Each new season, teams look for players to step in and take the place of those who left the year before. In the case of this year’s BGSU hockey team, Derek Whitmore has taken that opportunity and excelled with it.

The Rochester, NY, native is off to a tremendous start. His seven goals lead BG, and he ranks second in points.

Whitmore’s play this season has been a pleasant surprise for the Falcons. He has been able to step up his scoring output after the departure of last year’s leading scorer and National Hockey League draftee Alex Foster.

“[Derek’s] on pace to score a lot of goals right now,” said coach Scott Paluch. “I think after losing a lot of production from last year, he was the guy we were counting on to pick it up, and clearly he has.”

Scoring key goals in all three of BG’s wins this season (Connecticut, Providence and Lake Superior State), the junior’s early season success has gone hand-in-hand with that of the Falcon team.

“Because of Derek’s importance to our team, if he’s doing well, if he’s receiving individual honors, chances are things are going well for the team,” Paluch said.

After putting up solid numbers in his first two seasons (37 points in 67 career games) Whitmore has burst on to the scene as one of the top early-season performers in the CCHA.

Achieving success has been a matter of balancing both the successes he has had with the shortcomings that he has experienced.

“You’re going to go through ups and downs in life, school and sports,” Whitmore said. “Having the confidence that you’re going to get yourself through it, and seeing the reward when you do get out of it, that’s what it’s all about.”

Much of Whitmore’s success so far can be reflected back to the countless hours he has spent working on his hockey skills, but also to his maturity on and off the ice.

Whitmore moved out of his parents’ house at the age of 16 to play junior hockey in Wyoming. According to Whitmore, not having his parents around to tell him what to do taught him an important lesson.

“How I was brought up, I was raised not to try to be the center of attention, to just put things in perspective,” Whitmore said. “I’m having a good year so far but at the same time I don’t wont to sit back and admire it. I want to perform and help this team win.”

This type of attitude has not only been noticed by Whitmore’s coaches, but also by his teammates.

“It’s been a great boost right now,” said Whitmore’s line-mate Jonathan Matsumoto. “I think [Whitmore] brings a good enthusiasm to the game, he’s always out there having fun. Things are falling into place for him right now and he’s making the most of it.”

Although Whitmore is always serious when it comes to getting the job done, he admits that a main part of his success is the fun that he and his teammates have when they are on the ice.

“I think I found that little kid inside of me that wants to come to the rink every day, wants to work hard and work to improve my skills,” Whitmore said. “I’m most proud of how tight our team is. We’ve got freshmen to seniors and every guy is very tight and that’s something to be proud of.”

The Falcons travel to South Bend this weekend for a pair of CCHA games with Notre Dame.