« DI Hockey 2012-13

Steven Spinell

School
Miami (Ohio)
Position
Defense
Major
Finance
G
1
A
12
PTS
13
+/-
+15

Classroom

Spinell carries a 3.26 GPA, which is third-best on the team, while majoring in finance in Miami’s Farmer School of Business, which is ranked one of the top 10 business schools in the country. He has earned Dean’s List once during his career in the fall of 2009.

Character

Spinell has shown great leadership and courage during his time at Miami. He was chosen to be the lone team captain this season by Miami’s coaches for his strong work ethic and responsibility. Even prior to being named captain, he was making sure players were attending off-season workouts and took on a leadership role without being asked. He showed great courage earlier this season in helping Miami create a video for the You Can Play Project (http://youcanplayproject.org/), which supports LGBT athletes and says they have just as much right to play sports as anyone. The idea stems from former team manager Brendan Burke, who was openly gay and was killed in a car accident in 2010. Spinell and the rest of the team have carried on his message through the video. Spinell has also played a leadership role in the Jr. Brotherhood program, which pits Miami’s hockey team with a local youth team and helps teach them skills such as leadership and responsibility.

Community

Spinell has been very active in the community, taking part in several projects along with his teammates. Earlier this year he volunteered at the local state-to-state marathon. Last year, he took part in Swoop’s Stoop, a program created by former teammate Cody Reichard, by visiting and playing with sick children in the hospital in Cincinnati. He has also taken part in Miami’s annual Therapeutic Disabilities Skate with the disabled, served food to community members at Rico’s Ristorante and skated with fans as part of Skate with the ‘Hawks Night.

Competition

Spinell has played in 113 career games, including all 41 last year and has started all four so far this year. He played on Miami’s second D pair last year and is Miami’s top defenseman this season. He has 25 points in his career, including 22 assists with one goal in each of his first three seasons. He has posted a +50 rating for his career, including +19 as a sophomore. Spinell has blocked 128 shots in his career, including a team-best 70 last year, while logging three multi-point games in his career. He was named CCHA Defensive Player of the Week once last year and has played on a penalty kill unit ranked in the top 10 nationally each of the last three years.