Ullrich Recalls Small-Town Roots As He Thrives At Sait:

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Ullrich recalls small-town roots as he thrives at Sait

by Sait ice hockey | Added 2010-01-07

As resort towns go, Banff is a world-class destination, attracting tourists from around the globe. As hometowns go, Vernon Vipers grad Mike Ullrich wouldn’t have wanted to grow up anywhere else.

Behind Banff’s tourist trappings is a mountain town with a permanent population of about 7,500, with a community that’s as tightly knit as a winter toque. And Ullrich, the smooth, skilled centre with the SAIT Trojans men’s hockey squad, is proud to call himself a Banffite.

“When I grew up, it definitely was a hockey town, and it made it a lot more fun as a young player that the game was taken seriously,” says Ullrich, 23. “It definitely gave me confidence, maybe more than I would have had in the city, because I knew the environment I was playing in.

“It’s an intimate atmosphere there. When you go there for vacation, you don’t notice it as much,” adds Ullrich. “But when you live there, you know everyone around . . . at school, on the hockey teams, it’s a pretty close atmosphere.”

Ullrich, a 6-2, 200-pound pivot, moved to Calgary at 13. He took the long way back to the Stampede City after playing ‘AAA’ midget with the northwest Flames early this decade, skating for the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes and BCHL’s Vernon Vipers in junior before briefly turning pro during the 2007-08 season with the ECHL’s Pensacola Ice Pilots.

“I was enjoying it down there, but I started thinking about school,” he says. “I considered the (University of Calgary), but it seemed like SAIT was a better fit.”

Ullrich, whose family is in the hotel industry, enrolled in SAIT’s hospitality management program in 2008-09, laced up his skates, and was paired up with fellow Trojans newcomer Blake Robson, a former draft choice of the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers.

Together, the pair made a deadly combination up front. Ullrich finished second in ACAC point production, with 47, and Robson placed third, with 46, as the Men of Troy captured their third straight ACAC title.

“He’s a great skater, he’s a big guy, and he’s got a ton of skill,” says Robson (4th-year eligibility, Calgary, geomatics engineering, CIS St. F-X). “He’ll beat a guy one-on-one, and be in the open just like that, because of his size and speed.”

This season, despite being separated as linemates in early November, Robson (17-21—38) and Ullrich (12-19—31) are one-two in ACAC scoring.

Trojans head coach Ken Babey is particularly impressed by Ullrich’s meticulous preparation and serious attitude.

“He works his butt off every game, every practice. And when you combine that hard work with his skill set, he’s a pretty dynamic hockey player,” says Babey.

“He’s got one of the highest skill sets I’ve seen in the whole league . . . and he’s one of our better backcheckers. When one of your best players is doing that, it says a lot to the rest of the team.”

Preparation? Attitude? Ullrich says he doesn’t know any other way, on the ice or in the classroom.

“That’s how I’ve always been,” says Ullrich. “It’s still fun, of course, but I’ve never taken the game lightly, and I wanted to apply myself in school and see what I could do.”