Catholic school grad starts as goalie for Team USA; Other athletes with Mercyhurst connections take Olympic ice

BY MARY SOLBERG | FAITHLIFE
02/13/2018

Four world-class hockey players with ties to Erie’s Mercyhurst University—a Catholic institution founded by the Sisters of Mercy—are competing in this month’s Winter Olympics in South Korea.

Most notable in that Olympic lineup is Erie native Ryan Zapolski, 31, who not only graduated from Mercyhurst in 2011, but is a 2001 graduate of St. George School, and a 2005 graduate of Erie’s Cathedral Preparatory School, both in Erie.

He is the starting goaltender for the U.S. men’s hockey team, whose games are scheduled in Pyeongchang, South Korea, through Feb. 25.

“Being able to represent Erie and Mercyhurst is really special to me and I hope it can inspire future generations of kids to really believe in their goals and to never give up on your dreams!” Zapolski said in an email to the university before leaving for the Olympic Games.

On Feb. 8-9, the St. George community celebrated one of their own making it to the pinnacle of the sports world. Eric Trapp, a fifth-grade teacher at St. George, is a longtime friend of Zapolski’s. He shared with all classrooms a video he created that included an interview with the Olympian, along with comments from students as well as teachers who taught Zapolski when he attended St. George.

According to Principal Allison Reynolds, “Our students are very excited to have a St. George alumnus in the Olympics.”

On Feb. 9, the day of the opening ceremonies in South Korea, the school community celebrated a Mass for the intentions of Zapolski and all Olympic athletes, and participated in a day of Olympic-style games. Trapp wore his old friend’s jersey.


St. George Principal Allison Reynolds
carries an Olympic torch during a
procession at a special
Mass Feb. 9 at the Erie
elementary school. Behind her are
fifth-grader Clara Gibson
and fifth-grade teacher
Eric Trapp, a long-time
friend of Olympian Ryan Zapolski. “It’s pretty amazing,” Trapp said. “Not only is Ryan representing St. George and Erie, but the whole country. It’s surreal.”

Zapolski will be joined in South Korea by three other athletes with Mercyhurst connections:

Canadian Meghan Agosta, 30, a 2011 Mercyhurst graduate

Canadian Bailey Bram, 27, a 2012 alumna

Emma Nuutinen, 21, a native of Finland who currently is a sophomore.

Zapolski played for Mercyhurst’s men’s ice hockey from 2007-11, and for Prep, where he set a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League playoff record of 88 saves as a senior in 2005.

Agosta and Bram began their NCAA careers playing Division I women’s ice hockey for the Lakers and are representing their native Canada at the 2018 Games. Nuutinen is making her second Olympic appearance, having helped her native Finland take fifth place in 2014.

Another Mercyhurst student, Vilma Tanskanen, just missed the final roster on the Finnish Olympic team, but was offered a position as first alternate.

Mercyhurst—a small university in northwestern Pennsylvania with a total enrollment of 3,500—has distinguished itself on the international hockey stage. President Michael Victor and coaches Rick Gotkin and Mike Sisti credit hard work over the long haul.

“Rick and Mike have built a championship culture,” Victor said of Gotkin, the men’s head coach the past 30 years, and Sisti, who founded the women’s hockey program 19 years ago.

Gotkin and Sisti acknowledge the discipline needed to establish a strong team, but they also point to the pool of strong athletes and university support.

“I think what cemented us as one of the best [hockey programs] in the country were good students who are hard workers and who are full of pride,” Sisti said. “There’s a combination of coaching, people at Mercyhurst who work with our student athletes, and getting athletes who have a certain character. They know we’re going to throw them in the fire.”

Sisti turned the women’s program into one of Division I’s powerhouses. The women have made 10 consecutive trips to the national tournament.

Gotkin is the only coach in NCAA history to take the men’s program to the NCAA tournament at all three levels: Divisions I, II and III. He has led the Lakers to 530 wins, six NCAA tournament appearances and five league championships.

Gotkin coached Zapolski, a relative unknown in hockey circles until grit and determination got him a spot on the Mercyhurst men’s ice hockey team in 2007. While playing as a Laker, Zapolski was named to the 2008-09 All-Atlantic Hockey Association second team, and the 2009-10 All-AHA third team. After graduation, he played professionally for the ECHL, having been named its Rookie of the Year, Goaltender of the Year, and First Team All Star. He currently plays professionally with Jokerit, a Finnish-based club in the Kontinental Hockey League, the highest pro league in Europe.


Rick Gotkin, left, men’s head hockey coach at Mercyhurst University, presents Ryan Zapolski
with his retired number and jersey from his Mercyhurst days. (Photo by Haleigh Giebel) When the National Hockey League (NHL) opted not to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics, lesser-known players, like Zapolski, were tapped. He was the first player recruited for the goaltender position on Team USA.

“We could talk about the culture of coaching here, but at the end of the day, it’s all about Ryan Zapolski and what he has accomplished,” Gotkin told FaithLife. “He is as loyal as a hunting dog. He’s a great kid and a great athlete. He’s putting it all together.”

Before going to the 2018 Games, Zapolski was in Erie, visiting family and practicing at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. Coach Gotkin presented him with his university jersey, #35, which is now retired.

Zapolski said he is grateful for the support of his parents, Raymond and Susan, his brothers and sister, and his wife, Elizabeth Fisher Zapolski, whom he married at Mercyhurst’s Christ the King Chapel on Aug. 1, 2015.

He also credits his success on the ice to some local coaches, including Pete McCormick of Cathedral Prep, Gary Peterson Sr. in youth hockey, and, of course, Gotkin.

Gotkin was unable to travel to South Korea to see Zapolski’s performance in person. But Mercyhurst has its own kind of Olympic venue, featuring many hockey stand-outs from all over the world.

Gotkin will watch his protégé on television.

“A little piece of all of us is going with Ryan,” Gotkin said.

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