By Warren Kozireski —
Holy Cross assistant captain Liam McLinskey is in acquainted territory atop the Crusaders and American Hockey Affiliation scoring chart similar to final yr with 18 objectives and 35 factors via his first 31 video games this season.
His father performed soccer at West Level and his brother is a baseball participant with Notre Dame proper now. However he and a handful of his cousins, New York Rangers draft decide Drew Fortescue, C.J. McGee, who’s at the moment enjoying within the ECHL after successful a nationwide championship with Quinnipiac, William Fortescue, enjoying membership hockey on the College of Tampa and 18-year previous Jack Fortescue with the Jersey Hitmen, determined hockey was their path.
“My uncles rising up have been all hockey gamers and my mother’s sisters stay fairly shut, so all of us grew up enjoying hockey collectively,” McLinskey mentioned. “We all the time mentioned it was my grandpa; he gave us the nice genes.”
The 6’3”, 185 lb. proper wing picked up his 100th profession level Feb. 2 towards Canisius surpassing the milestone in simply three seasons and is enjoying in all conditions as his workforce vies with Sacred Coronary heart for first place within the convention.
“Primarily simply specializing in our workforce…we’re on slightly little bit of a streak proper now, so taking it one recreation at a time, win a league championship and hopefully win the playoffs.”
McLinskey was a Hobey Baker high ten finalist final season and is a nominee once more this yr together with being certainly one of 26 finalists for the Walter Brown Award, given to the most effective American-born Division I participant in New England.
“It means every little thing; it’s an enormous honor and there’s no phrases for it . I can’t thank my teammates and household sufficient.”
The soon-to-be 24-year-old (Feb. 20) spent a lot of his growth years with Don Bosco Prep and the New Jersey Hitmen packages. His ultimate season with the Hitmen, he exploded with 24 objectives and 67 factors over 44 common season video games and added three extra factors in 4 postseason contests.
“I went there (Jersey) once I was a bantam minor, trusted in this system and performed highschool near it so I used to be capable of do each. And bought to play with my associates in highschool hockey and membership hockey, the most effective of each worlds. Trusted the method…and made a dedication out of it.”
Then it was off to Quinnipiac College as a 20-year-old freshman, the place he performed simply two video games earlier than transferring to Holy Cross.
“It was primarily simply that I wanted a chance to play, got here right here and it labored out,” he mentioned about his switch.
Now the Economics main is winding down what might be his ultimate collegiate season. Although he’ll depart his title within the Crusaders file e-book, he isn’t certain what’s subsequent or what comes after hockey.
“Not too certain to be trustworthy. Simply attempting to make it final so long as I can.”
(Pictures by Holy Cross Athletics.Hockey)
