University of Connecticut Athletics
Getting to Know the #IceBus Freshmen: Ryan Keane
11/26/2019 10:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Goaltender Ryan Keane has arrived in Storrs to join an already-talented goalie room. He is from Coppell, Texas and spent the last few years playing junior hockey for various teams before joining the Huskies this season. We learned some more about the young goalie in an interview this week.
Q: First of all, you're from Texas, so how did you get into hockey?
RK: I was born in '98, and then the [Dallas] Stars were in the Stanley Cup Final in '99. That kind of got my dad into hockey. My older brother is three years older than me, and he started skating right after that series when the Stars won the Cup and I just kinda followed after him. He's a forward, I'm a goalie, so he would just throw me in net.
Q: Were you always a goalie?
RK: Well I started as a forward for a little bit, and then our team just kinda rotated whoever wanted to get in net could get in net. Since I had played goalie in the road with my brother, I was like ok I'll do it. And then I ended up being pretty decent so I just stuck with it.
Q: Why did you pick UConn?
RK: I just thought it was a good spot. I've always wanted to go to a bigger school. My grandpa went here like 60 years ago, so it was a nice coincidence that they came after me. The coaching staff is really nice and it's just a place I've had my eye on and wanted to go to.
Q: How does Storrs compare to Texas so far?
RK: It's a lot different. I played junior hockey in Pennsylvania, near the Philly area but I lived way outside of Philly, and it kinda reminds me of that area. Just really hilly and a lot of trees. I like it. It's a good difference between Texas and here, and it's nice to get out of there. I love Texas but it's nice to get away for a bit.
Q: How do you think your junior hockey experience helped you transition to the college level?
RK: A lot. I played in three different cities, so I got to mix with a lot of different cultures. I think the NAHL prepared me a lot to get here. I got to win a lot of games there, learn how to work hard. I think my goalie partners pushed me a lot when I was there, and I just think I developed a lot as a player. Thinking back to where I was before I played juniors to where I am now, I've come a long way, so I'm really grateful for my time there.
Q: What's your favorite thing about playing hockey at UConn so far?
RK: Just hanging out with the guys being able to represent this school I think is the biggest one. And just making new friends.
Q: What's your relationship been like with your fellow goalies, Tomas [Vomacka] and Bradley [Stone]?
RK: It's been awesome. They're both great guys, great goalies, and I think I've been able to learn a lot from them this year. I think that's huge when you're able to learn from your goalie partners. It's competition but it's friendly competition. You can always take something from one person and apply it to yourself and that's what I've been trying to do.
Q: It seems like a goalie in every sport requires a different mindset than other positions. In your experience, what goes into being a good goalie?
RK: I think there's a lot of small details that you need to be really persistent with. The mental side is very important. You can never get too high or too low. Focus, that's the number one thing. You can't come into the rink every day and not be focused. You'll notice that when you come in thinking about other stuff, you don't play as well. So when you come into the rink, you gotta make sure all you're thinking about is those little details and being good with them.
Q: Who's your favorite professional team and player?
RK: My favorite professional team is the Dallas Stars because I'm from there. All-time favorite player is Mike Modano. Favorite goalie I would say is Henrik Lundqvist. He's coming to the end of his career, but he was incredible growing up watching him. I try to model my game after him a little bit with the compete level. But yeah, as a Dallas guy, I like all the Stars: Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin.
Q: What do you feel is the best thing you bring to this team?
RK: I would say my work ethic, just competing every day. I think I can push the guys with my compete, push Tomas and Bradley. If we're going back and forth making big saves, that really pushes you, so that's something I can bring for sure is just getting everyone else better.
Q: What's something you'd like UConn fans to know about you that they wouldn't find in a bio or on a stat sheet?
RK: I'm a huge basketball fan, huge NBA fan. I love the Mavericks, but I'm more of a LeBron fan, so the Lakers are my squad right now. I've loved the NBA and basketball since I was a little kid. I love the Mavericks though. Luka Doncic is an absolute beast. Dirk [Nowitski] is a legend. He's the GOAT.
Q: What's something you'd like to accomplish over your time here?
RK: I would love to win a lot of games, hopefully set the bar high. We want to win Hockey East. We want to win a National Championship, and I would love to be a part of the team that was first to do it here at UConn. So that's something we definitely aim to do here in the next 3-4 years.
