Auburn News : Hockey

Memorial wins first contest with six unanswered goals

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:14:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Something odd is happening within the Memorial ice hockey program. It can be seen on the ice, on the bench, even in the stands – smiles everywhere. Yes, the Crusaders are learning to enjoy themselves. The result is better play.

In fact, Memorial came back from a 3-0 first-period deficit against Nashua South on Saturday, Jan. 17, tied the contest in the second period and then won its first game going away, 6-3. “After the first period I was like, ‘What the heck,” said head coach Kyle McDonough. “But to score six unanswered (goals) was very exciting. Boy, we needed that win.”

Three days earlier, against Salem, Memorial fell into a similar 4-0 hole in the opening frame, then came back to scare the Blue Devils before falling, 4-3. For whatever reason, Memorial is a totally different team in the second and third periods. McDonough can’t explain it, other than to say the players are ceasing to try to be superstars and concentrating on basics.

“Right now, they feel like they’re on top of the world. But our goal isn’t to get one win,” he said. “Sure, you’ve got to start with one, and we’re definitely feeling good about ourselves, but it’s not like we’re the Bruins or the Detroit Red Wings out there. We’re not a skilled team, and they’re starting to realize that. The way we’re going to win is by doing all the little things. Hopefully, they remember how we got that first (win).”

The team is young. For many players, it’s their first experience with competitive hockey. Yet McDonough is excited because his veterans are stepping up and taking ownership of the team.

“For us, it goes in waves. This year, we don’t have the most talented group, but we have some leadership that can help the young guys, and I think that will translate well for the future, as new kids come in and carry on that character and attitude,” said the fifth-year coach. “I like the direction we’re headed in, especially because it’s my understanding we have a pretty talented group of seventh- and eighth-graders coming in.”

Senior center Matt Zimmerman, who scored one of the half dozen goals against South, and goalie Matt Flynn captain the current unit.

Junior Kevin Miner, who lit the lamp twice on South, and senior Zach Harisiades, who has tallies in the last two games, complete a potent first line. Junior Colby Masiaszek, in his first year, and sophomore John Garrity are contributing solid play on the blue line, though McDonough said there are few set positions on his team.

“Sometimes I throw forwards out there on defense, or vice versa,” he said. “We’re a hodgepodge. You never know what you’re going to see on a power play or in a penalty-killing scenario. My guys are all over the place.”

Sophomore Bryson Bilodeau and freshman Brady Bilodeau are in their first year with the program. McDonough said both are seeing plenty of ice time and should be a big part of the team’s success going forward.

While Flynn starts most games, it was junior Pat Dodd making 23 saves to help MHS garner its first victory.

Others contributing for the Crusaders this season include senior Andrew Gardner; juniors Mike Putney, Cody Kienia, Jon- Luc Gagnon, Adam Upham, Dan Smith, Brian Sullivan, Seth Stone, Bryan Villemure, Eric Burke, Kevin Kelly and Jared Pellerin; and sophomores Ryan Lopes, James Hickey and Tyler Fay.

“We’re finally playing some (strong) hockey, and they’re having fun,” said McDonough. “I truly believe if you’re having fun, good things will happen.”

Synthetic ice rink proposed

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 16:20:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

A Manchester hockey coach has received a lot of support to build a synthetic ice hockey rink and put a youth hockey program in Auburn on town land that is currently not being used.

Dan Legro, a 27-year-old Midgets coach for the Manchester Flames organization, met with Auburn selectmen to introduce his desire to build the rink on a lot by the baseball fields near Wilsons
Crossing Road.

“I am specifically looking for an area pretty much identical to this,” said Legro, who has been considering other sites in surrounding towns.

Craig Joyce, owner of Joyce Sales group on Wilsons Crossing Road in Auburn, and Legro’s childhood football coach, is selling his house, which is adjacent to the empty lot and is building another one elsewhere in town.

Legro is considering buying the house so he can move in and be near the rink, should it go through with the town.

A Bentley graduate and former financial planner, Legro authored the goal-setting book “The Go Getter,” the story of a young man named Cash who finds a mentor in an older man who is completely satisfied with how his life turned out.

The story is modeled, said Legro, on his relationship with Joyce.

“He’s an inspiration,” Legro said.

Joyce put the bug in Legro’s ear, urging him to develop a community youth hockey program for Auburn, using the synthetic rink as a jumping-off point.

Legro said his main purpose is to establish goals in youth, and he believes that hockey is an excellent tool for that.

Auburn Town Administrator Bill Herman said selectmen favor the idea of the hockey rink, and hope to see more clarified plans from Legro in the coming weeks.

