Icecat Sam Battaglia should look no further than his brother when he seeks inspiration.

After he finishes school at Lake Superior State in Michigan, 20-year-old Bates Battaglia will join the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, the NHL team that drafted him two years ago.

It was three years ago now that Sam Battaglia came to Tucson knowing only one thing - he would be playing with the Arizona Icecats having never even visited the UA.

Meeting Icecat coach Leo Golembiewski was enough to make his decision to play hockey with one of the top-ranked club teams in the country.

"It was definitely the great program here," Battaglia said. "I was almost ready to quit playing hockey because I wanted to continue going to school."

The 23-year-old played a half season for College of Dupage, a junior college in Chicago. After fighting a relapse of mononucleosis, he could not finish the season with his team.

The following year, however, Battaglia played for a Junior B team in Minnesota, a team which won the National Championships that year.

When Battaglia turned 20, he was no longer eligible to play in the junior league and in the fall of 1993 Battaglia enrolled at the UA and played his first season with the Arizona Icecats.

The Chicago native said making the adjustment to Tucson was not too difficult.

"It was a culture shock at first. But there were and still are so many players from the Midwest on the team that it was easy to fit in," he said. "Our team has always had good chemistry."

The chemistry between Battaglia and his teammates was sparked by former Icecat center Kevin Oztekin.

This year, however, Oztekin is gone and Battaglia has had to adjust to the line without him.

"This year has been the biggest change for me. I always fed Oztekin the puck," he said. "I felt like it was my role to get him the puck. This year it's different because now I'm the one who the puck goes to."

Getting the puck to the co-captain hasn't been hard, especially with leading scorer Brian Consolino on the same line.

Battaglia's made his scoring mark last weekend, completing a hat trick against the University of Illinois. He has a total of 10 goals and 9 assists on the season.

Golembiewski said he doesn't feel that Battaglia looks at himself as a scorer.

"He's never had a very high mindset. I am very high on Sam, but I get the impression that he doesn't think that he is one of the most solid players on the team," Golembiewski said.

There is some truth to Battaglia's self-perception as a hockey player. However, he said he is a tenacious player and always works hard.

"I wouldn't say that I'm one of the most talented players, but I would like to think I'm making up for it with my hard work," Battaglia said.

Golembiewski said Battaglia is one of the best players the Icecats have had in four years, and not just in terms of statistics.

"He has a great work ethic and he cares as a hockey player," Golembiewski said. "He has a quiet intensity about him and has a good head on his shoulders. You've got to be impressed with him."

His hard work has paid off, but he said his college hockey years wouldn't be complete without a national title.

"The most difficult thing about playing hockey has been coming home after a national championship loss," he said.

Being one of the older players on the team and a fourth-year, Golembiewski has taught him several things.

"He's taught me to use my speed and to have patience with the puck," Battaglia said.

"He works on getting us hungry for the games."

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