Profile
#22 Zach Stacy
| Biographical Information | |
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| Height: 6' 0" Weight: 180 lbs. Position: Forward Shoots: Left | Hometown: O'Fallon, MO Age: 40 Year: Sophomore Major: Business |
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Zach Stacy is a pure goalscorer if ever there were such a player. But what is a pure goalscorer?
It's a rare category of players. Former St. Louis Blues goaltender Mike Liut defined a pure goalscorer as "a guy who gets a chance and scores." In Zach Stacy, the UMSL Rivermen are lucky to have such a dangerous weapon. When Zach gets a chance, he's money - Stacy led the Rivermen in shooting percentage in '05-06 (36.1%), ringing up an astonishing 45.1% mark during the regular season on his way to claiming the GPCIHL scoring title.
Stacy is deadly from everywhere. He is shifty and lightning-quick. He employs a deep repertoire of fakes, highlight-reel moves, and a shot that is hard and accurate, whether it's a backhand from the doorstep or a slap shot from 75 feet.
During the 2005-06 GPCIHL season, Stacy was the league's leading goalscorer (41) and point producer (55).
But labeling him a pure goalscorer might not be accurate. Zach is much more than just a shooter.
He is the complete package offensively: dangerous in space and in traffic, as a setup man or a finisher.
Stacy is naturally gifted, but he is also a refined player with a well-rounded set of skills, all based on his impeccably solid skating balance. Crunchy Zach has all the tools, and he uses them to his full advantage. He is an exceptionally smart, intuitive player.
He combines magic hands and hyper-perception with blinding speed and ankle-breaking quickness. That much is obvious. But Stacy also does the practical things that make the spectacular possible. He forechecks, backchecks, and kills penalties with tenacity. As a defensive player -- in transition, in the zone, and on the penalty kill -- he is absolutely top-notch.
And he's a lethal clutch scorer. Zach finished tied for first in points (14) at the '06 GPCIHL DII tournament, and scored with 1:20 left in the championship game to force overtime. Zach was a difference-maker in the dramatic two-goal comeback, as he scored the equalizer sixteen seconds after winning a battle to set up Jake Shepard for the goal that pulled UMSL to within one.
At the national championship tournament, Stacy had four multiple-point games, finishing with 11 points (8-3) in seven games while helping UMSL reach the final.
Along the way, he scored some memorable goals.
But the play of the season may have been Zach's assist on Jake Shepard's second-period goal against Maine.
Left alone with the puck in the offensive zone during a line change, Zach was surrounded by defenders below the goal line. He repeatedly beat the Maine defenders along the endboards, losing and regaining the puck once, leaving two Black Bears sprawling, and beating one of his three opponents four separate times.
Finally with a lane to the net and a trailing teammate from the bench, Stacy approached the near-side post from the left-wing corner. "Oh my God, he's crunchy!" yelled Will Roestel, as Stacy faked a pass to the short side. The split-second deke sent Maine goaltender Drew Borkovitz diving to his right to stop a centering feed that never came. In half a blink, Zach flashed back behind the net and wrapped the puck around his forehand side, where Jake Shepard was waiting on the doorstep to bang it home.
Shepard had better score there, because Stacy had just made the most ridiculous play I have ever seen to set him up.
His highlight reel could be a half-hour long. As it is, Rivermen Reels No. 6: They Call Him Crunchy is an epic ten minutes, and does a decidedly mediocre job of conveying the magnitude of Zach Stacy's talent.
It's hard to believe Zach's UMSL career is just two years old, because he was a star from the moment he arrived. In his first career game, he scored twice, and the next day, he notched his first hat trick. He made an instant impact, and hasn't slowed down at all. In 66 career games, he has scored 96 goals and rolled up 138 points. With 25 goals and 38 points in 20 career postseason games, he has already proven himself to be a crunch-time performer with a penchant for scoring in the clutch.
As a freshman, Zach stepped up in the season's most crucial moments despite being UMSL's youngest player.
