41
with my teachers and kind of explained the situation
as best as I could do for them ― that there could be a
possibility of me leaving (for the pros).
"It set the table so when our season ended, I was
able to shoot them e-mails, 'Hey, this is what we talk-
ed about early in the semester and this is what is go-
ing to happen."'
The reception was very positive and supportive.
"I think they were appreciative that I came to
them early enough and I wasn't throwing all of this
at them the last second," Mersch said. "It's insane
when you reach out to people on this campus and
you make and establish a relationship how far they
are willing to go to help you ― whether you're an
athlete or not."
Mersch had an exam proctored in New Hampshire.
Weaver-Klees arranged for Kerdiles to have an exam
proctored by one of her counterparts at Old Domin-
ion University in Norfolk.
"The same thing with Frankie (Simonelli)," she
said. "We had to reach out to someone at Brown Uni-
versity (in Providence). Now, I don't know anyone in
Belarus who can be a proctor, I'm sorry."
The reference was to McCabe. After Buffalo's sea-
son ended, he joined Team USA, which is currently
playing in the World Championships in Minsk, Be-
larus.
"All of his professors know what's going on," Weav-
er-Klees said.
Everyone has a slightly different set of problems,
she also acknowledged. But they're solving them.
"They've just all handled it in a very grown-up and
amazing way," she said.
Once the door is open to these players to come
back and finish up work on their degree, the door
stays open for however long it takes to make that de-
cision to return.
"I like people to know that I went to school not
just for my development as a hockey player," Kerdil-
es said. "It also gave me the ability to learn and grow
as a person. That's why I chose college."
That's why he specifically chose Wisconsin. And
that's why he wants to leave this semester in good
standing academically. "I want those credits pretty
badly," he said. "I want that degree."
Within a matter of months, Mersch will have his.
"I'm almost there right now and it means every-
thing," he said. "When you have that degree, it sets
you up for a life of opportunity."
Puck luck is temporary; puck smart is forever.
PHOTOS: STEPHEN M. BENNETT STUDENT-ATHLETE PERFORMANCE CENTER
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