Since playing together in junior hockey, Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey players Michael Garteig and Travis St. Denis have formed a deep-rooted friendship.

Travis St. Denis and Michael Garteig have been teammates since 2010 when they played for the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL).

Over the course of their time together, the two have become
 familiar with one another’s game. This familiarity has translated into trust and understanding on the ice. Garteig is an elite goaltender with a bold competitive nature, St. Denis, a gutsy forward with a versatile set of abilities.

Today, Garteig and St. Denis are stars of the Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey team. Now in their senior season, the players have drawn strength from their friendship as they lead the team to the top of the college hockey rankings.

While the saying is familiarity breeds contempt, in the case of Garteig and St. Denis, it has bred respect and admiration.

“He’s the worst player in the world to ever play against,” Garteig said of St. Denis.

That backhanded compliment makes sense to Fred Harbinson, head coach of the Penticton Vees, who says St. Denis’ aggressive attitude wasn’t just reserved for game scenarios.

“I remember him getting in a scrap in practice just because he was so feisty all the time,” Harbinson said.

And for St. Denis, it’s no surprise Garteig has excelled over the course of his hockey career.

“I knew Garts was going to have success at the college level,” St. Denis said.

Garteig has arguably been the most significant player for the 2015-16 men’s ice hockey team, leading the team to a 29-3-7 record and a No. 1 spot in both the USCHO.com Poll and the Pairwise Rankings.

Now with the regular season complete and after earning their first ECAC Tournament title, Quinnipiac heads into the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed.

Coming in as a freshman, Garteig faced the task of replacing goaltender Eric Hartzell, a Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist who led Quinnipiac to the national championship game during his senior year.

“Sometimes, whether it be me or Sammy (Anas) or Devon (Toews), we get credited with the success. But I think (St. Denis) goes under the radar and it bugs me a little bit.” – Michael Garteig

Now in his senior season, Garteig earned a Hobey Baker nomination himself. Over 39 games played this season, Garteig is boasting an impressive .923 save percentage. His 1.90 goals-against-average puts him at eighth best in the nation and his seven shutouts tied at second.

Garteig’s play in previous years at Quinnipiac displayed just how technically proficient he is at his position. But this season the goaltender regularly puts on highlight-reel performances, as exhibited with a jaw-dropping save he made on Nov. 21 against St. Lawrence that quickly circulated around the Internet.

“It was cool to see the save go viral, more importantly so my family and friends could see it back home in Canada,” Garteig said.

St. Denis continues to progress through each passing season at Quinnipiac as well. His freshman season, he was named Quinnipiac’s Rookie of the Year where he appeared in 41 games and notched 15 points.

The following season, St. Denis broke out with 28 points in 40 games. The numbers continued to improve as he earned himself 33 points in 38 games during his junior year.

Now as a senior, St. Denis is an assistant captain and is second on the team with 44 points in 39 games. St. Denis is dynamic, excelling in every facet of the game.

His well-rounded skills are illustrated in his strength on both the power play and the penalty kill. St. Denis has tallied
 nine power-play goals this season, tied with teammate Tim Clifton for fourth most in the nation.

But Garteig doesn’t think St. Denis gets the credit he deserves.

“Sometimes, whether it be me or Sammy (Anas) or Devon (Toews), we get credited with the success,” Garteig said. “But I think (St. Denis) goes under the radar and it bugs me a little bit.”

Assistant coach Reid Cashman says Garteig and St. Denis’ intense desire to win is their most admirable quality.

“Of course they’re skilled and they each have different talents but their competitiveness and internal drive to be great are probably their best qualities,” Cashman said.

Both Garteig and St. Denis were raised in British Columbia, a province of western Canada characterized by beautiful, sprawling mountains and hockey. Lots of hockey.

In fact, if you don’t play the sport, you might be considered the “odd one out,” according to Garteig.

“You go to practice in the morning, you go to school, you get out of school and you’re going to play hockey with your friends on the pond,” Garteig said. “It’s kind of eat, sleep, and breathe hockey.”

Garteig recalled how tennis courts are filled with ice in the winter to transform into rinks, and the warmer weather doesn’t stop them from playing the sport they love in British Columbia.

“Those tennis courts turn into street hockey arenas during the summer, too,” St. Denis said.

The two grew up over 600 miles apart.

Garteig was raised in Prince George, a city of over 70,000 in Northern B.C. St. Denis is from Trail, a significantly smaller area with a population around 8,000.

It wasn’t until juniors that they crossed paths. Both played in the BCHL, Garteig for the Powell River Kings and St. Denis for the Trail Smoke Eaters.

The teammates connected when they found out they were both to be traded from their junior teams. They ended up joining Penticton for the 2010-11 season.

“It was pretty funny. The first day we met, you were driving your parents’ minivan,” Garteig said to St. Denis.

During the first few weeks in Penticton, Garteig and St. Denis lived with the same billet family, a family that hosts junior hockey players so they’re closer to their teams.

“That kind of helped us become best friends,” St. Denis said.

While in Penticton, Garteig and 
St. Denis led the Vees to a Canadian National Championship, making them the best hockey team in the world at their level.

Harbinson echoed Cashman’s sentiment, stating the biggest thing 
he remembers of the two is the competitiveness and professional attitude they brought to the rink each day.

Harbinson said the two spent a lot of time together, but did a good job of making everyone feel included.

“Although they were close to each other, they brought along some of our young guys and made everyone else feel part of the team,” Harbinson said.

Garteig and St. Denis have lived together for the entirety of their college experience and both of them, similarly to most college hockey players, hope for professional careers in hockey following Quinnipiac.

But as hockey goes, change is inevitable. Wherever they go, the bond between the two of them will remain.

“It’s kind of one of those friendships too,” Garteig said. “Even if we don’t see each other all the time, you don’t hang out 24/7, he’s always going to be a good friend.”