FRASER, Mich. – Brian Tallieu played three years with the Metro Jets, calling the organization his second family.
Next season, as the team’s 26th NCAA commitment since 2015, the 21-year-old Davison native will play at Lawrence University, a school in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association located in Appleton, Wis.
There, Tallieu will join senior forward Jake Drinkard, a former Jet who played with the team from 2014-16.
“Lawrence has a really close bond within the hockey program, similar to what the Jets have,” said Tallieu. “Appleton has everything that makes it feel like home. It’s a blessing to go to school with someone like Jake who will be there. I grew up playing hockey with his brother Nick (also a Jet this past season) and I know his family very well. It’s also exciting that I’ll be going to school with him and a few other guys from Michigan as well.”
Tallieu said he’s excited to see what college life entails, both on and off the ice.
“Going in as a freshman, I want to play with a lot of energy to help the team in any way and I also want to develop my game,” Tallieu said. “I plan to major in economics with either a minor or concentration in innovation and entrepreneurship. I’ve taken a few college classes at the local community college to help me stay in the mix of things on the school aspect, but I think going back full-time will take a couple weeks to adjust.”
Coming to the Jets as a rookie in 2016-17, Tallieu was part of the Jets team that romped to a record 47-0 regular season and a berth in the national championship game. In 2017-18, he formed a goalie tandem with Andrew Kormos, backstopping the Jets to the national championship. This past season, Tallieu played alongside Fredrik Meurling as the Jets again ran the table on the way to earning a shot in the national championship game.
“We would like to congratulate ‘Tally’ on his NCAA commitment,” said Jets coach-GM Justin Quenneville. “He is not only deserving but took his time to find the right fit for him. Lawrence is a top-notch program and they will be receiving a top-notch person. Not only did he develop into one of the top junior goalies in the country, but Tally did it with first class every step of the way. He is a patient goalie who worked hard, had a positive attitude and was a perfect teammate to the players every season.
“He will be joining the incredible group of goalies that are now playing college hockey after graduating from our program, and (Jets assistant coach and goaltending coach) Randy Wilson was a big reason for that.”
Wilson said seeing Tallieu’s yearly progression led him to college opportunities.
“I couldn’t be happier for ‘Tally,’” said Wilson. “When Brian first came to the Jets, he had a very good hybrid style for a goalie that really appealed to me as a goaltending coach. I knew that there was definitely something there to work with. I was hard on him because he had the ceiling to work with and needed to match the intensity at our level. To his credit, he has always displayed a strong character and work ethic in his approach to his craft as a goalie.
“He is highly competitive and a consistent junior goaltender, worthy of an NCAA opportunity. I have complete confidence that Tally will not only succeed in class at Lawrence University, but also prove to be a valuable and accomplished asset to their team’s goaltending. In Tally, Lawrence is gaining an incoming freshman player that brings a very good work ethic, moral character and a team-first attitude.
“I’m proud of him and we wish him all the best in his future, both in his hockey and his academics.”
At the end of the day, Tallieu said that making the decision to play in Fraser has paid dividends.
“Playing for the Metro Jets for the past three years was a phenomenal experience,” said Tallieu. “I can’t thank the organization, rink staff, volunteers, family, and friends enough for helping me shape the person I am today in and outside of the rink and taking my game to the next level. I would like to personally thank Randy Wilson for the dedication he puts on the ice for developing myself and many other amazing goaltenders.
“I will remember a lot of things from my time at Metro, like going to China and representing the USA and winning bronze, three consecutive national championship games, and a perfect regular season. But what I will remember most is winning the national championship.”
