PIERRE
NAPERT-FRENETTE
Holy Cross
Sr. | F | Bathurst, New Brunswick
Napert-Frenette
and Mercyhurst's Scott Champagne are the top returning
scorers in Atlantic Hockey this season.
Key
Statistics: Napert-Frenette finished second on the
team in goals (13) and assists (25) last season, and his 38
points were unsurpassed. Three of his tallies were game-winners.
He needs just seven points to reach No. 100 in his career.
Was named to the All-Atlantic Hockey second team after finishing
tied for third in the league in scoring.
What
He Does: Holy Cross coach Paul Pearl swears that
Napert-Frenette has one of the best wrist shots in the country.
From 25 feet and in, it’s pretty much just a matter
of whether he hits the net. The 5-foot-8, 165-pounder’s
list of attributes also includes being a leader (he’s
a co-captain this year), superb student (double-majoring in
math and economics), the team’s most-trusted faceoff
man and a fine defensive center. Pearl says that Napert-Frenette
is never the primary playmaker or finisher on a line –
but he does both well enough to be the line’s best player.
The
Bigger Picture: With Quinnipiac out of the league,
there’s one less obstacle between Holy Cross and its
second Atlantic Hockey title in three years. The Crusaders
have a veteran team built to win in the present, and Napert-Frenette
is the guy who will have the biggest say in whether that happens.
Pearl will be happy if his bilingual star continues to set
proper examples on and off the ice – and, for good measure,
approaches the 40-point plateau again. Napert-Frenette will
be on the ice a lot this season, double-shifted late in games
when necessary, so there won’t be any shortage of opportunities.
Holy
Cross head coach Paul Pearl on Napert-Frenette: “He’s
exactly what you hope for when you recruit a player. He’ll
graduate as one of the better players to ever have played
here. He’s able to mesh onto any line and use his linemates
well, and he’s outstanding at faceoffs. (Greg) Kealey
was No. 1 because he was just ridiculous, but Naps is a close
second on faceoffs.”
