By LINDA BOUVET, LSSU Sports Information Director

Hockey is a unique sport. The typical developmental progression of the athlete, particularly one on the college track, allows for second chances.

The LSSU hockey team benefits from athletes who have made the most of their second chances. One of those is sophomore forward Kellan Lain, who missed most of his 2009-10 junior season due to a serious injury suffered during the 2009 playoffs.

Lain shares a line with junior Domenic Monardo, who also endured a difficult recovery from a life-threatening injury that nearly ended his career. Monardo and Lain, along with current Laker forward Nick McParland, were teammates at Oakville at the time.

“You never want stuff like that to happen,” Lain said. “But to get past that shows your true colors. It makes you a stronger person in the end, makes you a better player. You appreciate what you have and take nothing for granted. Both injuries were scary, and easily could have ended our lives or our hockey careers.”

Instead, Lain and Monardo are thriving. Monardo is LSSU's second leading scorer with 5-6—11, while Lain has a goal and two assists and leads the Lakers in faceoff wins.

 “We kind of have similar paths,” Lain said. “We both had to deal with injuries. Dom was hurt early during my first year. Like me, he was also cut by teams. It's kind of cool to share those similar experiences. It shows you that hard work pays off. Never give up on your dream.”

Lain deferred enrollment at LSSU until the 2010-11 season due to his injury. He played only 16 games in Oakville in 2009-10, but finished strong. He was named most-valuable player of the 2010 Dudley Hewitt Cup while playing on a team ranked among the top five in Canada.

“I wouldn't have been able to play until February (of 2010),” Lain noted. “It's tough to fit in when you're not playing and just going to school. I was not in a rush to get here. I wanted to get better, get back to where I was before the injury and come here in the best possible shape.”

The injury wasn't Lain's first fortitude test. Believe it or not, the 6-6, 221-pound powerhouse checked in at 5-7, 110 pounds when he started high school.

“I used to get cut for being too small,” Lain said. “I was just a little guy. I used to be small until Grade 11.  That pushed me to work hard off the ice. In Grade 12 I played high school hockey after being cut from midgets. For two years in a row I got cut. I wasn't enjoying hockey at the time. I wanted to play high school hockey and have some fun. That year I got better, enjoyed hockey more, and was having fun and not worrying about anything. That's where I got noticed to play Juniors. I got bigger and better, got more confidence, and hockey was fun for me again.”

Lain shared a line on the T.A. Blakelock High School team with a friend who endured a similar fate during youth hockey.

“Our team did well that year, getting second in the GTA (Great Toronto Area),” Lain said. “I found the love for the game again, looked forward to going to the rink and being with the guys.”

That season Lain also began working with trainer Richard Clarke, who has also worked with Monardo, Fred Cassiani and Zach Sternberg. Despite his injury in 2009, Lain enjoyed an impressive junior career while playing in his hometown. He made two Royal Bank Cup appearances.

“There are a lot of good players in Oakville,” Lain said. “A few are in the NHL. It's cool to be on the map as a town known for developing good hockey players. They run a good system and recruit good players…Most of the players were from the Oakville or Greater Toronto area. There were seven Oakville natives on our team, and one American.”

Lain finally arrived at LSSU in 2010-11 and contributed four goals and four assists as a freshman. More importantly, he learned as much as he could from seniors Rick Schofield and Will Acton.

“I sat beside Rick in the lockerroom and learned a lot from him,” Lain said. “How he composes himself and works hard on and off the ice. I spent time talking to Will about stuff on the ice. He'd been here four years and knew a lot about the game. They were really helpful to me.”

This season, Lain hopes to be more of a leader and make a strong showing every game. He likes the chemistry on his line, which also includes Cassiani.

“We compliment each other very well,” Lain said. “Fred and I do more of the grinding, working the corners. Dom's obviously one of our top scorers. As the centerman, I try to create space for Dom, control the puck and find scoring chances for him. Fred and I played a bit last year together, and we enjoy playing with each other.”

Cassiani, Lain and Monardo were grouped together for the first time this season during the Lakers' Nov. 12 tie and shootout victory at Ferris State. Lain and Cassiani assisted on Monardo's game-tying goal.

“It seemed like our chemistry had been there for a long time,” said Cassiani, the Lakers' captain who is the line's left wing. “He (Lain) is a hard-working and skilled power forward. He's defensively sound. He creates offense off of his awareness on defense. He's smart and easy to play with. He lets me do my thing with the puck.”

Lain heads into this weekend's series against league leader Notre Dame remembering his goal and two assists during last year's playoff victory over the Irish. He garnered half of his rookie season points during the playoffs.

“I'm looking forward to Notre Dame, just because they beat us in the playoffs,” Lain said. “We put up a really good series against them. To beat them would be nice.”