At the '05 NCRHA Winter Invitational in Detroit, less than three months into his collegiate career, Stacy had points in all six of UMSL's games. He scored at least one goal in each of the team's first five Winters contests, including the third-period equalizer in a 1-1 tie with Towson and the third-period game-winner in a 2-1 victory over Maryland.
In the first round of the '05 NCRHA National Championship Tournament in Fort Collins, Colo., the Rivermen fell into a 3-0 second-period hole against Hofstra before Stacy combined with James Wetton to nearly take over the game.
Stacy tied the score 3-3 in the second period, then fed Wetton for a shorthanded goal that gave the Rivermen their first lead. Hofstra reclaimed the lead 5-4, but Stacy scored back-to-back third-period goals to give UMSL a 6-5 edge.
Hofstra would come back in the closing minutes to win 7-6, but Stacy's clutch scoring should have made the difference.
The finish was disappointing, but the freshman phenom had shown his crunch-time ability. It was a sign of great things to come.
In 2005-06, Stacy claimed the Great Plains Div. II scoring championship -- both in the regular season and at the league tournament.
In '06-07, he is again shooting for his first national championship. If UMSL wins it all, Stacy will have led the way. He is one of the nation's top players. 2006-07
GPCIHL Regional Championship Tournament (March 4): Zach was as clutch as ever in UMSL's biggest game of the season to date . . . Scored the game's pivotal goal, shorthanded, in the second period of the GPCIHL DII championship-clinching victory over Truman State . . . Gave the Rivermen a 4-1 lead exactly halfway through the game after putting on a show for 42 seconds of unbelievable individual penalty-killing . . . Assisted on Eric Thompson's first-period goal in UMSL's semifinal win over Wash U.
Fifth GPCIHL Event Weekend (Feb. 10-11): Sat out the three-game weekend with a minor illness.
Fourth GPCIHL Event Weekend (Feb. 3-4): Crunchy was the Rivermen's top clutch performer of the biggest regular-season weekend in recent memory . . . Scored a critical pair of late-third-period goals to lead UMSL to a 5-3 win over Saint Louis in the weekend finale . . . Scored twice against Wash U . . . Scored a pair of goals against Missouri State, the 99th and 100th of his career; before No. 99, the normally quiet, reserved Stacy skated past the UMSL bench and announced he'd be scoring in about ten seconds . . . It took 11 or 12, depending on who you believe . . . Zach proved once again that when the games really count, he is UMSL's best forward.
Third GPCIHL Event Weekend (Jan. 20-21): As is his custom, Zach avoided the spotlight in a cakewalk weekend during which his Crunchiness was not really needed . . . Had a shorthanded goal against Western Illinois, and finished with three points in four blowout wins.
Second GPCIHL Event Weekend (Nov. 18-19): Zach was dominant again, especially during his three-goal, four-point performance Saturday afternoon vs. Missouri State in the biggest game of the weekend . . . UMSL won 7-5 after Stacy scored twice in the third period, both times extending one-goal UMSL leads to two . . . Also scored the team's first goal of the game to cut a 2-0 deficit in half during the first period . . . Did not play Saturday night vs. Kansas State . . . Scored his fourth goal of the weekend in Sunday's win vs. Western Kentucky . . . Now leads team with seven goals. GPCIHL Opening Weekend (Nov. 4-5): Stacy had a solid weekend, including a phenomenal effort Sunday morning against Wash U during which he racked up a hat trick and five points and clearly carried his team to victory . . . Finished weekend with six points (3-3) . . . Scored third-period, tie-breaking, game-winning goal in 8-6 win vs. Wash U, completing his hat trick when he intercepted a pass and scored on a breakaway to give UMSL a 7-6 lead with 4:02 to play.
GAME LOG
2005-06 ZACH STACY IN THE TOP TEN NATIONALLY
POSTSEASON
Tied for first in scoring at GPCIHL DII tournament (7 goals, 14 points). In the championship game vs. Wash U, Stacy scored with 1:23 left in regulation to tie the score 4-4 and force overtime.
Stacy had a season-high four assists in UMSL's semifinal win over Truman State.
Zach scored the clincher in UMSL's 10-0, first-period mercy of Kansas State - on his backhand, with one hand.
