By LINDA BOUVET, LSSU Sports Information Director

Sophomore defenseman Matt Bruneteau's lineage defines his simple, yet fundamentally-sound approach to hockey. It is fitting that Bruneteau, whose grandfather and great uncle played for the Detroit Red Wings in the 1930s and '40s, is a bit of a throwback – a defensive defenseman who takes pride in blocking shots and protecting his goaltender.

“My grandpa (Ed Bruneteau) played for the Red Wings, and he had a couple brothers who played pro for a time, too,” Matt Bruneteau said. “One played for the Red Wings and came to Sault Ste. Marie when they used to have training camp here. I talked to some of his old hockey friends. They remember coming up here. My dad (Rick) knows the game pretty well. He coached me and my brothers in Omaha and played a large part in my development. My brothers were always around, and we pushed each other. I left home when I was in eighth grade. Back then, to get somewhere in hockey, you had to make a decision at a young age. I left home when I was 13, and my brother was 14. We went to prep school (Shattuck-St. Mary's) in Minnesota. If we had stayed in Omaha, everyone would be playing football or baseball.”

Ed Bruneteau, who passed away in 2002, enjoyed a 15-year pro career, including a stint with the Red Wings from 1944-48. He finished his career with the Omaha Knights. Ed's brother, Modere “Mud” Bruneteau, played in Detroit from 1934-46 and is known for scoring the game-winning goal at 16:30 of the sixth overtime of a 1936 Stanley Cup playoff game, ending the longest playoff game in NHL history. Both are members of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.

Matt recently faced off against two of his three brothers, who play for the University of Vermont. Brett is a junior center and fourth round draft pick of the Washington Capitols. Nick is a sophomore defenseman and was named to the all-tournament team during the Dec. 29-30 Catamount Cup. His youngest brother, Tyler, is a forward at Wichita Falls of the North American Hockey League.

Matt enjoyed visiting Vermont's campus and the Burlington community that he had heard so much about. He admits that he quietly ate dinner with the family after the Lakers beat Vermont, 5-3.

“The hockey is always going to be about the same, but the schools and the towns – we're two extremes,” said Matt, who was relieved for his brothers' sake that the Catamounts came back to beat Ferris State 4-2 the next night. “It's a lot different out East. It's interesting to see how we ended up in different places, but we are all happy where we are.”

Bruneteau has played in all 24 games this season after appearing in 31 of 39 games as a rookie in 2010-11. Defensive partner Andrew Perrault and Bruneteau specialize in blocking shots. Perrault leads the Lakers in that category with 50, while Bruneteau is second with 37.

“That's one of the bigger assets of my game,” Bruneteau said. “A lot of guys don't like to do that. It's not a hard thing to do, just a mental thing and something to do to help the team…Perrault is more offensive than me, but we take pride in being more of a defensive pair -- get pucks to the forwards and be 'shut-down' type players.' Other 'D' pairs contribute more offensively. We keep it simple and play within our limits.”

Bruneteau learned that approach to the game from his father.

“My dad still coaches youth hockey in Omaha, and he can teach the simple parts of the game really well,” Matt said. “He goes over the basics, which a lot of young coaches overlook, and he drills those into your head. On the ice, that's been really big for me. A lot of young players in Omaha have those same skills – hard-working, do your job, keep it simple.”

In addition to his brothers' success, Nick Dineen has gone on to become the captain at Colorado College, and Nick Oddo is one of several standout rookies at Ohio State. All are Omaha, Neb., natives.

Heading into this weekend's series against Miami, Bruneteau prepared to face a team with speed and something to prove after getting swept by the Lakers in Oxford in October.

“I think we caught them at a good time,…and they could look like a completely different team,” said Bruneteau, who admitted that the Lakers have been fighting complacency lately. “The biggest thing is that we have to make sure we're going out every game with our best effort, working hard in the simple areas and controlling the things we can control. The whole team can get complacent. But if we mentally prepare properly and play to out abilities every night, not a lot of teams can skate with us.”

Editor's note: The Burlington Free Press ran a feature story on the Bruneteau siblings on Dec. 29 during the Catamount Cup. Rick Bruneteau was quoted, saying “…it's a thrilling experience to see our three boys play Division I hockey, and hopefully have a fourth. There's a lot of adversity in the game, and they've helped each other with a lot of things. They'll compete hard and get mad at each other, but when it's all over, they take care of each other.”