SCSU FEATURE STORY: NATE AND STACY DEY
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
by Tom Reale, SCSU Athletic Media Relations
For the last four seasons, the Dey family name has been synonymous with St. Cloud State hockey. Seniors Stacy and Nate Dey, sister and brother, have spent the last four years carving their own places in Husky history, each with their own set of accomplishments for their respective teams – both of which are ranked among the nation’s top college teams this season (SCSU men are #13 and the SCSU women are #9/10).
Nate, who was Minnesota’s 2003 Mr. Hockey recipient, has established himself as leader on the men’s squad as part of the team’s top scoring line for the past two seasons. He was the rookie of the year after his first season at St. Cloud, and was also the MVP of the 2006 Catamount Cup in Vermont last season. Nate currently has nine goals and seven assists this season for the #13 ranked Huskies. In his career, Dey has posted 29 goals and 45 assists in 144 games at SCSU (thru Jan. 15).
Stacy, the younger sibling by about a year-and-a-half, has settled in as an important factor on defense for the women’s team as a stay-at-home blueliner. Like her brother, she lettered in three different sports at North St. Paul High School. Stacy has three assists this season in 20 games, and she has charted one goal and eight assists in 101 games as a Husky. She credits her brother as the greatest influence on her career, but a push from her father got her into the game at the beginning.
“Nate was playing hockey for a couple of years before I did,” Stacy said, “and one day my dad came home and said ‘oh, I signed you up for hockey.’ So that was it, I decided to go ahead and give it a try. I’d watched Nate but I was unsure at first. After I started, though, it kind of snowballed from there.”
As the older sibling, Nate made his decision to come to St. Cloud before Stacy did, but they arrived on campus at the same time because of Nate’s playing time in the USHL for the Green Bay Gamblers after high school.
“Nate decided before I did that he was coming here, and that was kind of a helping factor, but then I came here for my visit,” Stacy said. “I loved the school and the business program, and the facilities are so nice. St. Cloud is close to home but it’s not too close, so it was a nice fit.”
“Some people think it would be a huge deal,” Nate said, “especially since we’re at the same school, but it wasn’t for either of us. I think it just makes us both more comfortable here.”
“It’s nice to have her here with me, and I was glad to hear it when she said she was coming to St. Cloud too. It’s good for us being comfortable here, but it was also good for our parents to be able to come by and see us.”
Their parents, Peter and Roxanne, are at every home game – at least one of them can be found in the crowd at the National Hockey Center.
“They switch off each weekend,” Stacy said. “When my dad comes up to see me play one weekend, my mom will go to Nate’s games.”
In addition to sharing a passion for hockey, the Deys also have something else in common – the same major, finance.
“We’ve always had classes together all four years,” Stacy said, “and that helps out a lot with homework. When we travel, one of us will be gone and the other can collect notes while they’re in class. It’s always seemed to work out nice that we’re both here.”
That means they tend to see each other quite a bit on a day-to-day basis.
“There are a few minor differences in our schedule but for the most part we end up together a lot,” Nate said.
Some sets of siblings wouldn’t be able to stand being around each other so much at college, but Stacy says that all of the cooperation is very much a positive aspect for both of them.
“It doesn’t wear on me at all, in fact it helps out a lot. If I don’t get something, Nate usually gets it.”
“We’ve always been pretty close. We never really fought that much because we’re really close in age. I kind of tagged along with him and his friends.”
The same can’t really be said for ice time, though.
“We don’t get much of a chance to skate together because we usually practice at the exact same time,” Stacy said, “So up here we’re never on the ice together, and back home, Nate’s not usually home for Christmas that often because of the men’s schedule. We didn’t really skate together in high school either. Maybe when we were younger, a little pond hockey, but we haven’t had much of an opportunity to play together.”
The separation on the ice hasn’t stopped them from seeing each other play, though it’s not as often as each would seem to like.
“I see Nate’s games quite a bit,” said Stacy. “I see maybe six or seven games a year, and when we get a weekend off I get a chance to see both games in a weekend. He doesn’t get to see me as often because when we’re both at home, we play first and the men’s team has pre-game meals and meetings during my games, so he might get a chance to see four or so games in a year.”
Surely, there must be some interesting childhood stories of a brother and sister close in age growing up both playing hockey, but neither Nate nor Stacy could think of any right away when asked.
“We’re pretty normal,” Nate said. “I can’t really think of anything that stands out.”
“Me either!” agreed Stacy.
Both will undoubtedly have plenty of tales to tell from their days at St. Cloud State, such as – Nate’s game-winner against Duluth in the Final Five, Stacy’s role on some of the most successful teams in SCSU history during her sophomore and senior years, just to scratch the surface…
