By Gavin Lindahl
Staff Writer
From crying on the way to his first summer camp to setting records for the Bonnies, hockey has been a long road for senior forward and assistant captain Mike Iulianello.
“I think it was watching ‘The Mighty Ducks’ movies as a kid and going to watch the Rochester Americans play that got me into hockey,” Iulianello said. “I remember going to my first summer camp and being so scared to skate that I cried, but it became a sport that I loved to play after that.”
According to Iulianello, he enjoyed a successful high school career with the Webster Thomas Titans in Rochester.
“My sophomore year of high school, we won sectionals and went on to win states,” said Iulianello. “It was such a great experience and something I will never forget.”
The Titans went on to win sectionals in Iulianello’s junior and senior years, but lost in regionals to the eventual state champions both times, he said.
Iulianello not only captained the Titans his senior year, but he also led Section V in scoring and was named to the All-Greater Rochester team and the New York All-State Team in 2010.
Iulianello’s club team, the Webster Cyclones, also won the AA under-18 state championship in 2010.
“It was something I’ll never forget,” Iulianello said. “We went on to play in nationals, which coincidentally was held 15 minutes down the road in Rochester but it was still fun.”
Coming to Bona’s and playing hockey has been interesting, according to Iulianello, who said the experience was a “rollercoaster ride.”
“I remember coming in my freshman year and losing more games than almost all four years of my high school hockey career combined, but I have grown a lot since freshman year,” Iulianello said. “I’ve learned how to rally a group of guys when the odds aren’t in our favor, and I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is to continue fighting through adversity – no matter how many negatives build up, you have to keep pushing forward.”
Iulianello said he doesn’t try to model his game off of any other player, but has always admired the smart, offensive play of Tampa Bay Lightning captain Martin St. Louis.
“Ever since I was young, I have liked St. Louis; he was the reason I wore number 26 growing up prior to coming to St. Bonaventure,” Iulianello said. “I focus on trying to use my speed and to work around the outside lanes to generate chances. I try to be a versatile player, whether it be finding the open man, creating scoring chances or working to put the puck in the net.”
In 2012, Iulianello’s speed and playmaking landed him a spot on the American Collegiate Hockey Association all-star team, a first for a player from the St. Bonaventure hockey program.
“It was an honor to play with the top 40 kids in the nation from the ACHA, and it really put this league’s high-level of play into perspective,” Iulianello said. “I was lucky enough to get invited because I led the ACHA in points per game at 2.64 (58 points in 22 games).”
Sending a player to the ACHA all-star game wasn’t the only first for the Bonnies’ hockey program, as they made a second-semester push to make the playoffs.
“We had a great group of guys in 2012, and my linemates that year, senior Sean Perhacs and 2013 graduate Tom Meka, were the main reason I was able to get so many opportunities,” Iulianello said. “We always seemed to find each other and put the puck in the net.”
According to Iulianello, the same kind of late push is still a possibility for this year’s struggling club.
“There is no reason we can’t win these two games to finish the semester and then win another five or six of the remaining eight next semester,” Iulianello said. “In 2012, we were in a similar situation as we are now, and then we went on a winning streak in the second semester to sneak our way into the playoffs. There is no reason we can’t do it again.”
