Freshman Friday is a Q-and-A feature with new members of the men's hockey team. This is the fifth of eight installments this year, featuring forward Liam Motley.
Q: Welcome to Cornell! Now that you have your feet under you after a couple months here in Ithaca, what do you think so far?
A: I love it here, honestly. I love the rural feel of the campus. Alberta's pretty rural, as well – but I lived in the city. But I just love how you can see for a long ways away. Being on top of the hill is a big thing for me, being able to see everything. I know that's really weird, but that's one of the things I really like about it here so far.
Q: So I understand you're an outdoors-y kind of guy. How much of Ithaca being a haven for that factor into your decision to come to Cornell?
A: Obviously, the main reason I came here was because of the hockey and the school – which is among the best in the world. But I think that was part of it, the outdoors. It was like a third factor. Because I know about the hiking options and the gorges, so that did play into it. But definitely hockey and the school were the first options.
Q: What are you studying here and what do you aspire to do with that?
A: I'm studying AEM (Applied Economics & Management), and I'm looking into working in the travel industry. Maybe like a hiking tour company or outdoor sports. Something around that.
Q: Is that easy to get into around here? Have you looked to get involved with Cornell Outdoor Education or anything like that?
A: I'm going to in the spring. Right now, I've been focusing on school and hockey a lot. But once spring comes, I think I'm going to try to get into the outdoor sports crews and social circles around here.
Q: So if you're a city kid, how did you get into the outdoors interests?
A: Where I live in Calgary is in the very southwest corner. So we're in the prairies, but the Rocky Mountains are probably only about a 30-minute drive away. So everyone hikes there and fishes. It wasn't that hard to get into, because you can literally see the mountains right from my house.
Q: What do your parents do?
A: My dad is the vice president of the Post Media brand in Western Canada. So it's like the Vancouver Sun, the Calgary Herald. So he kind of oversees all the newspapers. And my mom does home care nursing.
Q: That's an interesting mix. Have you ever considered those things for yourself?
A: With all of the new technology, it's all switching to digital news. But it seems like a really interesting job. It's really cool to talk to him about how the industry is changing and what's going on in the world.
Q: You're the youngest of three children in your family. Do your siblings play any sports?
A: They don't. My brother just graduated from University of Calgary, and my sister is at the UBC Okanagan in Kelowna. That's in British Columbia, kind of near Vancouver. She's about to graduate in kinesiology.
Q: So if it wasn't from older siblings, how did you get into hockey?
A: I reason I got into hockey was the Flames' 2004 Cup run. They were like the eighth seed and had no chance. They weren't a very good team. They didn't have any superstars besides Jarome Iginla. Every game, we'd put on a loudspeaker outside my house and all the kids on the block would come play street hockey while we listened to the game. It was just such a great time, and the whole city was on fire during that run.
Q: So that's when you started to play?
A: Yeah, I played my first year in novice. My first ice time, I went out with my skate guards on. That's always a classic.
Q: Never gets old. Then you went up through the ranks of Calgary youth hockey and the Royals midget program. At what point did you think, hey, this might be something I can do something with?
A: Honestly, not really until my first year of juniors. I didn't really play AAA that much when I was growing up, so I wasn't really one of the top kids in my age group. My plan was to go to McGill or UOT for school after the Royals. But I got some junior offers in my last year of midget, so I thought maybe the NCAA could be an option to play. I talked to Cornell my first year (in juniors), and Cornell is like my dream school. So I thought, 'I'm going to do everything I can to get there.' It worked out.
Q: Definitely ample opportunities there. What kind of players would you say you model after or look up to?
A: My favorite growing up was always Ryan Getzlaf. He played for the Calgary Hitmen (WHL) when I was really young, and I always like him on the (Anaheim) Ducks. I don't really play like him; I'm more of a speed player. But he's probably my favorite player that I look up to.
Q: So in your early junior days with Camrose, is that when Cornell started talking to you?
A: Yes, in my first couple exhibition games. I talked to some other schools, too, but this was the one that I knew I really wanted to go to. I had heard so much about it, and looking at the campus – which is perfect. Then the hockey was seventh-ranked at the time when I was here last year. Of all the schools I talked to, this was always the one that I wanted to go to.
Q: So when did you actually get a chance to visit?
A: I visited last year at the Niagara game. It was a Tuesday game, because that was really the only time I could find time to go around my junior team's schedule.
Q: Did you commit before you actually got to visit?
A: Yeah. So I played a year at Camrose, and then I played about 17 games the next year in Camrose before being traded to Whitecourt. I committed to Cornell after that, when I was in Whitecourt.
Q: I understand you play badminton. How did you get into that?
A: My dad used to be really good at badminton. He made it to provincial finals or something, which is funny because he was from a town that only has like 300 people. It's in the middle-of-nowhere Alberta. So it was really funny that he was so good at it. And the best part looking back at it are all the old racquets in our basement. They're like pieces of tree branches with netting cut into it. So we would always play in the back yard and got into that, just for fun.
Q: But you actually competed at it. I think I saw you made the city high school championship match, right?
A: Yeah, I was pretty good. But once I got to certain point in high school, all the other kids I couldn't compete with because they were just playing it all the time – and I was playing hockey. But in middle school, I was a really good player.
Q: And you're a soccer fan, too, right?
A: Yeah, I follow soccer closely. My uncle is from the UK and really into soccer. I kind of bond with him over that.
Q: So what's your league of choice, and who's your team?
A: Liverpool. My mom has a place that's about an hour and a bit from Liverpool in Wales.
Q: Have you ever been to a game there?
A: No, but that's something I'm going to do before I die. Definitely on my bucket list.
Freshman Friday Archives
Oct. 12 — Misha Song
Oct. 19 — Joe Leahy
Oct. 26 — Nate McDonald
Nov. 2 — Michael Regush
