Freshman Friday is a Q-and-A feature with new members of the men's hockey team. This is the eighth installment, featuring defenseman Brendan Smith. The Denver product who was once in the stands rooting for DU in games against the Big Red a few years ago has found his way to Cornell. He discusses his family connection to East Hill, the big jump to his two years in the USHL and the key to getting acclimated to Cornell so quickly.

Q: You're from Centennial, Colorado. Were you born and raised there?
A: Yes. I've lived in the same house my whole life. Obviously, we've loved it there.
 
Q: So did you grow up a Denver University fan?
A: Up until about a couple years ago, I idolized DU hockey players. I went to as many games as I could. I live really close to there. But at the end of the day, Cornell is my spot. I'm so glad I came here.
 
Q: The two worlds collided a few years ago. Were you at the games in Denver in 2013?
A: I was at one of those games, yes.
 
Q: At that point, did you have any idea what Cornell was or what they stood for?
A: My mom's a Cornell graduate, so I knew what Cornell was. But I had never seen Cornell play, or maybe I'd seen them on TV. But I don't remember much about the game other than I was there with my whole team, and I'm pretty sure DU won.
 
Q: Right, the Colorado Thunderbirds. That's a program that, among others, has produced Gavin Stoick. At what point did you realize that hockey was something that you really wanted to pursue seriously?
A: The Thunderbirds are a great organization, and I have to give a lot of the credit to them. I played there since I was 12, and they really gave me the confidence to make me think I could make it to these higher levels of hockey. But my goal is not only to make the NHL, but also win the Stanley Cup. Ever since I was a little kid, I always made sure I was there for whatever game the Cup was going to be raised, because the whole ceremony is just breath-taking. Around age 13, 14 or 15, playing with the kids I was playing with, they were starting to get collegiate offers. I thought I was almost as good as them or maybe just as good as them, I just needed a little more time to develop. That's another time I realized that this was a possibility.
 
Q: So then came the move to the USHL. I know Omaha's not too far away from Denver, but how big of a jump was that for you and how hard was it?
A: It was a pretty big jump. It was the first time I had been away from home, and it was a year earlier than most kids expect. At the end of the day, the toughest part was just leaving my family and the support I had there. But I got used to Omaha pretty quickly. They did a great job of helping me get used to the city, the school I was going to and all of that. That was big. But from the hockey side, it was a very big jump because I had played U16 and was the oldest you could be for that group. So I wasn't playing up, and as soon as I got to the USHL I was playing against men — 19-, 20- and 21-year-olds. That took me half a season to a full year to thrive playing there. I didn't get any (college) offers my first year. I was just trying to make the lineup every night. But my second year, I was able to get better and get stronger.
 
Q: It shows in the numbers. It looked like a big leap from one year to the other, playing probably top-four minutes that second year, right?
A: Mostly top four, but things would get switched around a little bit. We had a very good 'D' corps my second year, so just getting into the lineup every night was pretty special.
 
Q: So at what time did colleges start filtering a little bit?
A: After my camp with Omaha in June, I got a couple calls. Nothing too serious. When they really started funneling in was after the Sioux City Fall Classic, which are the USHL Fall Classic games. I talked to a lot of teams, and it took me a while to decide, but ultimately chose Cornell.
 
Q: When Cornell came calling, how funny was that to you given that your mom is an alum?
A: Actually, I want to say that previous summer they were one of the teams that called me a little later than everyone else. It was at a really random time. I was actually in the kitchen with my mom at the time, and I looked at my phone and saw an Ithaca number. So it's like, 'Who's calling me from Ithaca, N.Y.?" So I answered it and it was (Assistant) Coach Topher Scott. Afterward, I told my mom and she said, 'Do they know you're not smart enough to go there?' (Laughs). That's kind of been the ongoing joke around the house.
 
Q: What did you see in Cornell that made you believe this was the right place for you?
A: My biggest thing was playing time, the possibility of winning a national championshp, a good crowd and obviously the better the academics, the better off I'd be for Plan B. All of those things are attainable here. I realized that it had everything.
 
Q: Did you get a chance to visit during a game?
A: No. I want to say it was late September or early October. So I wasn't able to see a game.
 
Q: But had you heard about what Lynah was like?
A: Yeah, my mom told me it was pretty crazy. She said it was the only thing to do here in the winter, so everyone was going to show up. I started looking up YouTube clips and was definitely surprised at how good the fans were. I didn't think fans could be that good.
 
Q: So now that you have been here for a little while, what are your impressions of Ithaca, the area and the school?
A: Ithaca and the area kind of remind me of back home and that granola feel, I guess (laughs). Cornell as a school, the older guys have really helped me get used to it. Whether it's academic or athletic, they've really done a great job to help me jump right in. I've felt super comfortable since Day 1.
 
Q: How much did it help to have a teammate coming here with you, too? Because you played with Anthony Angello in Omaha …
A: It helped a lot. We were able to talk before we came here. I also knew Matt Nuttle. I played against him, and one of my friends from back home was roommates with him. So I'd always text him 'what are you doing?' or 'what class are you signing up for?' And the coaches gave the older guys are phone numbers over the summer, too, so they were able to help out. They were telling us what classes to take and stuff like that.
 
Q: You had an aunt and uncle play college sports. Have athletics always been prominent in your house?
A: Not totally. (My parents) always supported me in everything I did, but neither my mom nor my dad were super athletic. My aunt and uncle on my mom's side were both pretty spectacular athletes. I know my aunt played softball and tennis at Virginia, both at the D1 level, which is very impressive. And my uncle actually played football at BU. So that was pretty funny going into the Red Hot Hockey game.
 
Q: For after hockey, do you have any sort of feeling for what you might want to go into?
A: Probably something in business, or possibly becoming a lawyer. I think being a sports agent would be pretty cool, but it's tough to get a job right out of that. So I'm thinking something business or law.

FRESHMAN FRIDAY SERIES
Oct. 23: Luc Lalor
Oct. 30: Mitch Vanderlaan
Nov. 6: Beau Starrett
Nov. 13: Trent Shore
Nov. 20: Alec McCrea
Nov. 27: Chad Otterman
Dec. 4: Matthew Nuttle
Jan. 15: Anthony Angello