ICE HOCKEY, GOLF
Favorite athlete: Sidney Crosby
Favorite team: Penguins
Favorite memory competing in sports: Winning states.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: Accidentally cutting myself with a scissors while taping my stick. It left a big gash.
Music on playlist: Drake, Bossman D Low, Future.
Future plans: Attend college.
Words to live by: “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
One goal before turning 30: Buy a house.
One thing people don’t know about me: I like to golf.
By GORDON GLANTZ
Nolan Shingle prefers to blast the music of Drake, Bossman D Low and Future through the locker room speaker to get his teammates fired up.
That means the North Penn senior knows not much of the music of the legendary Joni Mitchell.
However, he could likely relate well to the Canadian folk singer-songwriter’s “Both Sides Now,” released all the way back in 1966 and again in 1969 after Judy Collins had a hit with it.
No need for him to dial up the song on Spotify. He has lived it.
Playing on the ice hockey team for Kevin Vaitis, Shingle has gone from the depths of despair on a squad that could barely muster a win his freshman year to experiencing the ultimate euphoria of winning the Flyers Cup and the state championship last year as a junior.
“Freshman year, we were last in the league,” reflected Shingle. “It’s not fun to lose every game. I got to see what it’s like to be on a team that loses every game.”
As much as that experience had an impact, Shingle also pointed to his sophomore season as a vital learning experience.
The Knights were involved a brawl with Central Bucks East in the SHSHL playoffs that led to multiple suspensions and an abrupt exit from the Flyers Cup tournament.
“My sophomore year, we had the tools to make a deep run,” said Shingle. “There was a big fight at the end of our SHSHL playoff game, and a lot of people got suspended for our Flyers Cup game.”
The undermanned Knights still had a 1-0 lead over Haverford but faded in the final period of an eventual 5-1 loss that left a lot of bitter thoughts about what could have been.
“I got to see a team that had talent and the ability to win but just couldn’t,” said Shingle.
Last year, all the pieces just fell perfectly into place for the Knights at the right time. All the lessons learned from being at the bottom of the league and then the frustrating exit from the Flyers Cup the next year came to fruition.
“I feel like most of that just transferred over to last year,” said Shingle. “That’s when it just all kind of clicked. We had games that we maybe had no right winning, but we did. That was kind of the key to our success. We definitely felt like we were a good team. Once we won the Flyers Cup, it never really got real until that third period against Council Rock South. That’s when it was, like, ‘Wow, we can win both the Flyers Cup and win states.’”
Leading the Way
The son of Bryan and Jennifer Shingle sits near the top of the overall stat sheet for the Knights, who feature a deep and balanced attack (seven players with double digit points) and were undefeated through their first nine SHSHL games.
Two of his seven goals – to go along with 7 assists -- have been on the power play and two are shorthanded.
Additionally, he brings a vital style of firebrand leadership to the team that is appreciated by the coaching staff.
“Nolan is a four-year varsity player,” said Vaitis. “He is one of the captains on the team, and has been a captain now for two years. He is probably the most vocal of the four captains that we have. There are times during games where we let our foot off the gas a little bit, and he is there screaming at everybody, ‘We’ve got to pick it up. Let’s go. Let’s get back to playing our game.’ It’s great to see that leadership.
“One of the things he said at the beginning of the season was that this is a new season and a new team and we have to focus on what’s in front of us. It’s good to hear that from a 17-year-old kid.”
Most importantly, Vaitis believes that Shingle truly has the memory of an elephant.
“From him being here for four years, he knows what it was like in his freshman year when we only won one or two games up to what it took last year to win a state championship,” said Vaitis. “Being a senior now, I’m sure he and a lot of the other guys want to repeat and do it again.”
Shingle confirmed that while repeating again is the primary goal, he also understands that an encore performance is not guaranteed, as everything has to go right while a lot can go wrong.
To that end, he naturally plays that role of a vocal leader, which is so vital in a sport like ice hockey.
“I feel like, from playing for four years, I know that there is a lot more that goes into being a successful team,” said Shingle. “If you have energy, that can really help. That means that, if it’s a close game, someone has to step in and get everyone else fired up. Even if we are blowing a team out but we are getting kind of lazy, you just have to tell everyone to focus back in and not play down to the other team’s level so that we can continue to succeed.”
