Newburyport, MA) and Brandon Cordua (Burlington, Ontario) have stepped up since we were freshmen and been huge. Ever since then we have been on the up and up.”
According to USM Head Coach Jeff Beaney, many captains’ own play fall to the wayside, because they seem to focus squarely on the team, but he says Lounsbury has continued to improve.
“He’s such a competitor, he’s a great captain,” Beaney said, “he’s really grown as a player even though he has to constantly oversee the entire team. He’s able to see the whole picture.”
Lounsbury first stepped on the ice at age three and got into organized hockey soon after.
Being coached by his older brother, he developed his skills at a very early age.
Although hockey was always his main focus, Lounsbury excelled in both soccer and outdoor track in high school.
“Hockey was always my number one priority, but whatever season it was I always gave 100 percent of myself,” he said.
He was a four time All-Conference player in soccer and broke the school record in the 400-meter dash.
Lounsbury joined the USM hockey team in 2001, acknowledging it was a hard choice, but there were a lot of factors that made him choose to wear the Huskies’ jersey.
“It was a big decision. I think the facilities, the way coach presented the program and the school, and the group of guys I hung around with when I visited the school made up my mind,” he said.
When Lounsbury came to USM he had always been a forward, but Beaney soon changed things.
“He’s a smart kid. He came in being a forward his whole life and I made him a defenseman. That year he made the All-Rookie team,” Beaney said.
“It was tough at first,” Lounsbury said of the transition, “I had a little background with it; my brother had me playing both positions when he was coaching me. It was a big step, but I knew I could do it. I was always up for doing whatever it took to help the program,” he said.
Lounsbury and the rest of the Huskies are currently 11-8-2 on the season and he feels they are on the right track.
“We are doing very well,” Lounsbury continued, “we struggled a little bit the first semester of school. It’s always tough when finals come around trying to juggle school and hockey. Ever since we got back from break we’ve been on a roll,” he said.
At the start of the season, the Huskies wanted to pick up a point every weekend; so far, Lounsbury has felt the team was meeting their objectives.
“We’ve met most of our goals from the start of the season. Now we need to just take it one game at a time,” he said.
He did look a little further ahead, saying the team wants to win the ECAC Championship at the end of the season to get a bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.
Lounsbury has been with the Huskies since his freshman year; a rare feat for many Division III athletes. Unlike Division I schools, D III athletes are not given scholarships or special treatment. Most stay for the love of the game and the team atmosphere. Lounsbury is no exception.
“I’ve stayed to try and make the program better. When you’re part of a team, you’re part of a family,” he said.
Balancing school work and practice is another aspect of college athletics that many ignore.
“Hockey is always on my mind. I try to use Sundays to get all my work done for the week. It’s hard to find time, but it’s all I’ve ever known,” he said.
Lounsbury intends to graduate after Fall ’05, but he may still be around come January.
“I want to stick around for the year to help coach the team,” he said.
The Huskies close out their season with two home games. USM will face Skidmore on Friday and Castleton State on Saturday. The ECAC tournament starts on Saturday, February 26.