There is no truth to the rumor that Denver defenseman Erich Fear will finish a doctorate by graduation day.

Still, it wouldn’t surprise his teammates if that was the case. The senior completed his undergrad degree in finance (with a 3.97 gpa) after the winter quarter earlier this year and is on track to finish a masters in accountancy in June.

“He was the most improved player on the team last year while doing all these things,” Pioneers assistant captain and fellow Tyson McLellan said. “He graduated in three years and is probably the smartest guy I’ve been around who’s my age. It’s impressive to see how he handles his time yet makes time for everything and excels at everything.”

After two seasons in and out of DU’s lineup, Fear emerged as a reliable top-six D and penalty killer last season. He played in 38 games after just 26 combined during his freshman and sophomore seasons.

“His level of confidence has continued to rise every year he’s been here,” DU coach David Carle said. “He’s found a niche in our lineup. He’s real proud of the role he has on our team.

“Erich’s put in the time and the work to get there. It hasn’t been easy, and for that we’re really proud of him. It’s been a remarkable journey for him.”

The key word for Fear is work, fellow senior defenseman Michael Davies added.

“He works hard at everything he does. It’s crazy that he’s got the same work ethic whether it’s hockey or it’s school or work,” Davies said. “It helps that he’s a very bright guy. When you work that hard you’re going to be successful at whatever you do, and he’s definitely on his way to that.”

No summer vacation

This past summer Fear worked overtime, and that’s not an exaggeration, to prepare for his final season.

Up at dawn to lift weights, he then traveled to downtown Denver to work an internship with Sustainable Living Partners, a construction technology space that looks for new ways to manufacture construction components.

“A different take on real estate development,” Fear said. “A lot of the projects I was helping them with coming up with fundraising both for projects and the corporate level, helping with budgeting and forecasting, figuring out what resources were needed in the coming year and how to fund those.”

From there, Fear would return to campus, try to get a skate in and attend a graduate school classes at night.

“I wanted to complement to my finance studies so I’ve got a broader overview of business,” Fear added. “I saw the opportunity to take advantage of being ahead so I could get a bachelors and masters while I was here.”

So hockey season, which continues this season with a home-and-home series against Colorado College, with a four-hour block dedicated for practice and related activities and more grad classes is almost a relief.

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But Fear’s commitment to his teammates doesn’t end when the skates come off.

“I don’t know what his secret is. I don’t know how he does it,” sophomore Kyle Mayhew said. “He still manages to help other people with their schoolwork. He’ll have all his stuff done and other people will ask him if he can help with their accounting class. He’s always able to help.”

Late start to season

It’s no stretch to call the 6-foot-4 Fear calculated. However, the Fear plan had to overcome one disruption to start the season – an injury that forced Fear to miss the first 10 games. Yes, that allowed the Pioneers to get players such as Mayhew (who finished last season playing forward) and freshman Justin Lee some reps on the blue line, but Fear’s defensive acumen and leadership were missed.

“He’s calmed everything down for me,” said Mayhew, Fear’s D partner. “He’s always talking to me on the ice and talking to me on the bench, just giving me support. So he’s real calming influence on the bench.”

For a player who has been able to navigate the complexities of academia – and the business world – fairly seamlessly, Fear follows a basic formula as he worked toward his return.

“It’s always tough to go through an injury, and you don’t want that especially to start your senior year,” Fear said. “I just tried to stay in it mentally and with conditioning while I was out.

“Once I could get back, it was matter of getting my hockey legs back. I feel like I’m getting back to my game, trying to be physical, trying to do good things defensively, angling guys away, taking away time and space and picking pucks up.”

Mayhew said Fear’s approach has helped him grow in his game as well.

“He’s always reminding me to keep it simple,” Mayhew said. “And that’s what we do really well when we play together. Play D, get pucks up to the forwards, get it out of the zone. Play simple, play fast.”

A boon to the blue line, and a friend and helper to teammates, Fear’s influence doesn’t end there, Carle said.

“People who know him, it’s not surprising he can manage it,” the coach said. “He’s a really impressive young man. Has a good head on his shoulders.

“Members of our staff will have coffee with him and we’ll come back feeling like we’ve learned something. He’s a bright young man and he’s totally team first. He loves being a Pioneer. He adds a lot of value to our program because of the person he and the player he is.”

©First Line Editorial 2019