Freshman Friday is a Q-and-A feature with new members of the men's hockey team. This is the fourth installment, featuring defenseman Trent Shore. Shore is the youngest member of the Big Red this season, joining the team after two years at The Hill Academy and one year in the CCHL. He discusses how a famous Cornellian from near his hometown put the university on his map, what he has enjoyed about Ithaca so far and how he would describe his game.

Q: It sounds like playing at a university has been a dream of yours for a while. What are your impressions so far?
A: I definitely like universities. There are things that you could never expect. It's a realy cool experience to live in the townhouses with a bunch of the guys. As far as schooling, it's been really challenging, but at the same time I feel like I'm learning a lot. And the hockey has been better than I could have expected. I feel like I'm improving so much already. Every day is just another opportunity to get that much better. It's been better than I could have hoped for really.

Q: At what point did you decide that college hockey was the right fit for you?
A: I'd say it was probably 10th grade, which was my OHL draft year. I was talking to a lot of teams, and just at a certain point I decided the OHL route wasn't really for me and I was just going to focus on college from that point. So I'd probably say midway through my Grade 10 year.

Q: I understand The Hill Academy isn't your everyday high school. What was it like, and why did you choose to go there?
A: I'd say I was 16 and I had the option to possibly play Junior A, but it would have probably not been best for my development. I wouldn't have played a lot, most likely. So The Hill was a great option for me because it put me in a situation where I was working out and skating every day and the schooling was fantastic. I spent about two years there. It's located in Vaughan, which is just north of Toronto, and it was a fantastic experience. I got a lot of exposure to NCAA schools playing there, and you just improve so much because you're always on the ice and in the gym.

Q: Did you play any other sports?
A: Not really. I played lacrosse growing up, but not for The Hill. I think I stopped playing the summer of Grade 10. It was probably one or the other, and I enjoy hockey a lot more and it's something I take a lot more seriously, so that's something I focused on from that point on.

Q: A fairly famous Cornellian is from your neck of the woods in Ontario. Were you always aware of Joe Nieuwendyk's connection to Cornell?
A: Yeah, from a young age to a certain extent. You'd always look up to a guy like that, because he was from right where you were from and he had to deal with a lot of the same things as you. It was really cool in the sense of a lot people would only talk about the OHL being the only option to get the NHL. But he set himself apart by going to college and then going to the NHL. He took a route that's really not seen as often from where I'm from. So that was really cool to see.

Q: Does that mean you knew about Cornell from an earlier age than most?
A: That's definitely true.

Q: So at what point did Cornell enter the picture for you?
A: My first year at The Hill Academy I talked to a few schools, but nothing seriously. They were actually one of the first ones. They were another one of the schools I was most interested in, because I had actually heard of them before because of Joe Nieuwendyk. The more I got into it, the more it seemed like the Ivy League was the perfect option and that Cornell was a huge frontrunner right from the beginning, just because I had known so much about it since I was a kid.

Q: That said, what did you learn about Cornell through the recruiting process that you didn't already know?
A: I'd say one thing that made a huge difference was the team atmosphere. It seems like one big family here, which is a really cool experience. There's so much change happening, moving away from home. For me, I'm in a different country. So with so much being so different, that family is something that can stay consistent and keep you level.

Q: For fans who haven't had a chance to see you play yet, how would you describe your game?
A: I'd say I'm a defensive defenseman. I like to take care of my own end first and play physical. If I see an opportunity to throw a big hit, I like to take it. But for the most part, I just try to take care of my own end and make a good first pass.

Q: Devin Shore attended Maine and now is with the NHL's Dallas Stars, and he's also from your hometown. Is there any relation?
A: Not that we know of. We're actually really good friends with the family, but as far as we know there's no relation.

Q: Is Shore a common name up there?
A: No. Now that I think about it, there's my family and his family and there are no other Shores anywhere near us.

Q: That's pretty funny. What do you parents do?
A: My dad's head of guidance at a high school in Ajax, and my mom works in an orthodontics office.

Q: So is it no coincidence that education was a priority in your family?
A: Definitely. They've always stressed putting education first and working hard to get good grades throughout school.

Q: Do you have an idea of what sort of job you might like after hockey?
A: I'm still trying to work on that. I thought finance was something that would interest me, but the more I get into it the more I'm seeing that maybe other avenues could open up. Right now, I'm just trying to learn as much as I can and later on make an educated decision about what I want to do.

FRESHMAN FRIDAY SERIES
Oct. 23: Luc Lalor
Oct. 30: Mitch Vanderlaan
Nov. 6: Beau Starrett
Next week: Alec McCrea