ALBANY, NY — Do you know that old saying “you have to walk before you can run?” Well that didn’t exactly apply to Trevor Mingoia and Kevin Rooney during Tuesday night’s game.
The duo out of Providence College signed Amateur Tryouts just hours before making their AHL debuts. Both impressed Head Coach Rick Kowalsky.
“What I found early that gave me confidence was their compete level,” Kowalsky said after the 3-0 win against Hartford. “They both looked like they have good hockey sense. Rooney, in the middle, you can really tell he has really good defensive awareness. Mingoia, he worked, he competed, he buzzed around, he won battles, got a couple shots on net. They were responsible with the puck and without it. I felt pretty confident playing them in a regular role.”
Mingoia and Rooney have actually been sprinting throughout their hockey careers. Look no further than the success they helped bring to the Friars. Providence won the 2015 NCAA National Championship and the 2016 Hockey East regular season title.
The natural progression for them is professional hockey and the AHL where they will continue to develop on and off the ice.
There will certainly be more new experiences to come for both players, but that first game is something not to be forgotten.
“The first game was amazing,” Mingoia said. “The guys were great. They made me feel very comfortable right away. There were first period jitters right away, but as the game went on I felt more and more comfortable. I couldn’t be happier to step into a team and get a win.”
“It was a little overwhelming weekend to end our season at Providence and then getting here and right into the game,” Rooney said. “It was great. I’m happy to get the first game out of the way and get some confidence. I’m looking forward to more games down the road.”
Now Mingoia and Rooney’s next professional hockey lesson: what a three-in-three weekend feels like. The Devils are on the road Friday at Binghamton before returning home Saturday against Springfield and Sunday against Binghamton.