As they ease through the schedule, Shingle added that it is important for the Knights to challenge themselves each game and not look too far into the crystal ball.
While it’s not easy, he knows better.
“You can’t look at the end of the season,” said Shingle. “My mind isn’t on the end of March and playing for a state championship. I try to take it one game at a time. That can be hard, especially against the teams that you know you are a better team than. While they aren’t teams you are going to be playing in the playoffs, it’s still a statement to blow teams out. It still matters. You can’t slip up. That lack of effort level can carry over into other games and hurt the team.”
A Solid Citizen
Shingle maintains his level of maturity off the ice, where he excels in the classroom and is active in the community.
This impresses Vaitis as much as anything.
“He’s a good student and does a lot of volunteer work as well,” said the coach. “We’re doing a toy drive with the North Penn Valley Boys and Girls Club, and he will be one of the players there. He has helped in the past with raking leaves for the elderly and stuff like that.”
For all that has been given to him by others, Shingle willingly gives back to the community in the spirit of volunteerism with the school’s National Honor Society and Special Olympics program.
It would seem he wouldn’t have time, but he feels it is important to make the time.
“I feel like, through volunteering, it’s just good to do,” said Shingle. “It’s not just beneficial for yourself, but for the community just to go outside and help clean up somewhere or pack food orders for people in need.
“As long as you can manage your time, you can fit in as much as you want to it.”
Along the way, Shingle has adopted an attitude that true rewards don’t come without taking risks.
“I just feel like you have to put yourself out there,” he said. “If you want to be successful, you have to take risks. You can’t sit back and expect things to be done for you.”
That led to him taking up golf. While it hasn’t been that long, and while he sees it more as a recreational source of stress relief from the intensity of ice hockey, he still joined the golf team at North Penn.
“I got really into it about four years ago,” said Shingle. “I’m not a real big fan of competitive golf, but I like playing with my friends. It’s a really calming sport, and it’s just good to get out there with your buddies in the summer and just play.”
Looking Ahead
Family roots in Western Pennsylvania explain his love for the Penguins and Steelers.
“My father grew up around Johnstown. He went to Pitt. He was a big Pittsburgh fan his whole life, and kind of passed that on to me,” Shingle said. “I don’t try to hide that I like the Pittsburgh teams, so it’s kind of hard, especially with the Eagles and their success.”
And it would not shock anyone if he ended up at the University of Pittsburgh.
“Yeah, maybe,” he confirmed, with a burst of enthusiasm.
Pitt – along with Penn State and schools down South (South Carolina, Tennessee) – remains high on Shingle’s wish list.
Most important to him are academics, as he has a 3.8 GPA.
“I do my best to get mostly As and Bs,” said Shingle, who also played for the Genesis Club team, taking up extra time with travel around the country on the weekends.
Shingle, as a team leader on the ice, is serious about this rubbing off on his teammates in terms of staying eligible to maintain a deep roster.
“You’ve got to remind them that, if you are not meeting the grade average, then you are not going to be able to play,” he said. “I think once they see they could be ineligible, that’s the kind of a reminder they need to take some accountability and get their assignments in.”
Shingle takes AP biology and plans to major in it, and also get the most out of the overall college experience.
That experience may or may not include playing club hockey, and he is at peace with the idea of possibly packing away the gear.
“If there is a club hockey team, I would think about trying out for it,” said Shingle. “But, you know, it’s not like a big priority of mine. I’d rather choose to go to a school that I really like, as opposed to whether or not they have a club hockey program that can play on.
“I’d probably miss it, but I don’t think I would miss to the point where it would be too bad or anything. I want to go to college and have fun. I’m not too big on playing club hockey somewhere, so I probably would still miss it.”
Giving Credit
While Shingle hands out his share of assists on the ice, he is thankful to those who have assisted on him reaching all of his goals.
“Obviously, there is my mom and dad,” he said. “They drove me to a lot of places, and hockey is not the cheapest sport. I’m grateful for them.”
And Shingle also considers himself fortunate to have had positive reinforcement from many of his coaches along the way.
“I’m definitely thankful for my coaches, like Vaitis, for giving me a chance to just go out there and play,” he said. “You know, it’s not like I go out there at practice and dread seeing him. I’m appreciative for guys like that, who don’t ruin the sport and who make the sport better.”
