It seems that Jason Lucarelli can succeed at whatever he puts his mind to — or his hockey stick or baseball bat. The Hamburg senior captained the varsity hockey team this season and led the Bulldogs through a challenging season to the semifinals, where they fell to Section VI small school runner-up Williamsville East.
In baseball, Lucarelli displays his athleticism everywhere — left field, the pitching mound, at the plate, and on the base paths.
Lucarelli loves sports, especially the bonds built with teammates and the one-on-one battles on the ice and on the diamond. He gave football a try last fall as well, and in Lucarelli’s words, “it was a blast.”
But athleticism isn’t all Lucarelli has. He plans to attend Canisius College next year on an academic scholarship — he’ll play club hockey there as well — and Hamburg hockey coach John McFall couldn’t say enough about the type of person, not just player, that Lucarelli is.
“He’s a top flight kid,” McFall said. “It’s not just the great athleticism; it’s the great leadership. He’s got all the character traits you want, from integrity to honesty to hard work, and it’s infectious with the guys around him. He’s got it, and he doesn’t flaunt it. I guess he’s got the character traits you want in kids. Makes you realize there’s hope.”
Lucarelli took some time after a baseball game earlier this spring to talk to Icing The Fed about his memories of playing sports from the time he was young — he started playing both baseball and hockey around age 3 — up through high school as well as his plans for the future.
What got you into baseball and hockey?
My older brothers — and my sister — they’re big into sports. They’re both good athletic guys, so those were the sports they played, so I just sort of picked up after them.
What did you love about hockey growing up?
I liked the speed of it. I like the sports that you’re always moving in, there’s always something to be doing, which baseball is a little bit different from that, and that’s always nice. It’s more relaxed, but it’s just as intense at the same time. But I would definitely say the intensity and the overall athleticism and skill set that you have to have to be successful at it.
What are some of your memories from playing hockey growing up?
I remember I played House for a good amount of time. I don’t have a ton of memories from that. It was just sort of what I did. And then I remember my first travel team was the Hamburg Hawks team, and I was on a line with [Hamburg Fed teammate Josh] Dake and Evan Hollfelder. I remember all three of us put up over 100 points that season, so that was definitely a good one. And then once high school hit, memories every day. Every single day. I couldn’t get enough of it.
What are some of your memories from playing baseball growing up?
I played Boston baseball. I live in Boston, so smaller league, so you knew everyone doing it, and it was really close. And I loved doing that. It was a close community through baseball, and you still know everyone through baseball, you still say hi to everyone. And then I started playing for the school, and that’s when I started to make friends with these guys, and last year was a pretty memorable season, going all the way to states. That was great.
What do you love about playing baseball?
It’s not the same kind of intensity as hockey, but it’s still got its own. I love that in any sport, especially our coaches, Steve Chaffee and Derek Hill, they always bring intensity. I love the one-on-one battle of it, like it’s you versus the pitcher or it’s you versus the hitter if you’re pitching. I love that.
Talk about your time playing hockey for Hamburg High School.
I couldn’t have had it any better, except for maybe playing another year. That’s about it. I’m glad I played my sophomore year because I got to be friends with all the seniors that graduated that year who I never got to play with before, and now I’m really still close with a lot of those guys. And that was a great learning experience for me, and I think it helped me so much moving up the next two years to become the leader and a much better player.
And then junior year, those seniors I played with my entire life. I played with them for the past 10 or 11 years, and those are some of my favorite guys in the world. And then my grade this year, I got to play with them and some of the younger guys that I’d never met before.
Probably my favorite thing about hockey is the relationships that I created with guys. It seems like you don’t get to do that in any other sport like you do with hockey.
Do you want to talk about this year a little bit? I know you guys had a little bit tougher season playing up against the large schools, but you still had a pretty good season.
This year, I knew it was gonna be tough because I remember we were at a baseball game and our athletic director came and he said, “They’re doing a vote to see if we move up.”
And at first I was like, “Aww, really?”
I knew we were losing a lot of seniors, so I don’t know if this would be the best thing. It ended up going through so there was really nothing we could do about it, but in the end I’m really glad that we did because you get a lot more credit for winning those games and playing against those teams than you would if you played in the lower division. And I’m glad I got to play against the highest competition I could because there’s no regrets that way.
Is there a game or a moment from this season that you’re never gonna forget?
I remember the games against teams that we never really played before that we either tied or won. The very first game that we started competing was Clarence, I remember. We just lost that game by one, and we won the second time we played Clarence. They’re a really good team. But I thought we just dominated them that game. I think we won 5-3 or 5-2 or something [actual score was 4-1], and that’s when I knew we could play with anyone and beat anyone, so that was a big memory for me this year.
And what are some of your high school memories from playing baseball?
Baseball goes a lot longer because I started from JV for freshman and sophomore year, and then it would go into, we had a CEBA league, so that was all these guys, and I remember it just didn’t really stop for about six months. And then we’d pick it back up in November indoors. You spend a lot of time with these guys, and I think relationships are another big thing because I remember watching them and being like, “Wow, these guys are seriously good. I wonder how we’re gonna be.”
And then we got there, and now we’re up here, and last year was incredible. I’ve never played on such a dominant team. We went all that way, and this year we’re hoping to do the same thing.
Why did you decide on Canisius College?
They gave me a pretty good academic scholarship, and then it was between that and Brockport, and with staying at home and commuting at Canisius, it was a lot less money than living at Brockport. And they got a good DI club team I’m gonna go for. The coach contacted me about it, so that was a big part of it.
What do you know about their hockey team going in? What attracted you to that?
I know their varsity DI team is still top of the country, and I’m guessing that trickles down, and I know they played UB and beat them, and I know UB did really good this year, so anywhere I could play hockey, I’m happy to go.
Is there anything else you want to say about playing hockey and baseball for Hamburg and your coaches for each?
Absolutely the best thing I’ve ever done with my life, no doubt, play sports. I recommend it to everyone. Play as many sports as you can. I played football this year just because, and it was a blast. I got some good playing time, and it was a lot of fun. Those are memories, and nothing can take that away from you.
And my coaches — McFall, one of my favorite coaches. One of the nicest guys. And then these two [Chaffee and Hill] are probably the best coaches I’ve ever seen for baseball. It’s incredible what they can do with teams. Still loving every moment of it; trying to squeeze the last bit out.
Interview with Lucarelli after a 4-1 win over Clarence in a game that he’ll never forget:
Photo credit: Bertram Smith