IS ICE HOCKEY THE BEST SPORT? It May Be

NHL's Nick Bonino

Playing With Foley's Insurance

Olympia Ice Center Summer League

Photo by Alfredo

Ice hockey is Canada's #1 sport as it is in some European countries. It continues to grow in participation and with fans in the United States. There is a good reason for this.

One of the first things that you notice is that players from the NHL on down are regular down to earth people and they act like it. It is not like many other professional sports where players act like prima donnas and are stand offish to fans and the public, and seldom intermingle with people publicly. Too good for us regular folks. They may be 6' 3" and 240 lbs but they are afraid we might harm them, I guess. Not so with hockey.

It is not unusual to see an NHL player at a youth hockey or Junior game, or strolling the halls of the New England Sports Center in Marlboro, Mass. I happened to see and talk to NHL and Bruins legend, Bobby Orr, there last season. How about NHL Hall of Famer Mark Messier coaching a Mid Fairfield Connecticut Junior Team with his father. When passing by before a game he smiled and extended his hand for a handshake, You hardly ever see that with other pro athletes. It is not unusual to see Boston Bruin players mingle with youth, high school, and college players out on the ice during the off season..and pose for photos with them.

Locally in Western Mass current NHL player with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Nick Bonino, played in the Olympia Ice Center's Summer A League with the Foley Insurance Team. Current Boston Bruins player, Frank Vatrano, plays in this very same Summer League with Milano's Restaurant. He is not "too good" to play with and against his old friends. I was applying for Photo Credentials for an event at the Boston Garden. I couldn't get through and my messages went unanswered...so I thought that I would try to connect some REAL people so I called the Boston Bruins office. Within minutes the lady helped me to make the proper contact and I had my Credentials. Hockey people are REAL people!

One of the first things you notice about hockey are the great dedication and sacrifices of the parents (or caretakers). They essentially sacrifice up to 12 years of their lives taking their kids to games and tournaments all over the Northeast (on this coast) and Canada, some even go to Europe. I talked to one woman from California who regularly took her son many miles just to have him practice, let alone the games, where rinks are not as plentiful and some far away. Also, playing hockey is expensive and the parents pay out a ton of money over their careers, many parents who are working class people make major sacrifices for their kids.

Anther positive thing about hockey is the growing number of girl / women hockey players and there are some good ones! At many off season hockey camps the girls participate right along with the boys and you can't take anything away form them....they are good! I had the opportunity to photograph several Springfield, MA Cathedral High's Girls games and my mouth dropped open on how good they were. I swear that a few could have played on the boys team.

The other thing that is so great about hockey is how families of team members AND competing teams become such good, and sometimes lasting, friends. You see the same people over and over, at times their are long delays between tournament games. This occurs over a number of years as the players progress in hockey and in age. The players battle like crazy out there on the ice and sometimes even fight. But the families seem to have all that in perspective. The players themselves form great relationships with team members and opponents over the years. As they grow older in their play it is not unusual to know some of the opposing players on the other teams. Even with fights, it is not unusual to see the two players come off the ice together, smiling and talking...they have the game in perspective.

I vote for Ice Hockey as being one of the very BEST sports! How about you?  

Alfredo DiLascia

Image News Service

Hockey: Skidmore Upsets UMass Boston !

Skidmore's Mickey Foley in Action

Western Mass, Former Cathedral High Player

Second Ranked Nationally, UMass Boston Hockey went into yesterday's game vs. Skidmore College with incredible statistics. They even had 4 first place votes for the National Ranking. In the NEHC Conference they were first in Scoring Offense, Scoring Defense, Power Play, Penalty Kill, and Special Teams Net...you can't get any better than that! In addition UMass was fresh off an impressive 7-1 win on Friday night in their first Conference game vs. Castleton University in which Junior Forward Colin Larkin scored a hat trick.

Yet fresh off a hard fought battle, a 2-1 loss against a very good 15th Ranked Babson College on Friday night, Skidmore College was determined. I kind of knew that UMass was going to be tested since I saw Skidmore tie them at last season's end in the UMass run to the Frozen Four at Lake Placid. The prediction turned out to be true.

