Tech Tomorrow: Rockwell might be small, but he plays a big game
By Daver Karnosky – Daily Mining Gazette
dkarnosky@mininggazette.com
Editor's Note: This feature originally appeared in the August 11 edition of the Daily Mining Gazette.
HOUGHTON, Mich. – When looking at the Michigan Tech Huskies incoming hockey freshman Tyler Rockwell, a defenseman, one statistic stands out above all the rest: his height. Tyler stands just 5-foot-8, which is traditionally on the smaller side for a player of his position.
If you ask him about it, he looks at it as an advantage, rather than a detriment.
"I try to see the bright side of it," said Tyler. "You are smaller, but you get to be a lot more agile and quick when you are small and you can squeak through bigger players and use your leverage. I just try to use the advantages that come with being small."
Tyler is the second San Jose, California, native to join the Huskies in recent years. Max Vallis was the previous Huskies skater from the greater Bay Area.
Huskies fans should recognize Tyler's last name, after all, his father's (John) and mother's (Venus) names adorn the Wall of Fame in the MacInnes Student Ice Arena. A goaltender from 1975-79, the elder Rockwell appeared in 69 games for the Huskies, amassing a record of 38-27-0 with a 4.02 goals against average and a .892 save percentage.