University of Minnesota Athletics
Around the Dasher: Connor Reilly
12/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Dec. 7, 2015 
MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) -- GopherSports.com checked in with Minnesota alternate captain Connor Reilly for last weekend’s “Around the Dasher” Q&A.
A redshirt junior forward from Chanhassen, Minn., Reilly has skated in 74 career games at the University of Minnesota with 34 points (18 goals, 16 assists). He's skated in all 13 games this season with six points (one goal, five assists).
First off, you’ve had to work extremely hard to get to this point in your career – battling back from three injuries since you’ve been in college. Does that make you appreciate your abilities and how far you’ve come given what you have had to go through to get back here?
It’s been a long road just to get here that’s for sure. It literally takes two to three times as much work just to get back to normal when you are rehabbing from an injury – not to mention that you want to keep developing and progressing as a player like you normally would. It’s been a big commitment, but you appreciate the sacrifices when you see the results. It’s incredible just to be here and have the opportunity to work towards a common goal with the team.
One of your biggest supporters through all of this has been your twin brother, Ryan. Can you talk about how he pushed you and motivated you to get back here?
He calls himself my trainer. He always pushes me to be better and to work harder. Even the days that I was tired or hurting, he was there getting after me to keep going. He’s definitely my number one supporter, and we’re together all the time – same class schedule, same workout schedule. When you play on the same team, you naturally spend a lot of time together, but he’s always there to support me, and I really appreciate that.
You two have played together for around 20 years since you were both three years old. You went to Holy Angels together, went through juniors together in Sioux Falls and in Penticton and now you’re here at the University of Minnesota together. How important has that bond between you and Ryan been?
It means a lot to both of us and to our whole family. We support each other every step of the way, and we’ve been through it all together. I don’t think either of us would have made it this far without the other. In all likeliness, this is going to be the last year we get to play together, but we’re just enjoying the experience together. After all of these years, we’ve kind of gotten used to having each other around. Playing at this level together -- especially for the University of Minnesota…a place that means so much to our family -- has been really enjoyable and fulfilling.
The two of you came in as freshmen four years ago with your younger brother, Mikey. Was that a special experience for you three to come in together especially since your dad, also Mike, played here too?
We’re lucky that it worked out this way. We all knew that this is the program we wanted to play for growing up, and there was no chance we were going to pass it up once we got the opportunity. We all really respect the tradition and the success of this program, and we want to be part of something special.
The three brothers all went to China during the offseason as part of the University of Minnesota’s study abroad program. What was that like?
It was great. We all went to a country we had never been to and really didn’t know that much about before looking into it. We didn’t think about hockey or anything like that. We just went over there with the mindset that we wanted to see new places, meet new people and have new experiences. It’s something that we’ll never forget, and we’ll probably look back on it as one of the best times of our lives. We’re really grateful that we were able to do that together as brothers.
We’ve talked before about how all of your siblings have played college hockey at the Division I level including the three brothers and now your younger sister, Caitlin, at Minnesota. Your older sister, Shannon, played at Ohio State and was the first sibling to play college hockey. How important was she in everyone else’s development?
Shannon has always been our leader…she set the tone for us in school and in hockey. Since she was the first sibling to go through everything, she’s always been a great sounding board for the rest of us. She’s a great resource whether it was getting through freshman year or even now being a leader since she was also an alternate captain for the Buckeyes. She’s been a big help for all of us…no question.
Since you brought it up…how special was it for you to be named an alternate captain for this program prior to the start of the season?
It means a lot to me. I grew up idolizing this program and coming to games as a kid. To have an opportunity like this for the University of Minnesota is truly special. It’s a huge honor. Having the trust of my teammates and coaches has motivated me even more to be the best I can be and to do things the right way as a student-athlete.
A redshirt junior forward from Chanhassen, Minn., Reilly has skated in 74 career games at the University of Minnesota with 34 points (18 goals, 16 assists). He's skated in all 13 games this season with six points (one goal, five assists).
First off, you’ve had to work extremely hard to get to this point in your career – battling back from three injuries since you’ve been in college. Does that make you appreciate your abilities and how far you’ve come given what you have had to go through to get back here?
It’s been a long road just to get here that’s for sure. It literally takes two to three times as much work just to get back to normal when you are rehabbing from an injury – not to mention that you want to keep developing and progressing as a player like you normally would. It’s been a big commitment, but you appreciate the sacrifices when you see the results. It’s incredible just to be here and have the opportunity to work towards a common goal with the team.
One of your biggest supporters through all of this has been your twin brother, Ryan. Can you talk about how he pushed you and motivated you to get back here?
He calls himself my trainer. He always pushes me to be better and to work harder. Even the days that I was tired or hurting, he was there getting after me to keep going. He’s definitely my number one supporter, and we’re together all the time – same class schedule, same workout schedule. When you play on the same team, you naturally spend a lot of time together, but he’s always there to support me, and I really appreciate that.
You two have played together for around 20 years since you were both three years old. You went to Holy Angels together, went through juniors together in Sioux Falls and in Penticton and now you’re here at the University of Minnesota together. How important has that bond between you and Ryan been?
It means a lot to both of us and to our whole family. We support each other every step of the way, and we’ve been through it all together. I don’t think either of us would have made it this far without the other. In all likeliness, this is going to be the last year we get to play together, but we’re just enjoying the experience together. After all of these years, we’ve kind of gotten used to having each other around. Playing at this level together -- especially for the University of Minnesota…a place that means so much to our family -- has been really enjoyable and fulfilling.
The two of you came in as freshmen four years ago with your younger brother, Mikey. Was that a special experience for you three to come in together especially since your dad, also Mike, played here too?
We’re lucky that it worked out this way. We all knew that this is the program we wanted to play for growing up, and there was no chance we were going to pass it up once we got the opportunity. We all really respect the tradition and the success of this program, and we want to be part of something special.
The three brothers all went to China during the offseason as part of the University of Minnesota’s study abroad program. What was that like?
It was great. We all went to a country we had never been to and really didn’t know that much about before looking into it. We didn’t think about hockey or anything like that. We just went over there with the mindset that we wanted to see new places, meet new people and have new experiences. It’s something that we’ll never forget, and we’ll probably look back on it as one of the best times of our lives. We’re really grateful that we were able to do that together as brothers.
We’ve talked before about how all of your siblings have played college hockey at the Division I level including the three brothers and now your younger sister, Caitlin, at Minnesota. Your older sister, Shannon, played at Ohio State and was the first sibling to play college hockey. How important was she in everyone else’s development?
Shannon has always been our leader…she set the tone for us in school and in hockey. Since she was the first sibling to go through everything, she’s always been a great sounding board for the rest of us. She’s a great resource whether it was getting through freshman year or even now being a leader since she was also an alternate captain for the Buckeyes. She’s been a big help for all of us…no question.
Since you brought it up…how special was it for you to be named an alternate captain for this program prior to the start of the season?
It means a lot to me. I grew up idolizing this program and coming to games as a kid. To have an opportunity like this for the University of Minnesota is truly special. It’s a huge honor. Having the trust of my teammates and coaches has motivated me even more to be the best I can be and to do things the right way as a student-athlete.
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