GREAT PLAINS
Jan. 21-22: Four goals in the second-semester opener, a 13-3 win over Washington U, matching his total first-semester goal output in just one game . . . Later that day, put up four points (3-1), including his second consecutive hat trick, in 10-0 win over SEMO . . . Sunday morning, had a career-high five goals and eight points in 12-2 win over K-State . . . Two goals Sunday afternoon against Wash U. gave Stacy 14 goals, 18 points for the weekend.
Feb. 4-5: Opened weekend vs. Truman with his fourth hat trick in five games, plus an assist . . . Three points Saturday vs. K-State (2-1) and Sunday vs. SIUC (1-2) . . . Matched career-high with five goals Sunday against K-State . . . finished with 11 goals, 15 points for the weekend.
Feb. 11-12: Put up his second consecutive five-goal effort in weekend opener vs. SIUC . . . three points (2-1) Saturday vs. Missouri State . . . Recorded his seventh hat trick of the season Sunday vs. SIUC . . . Three points (2-1) in season-ending win over SLU gave Stacy the league title in goals (41) and points (55).
Video Highlights
Zach Stacy Highlight 1: Stacy scores a spectacular breakaway goal off of a turnover at center (2/12/06 vs. SIUC).
Zach Stacy Highlight 2: Stacy carries from deep in the UMSL zone and unleashes a cannon (2/4/06 vs. Truman State).
Zach Stacy Highlight 3: Stacy makes an amazing play to score a first-period shorthanded goal, despite being thoroughly outnumbered (2/12/06 vs. Saint Louis).
Zach Stacy Highlight 4: Stacy scores three goals in UMSL's 8-6 win over Wash U (11/5/06).
Video Extra
UMSL forward Zach Stacy (22) does his best Peter Forsberg impression.
April 8, 2006
UM-St. Louis vs. Maine
NCRHA Div. II Quarterfinal
Rivermen Reels No. 6: They Call Him Crunchy
May 26, 2006
Length: 10:00
Music: The Used (three songs)
Hosted by Google
UM - St. Louis inline hockey forward Zach Stacy is featured in "They Call Him Crunchy," a ten-minute highlight video featuring clips from UMSL games at the 2006 College Roller Hockey National Championships and the 2005-06 Great Plains Collegiate Inline Hockey League season.
Crunchy Time: Crunchy Zach dangles, and Ben Lambert tells the UMSL bench what time it is.
(UMSL/Meramec scrimmage, March '06).
2004-05
31 goals (18th in the nation) in 26 games . . . Set a club freshman record with 31 goals in just 26 games . . . took a team-low two penalties all season . . . one of five Rivermen to score a shorthanded goal . . . four game-winners ranked second on the team (Will Roestel, 5) . . . 19 points (12-7) in nine league games ranked 13th in the league . . . 12 league goals were third among GP DII freshmen (behind WU's Jim Jost and Zane Truman) . . . 13 points (10-3) in eight postseason games . . . hat trick in 7-6 NCRHA Tournament loss to Hofstra . . . two goals in 6-1 GPCIHL championship win over Wash-U . . . scored twice and had an assist in GPCIHL semifinal win over Truman State . . . Six points (3-3) in 11-1 thrashing of K-State (2-3-5 in 1st per.) . . . Was a huge part of UMSL's success at the NCRHA Winter Invitational, scoring at least a point in all six games . . . Goals in each of the first five Winters games (four wins, tie) . . . Third-period goal to salvage 1-1 tie with Towson, 2g/1a in 9-0 win vs. Colorado, goal in 7-1 win vs. Illinois State, third-period GWG in 2-1 victory vs. Maryland, hat trick in 5-1 victory vs. Michigan, assist in 4-1 semifinal loss vs. Eastern Michigan . . . Hat trick, assist in third game of his career, a 7-3 win over Western Illinois (10/24) . . scored twice in his Rivermen debut, a 10-1 win over SEMO (10/23). High School: Francis Howell North '04
2002
17 points (7-10) in 14 games, tied for 20th in division . . . team won division championship, and finished third in the state . . . was the Knights' third-leading scorer with five points (1-5) in playoffs. |