The battle started in the first period with aggressive play by both teams and ended 0-0, no score. If you blinked at the start of the 2nd period you missed 2 goals! One by UMass Senior Captain Albee Daley at 44 seconds into the period but this was answered with an unassisted goal by Skidmore's Senior Captain Anthony Bird at 55 seconds...that battle was still on!  A 1-1 tie.  At the end of the 2nd period Assistant Captain Colin Larkin continued with his amazing scoring with a goal at the end of the period to give UMass a 2-1 lead going into the final period.

UMass was hustling and playing aggressive but you could sense the momentum swing toward Skidmore who were not only determined, but seemed to want it more. Two goals were scored by Skidmore's Anthony Bird that gave him a hat trick and a Skidmore 4-2 win. The final goal was with an open net.

UMass now at 3-1 plays Daniel Webster College next Friday, followed by the University of Southern Maine on Saturday; both home games.

Alfredo DiLascia

Image News Service

Footnotes:

Western Mass and Springfield's Cathedral High School were well represented at the game yesterday. Junior Mickey Foley is on the Skidmore Hockey Team and Freshman Dominic Blad is on the UMass Team. In attendance were also the Boston Bruins, Frank Vatrano, and Baltimore Oriel, Frankie Crinella. All former Cathedral-ites!

Although a nice facility, the Beacons Ice Arena has some of the worst lighting in the Northeast, way below NCAA guidelines. I brought this to the attention of the UMass Administration over 2 years ago after a Cathedral game v. BC High. New LED lighting has been installed at UMass Amherst and at the Olympia Ice Center in West Springfield. The pay back on new LED lighting is a year or less...what I call a "no-brainier". Good hockey is being played by both the Men's and Women's Teams at UMass. Still waiting for a response, and more importantly, action to correct this. (Sorry, Alfredo speaks up!) 

BIG WIN FOR AIC HOCKEY OVER HOLY CROSS !

#17 Senior AIC Captain Austin Orszulak

1st Period Action Last Night 

American International College Hockey started off slow in the first period, with most of the play down at their end of the ice, defending their net. Nonetheless they held off a very good Holy Cross Team that has received Honorable Mention as one of the best teams in the nation after some impressive wins over nationally ranked Providence and Union Colleges. The score was 0-0 at the end of the first.

In the 2nd period it was all AIC as they pretty much dominated play. AIC moved ahead with goals by impressive freshman, forward Dominik Florian from the Czech Republic who already is showing signs of stardom early in the season. This was followed by a goal by ex-Cathedral High player and Springfield, MA native, senior Captain, Austin Orszulak. The period ended with a 2-0 AIC lead and they looked like they would finish with a sure win, the momentum was in their favor.

In the 3rd period it looked like Holy Cross woke up and were playing at the level of a nationally prominent team. (Sorry, but that is the way that it appeared.) The game then became a battle. A goal by Holy Cross junior, Danny Lopez. made it 2-1. Then followed by a discounted goal, Holy Cross scored another goal by junior, TJ Moore, to make it a 2-2 tie. For awhile it looked like it was going to stay that way.

Suddenly AIC caught on fire. At 3:49 left in the game a goal by freshman defensive player, Janis Jaks from Latvia, made it 3-2 AIC. The finishing touch to solidify the AIC win came at 1:42 left in the game with a goal by junior forward, Johno May, for the 4-2 AIC win! This was an impressive win for AIC, but the rematch is tonight in Worcester, MA at the College of the Holy Cross. It should be a great game.

Footnotes:

* The venue at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield is great, it couldn't be better. Both AIC students and college people, and local residents have to support the team by attending games. I KNOW Western Mass loves hockey...this is a chance to see some very good D1 Hockey played right in Springfield. As a fan it was a very entertaining game last night.

* What happened to the AIC Rally Band to help get the crowd going? I missed them.

* It was nice to see Billy Vizzo out there on the ice for AIC. A very good player, I saw him play for the P.A.L. Junior Islanders in the USPHL Premier Division for 2 years.

Alfredo DiLascia

Image News Service