“He clearly has a very good vision and concept. I would hope that we’d be able to meet with him again in a few weeks, and maybe he’s fleshed out a little more,” Herman said.

He added that Legro has identified a reasonable and effective use for the town owned property given it’s proximity to the ball fields, and that the town had no other plans in the works for the property’s use.

Currently, the town’s fire department fills and maintains a skating rink at the town’s center during the winter months, but there are no organized community activities offered there that Legro’s rink would provide.

“I think anything that is youth sport orientated is something that is of interested in any community,” Herman said.

Joyce agreed wholeheartedly.

“I think it’s a perfect fit. One thing you know about Dan, when you meet him right away, is he’s very passionate about this stuff. This is going to be a home run for everybody,” Joyce said.

He added that the hockey rink will likely bring people into the town, so questions regarding the impact to the town, including the police department and traffic, will eventually need to be answered.

“Every single person I’ve talked to about this thinks it’s a good idea and that it will work,” Legro said.

Legro said ice rinks have become much too expensive, and that a synthetic rink would be much more easily and cost effectively maintained.

“It’s really a plastic ice, in a sense. It’s attraction is that you can use it 12 months of the year,” Legro said, adding that costs associated with normal hockey rinks including water, refrigeration, and conditioning expenses would not factor into the synthetic rink he hopes to build.

“If I can get it up and charge half the price of what they pay for real ice, they can get twice as much out of it,” Legro said of community organizations, including hockey leagues and figure skating clubs.

Synthetic ice also trains hockey students harder, having slightly less glide to it than regular ice.

Typically, he said, hockey coaches use small sections of it for individual training, namely for goalies.

Legro’s idea is to create an entire rink out of it, something rarely entertained, of about 50 by 75 feet.

“It’s being used all over the place. They don’t use it, I think, to the ultimate benefit of what it can be used for,” Legro said.

Legro already met with Auburn’s Parks and Recreation board, and has yet to meet with the planning and zoning boards to answer questions about his idea.

Herman said the ultimate decision on whether to allow Legro to build the rink would be in the voter’s hands.

“Any one of those decisions really aren’t for the selectmen to make, it would require a town meeting vote,” he said.

Power and balance - Memorial skaters reverse last year’s slow start

Hooksett Editor — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 16:47:00 GMT

BY MATT STOUT

CONCORD – Kyle Mc- Donough had probably seen the situation before. With the Manchester Memorial boys hockey team tied, 4-4, with Bishop Brady midway through the third period on Saturday, Jan. 6, McDonough’s Crusaders took two penalties 21 seconds apart, giving Brady a 5-on-3 power play situation and a very good chance to take the lead.

Last season, when one-goal losses haunted Memorial, a situation like that one “wouldn’t have made me nervous,” Mc- Donough said, “but I thought we would be more apt to lose.” Not Saturday.

After not allowing a quality attempt in the 1-minute, 39 seconds of Brady’s two-man advantage, Memorial turned another penalty kill into a reason to celebrate six minutes later when Shane Johnston stole a pass at his own blue line, swept in on net and slid the game-winning, short-handed tally past goalie Tyler Ingerson with 2:22 remaining for a 5-4 win.

Memorial has several reasons to believe it’s a far different team from the one that started 1-5 last year and fell in the Division I quarterfinals. Saturday’s showing, however, is by far the most definitive. At 7-1 overall and 5-1 in Division I play entering a showdown with top-ranked Bishop Guertin on Wednesday, Jan. 10, the Crusaders have established themselves as one of the state’s early frontrunners.

Behind an incredibly balanced lineup, they’ve claimed two one-goal wins, including a 2-1 victory over Exeter on Dec. 16.

Against Brady, five different players scored, with Auburn native and senior captain Kyle Charbonneau snagging three points with a goal and two assists. Even more surprising, just one of those five – sophomore Cameron Coulombe – was named to the Coca Cola Classic all-tournament team after Memorial claimed that crown. In those games, including a 6-1 title-game win over Central, Anthony Ferendo, Kyle Kenia and Craig Charest helped carry the load.

“Last year we started out 1-5, now we’re 5-1. So I think we’ve improved a lot,” said Charbonneau, who actually suggested Memorial practice its 5-on-3 penalty kill in a practice prior to the Brady game.

“I would say we’re finishing when we need to (this year). Where there’s an open shot, we’ll make it. We’ll take that extra hit. We’re just coming through with everything.”

Yet, McDonough will be the first to admit the Crusaders haven’t proven anything yet. Before dropping a 3-1 decision to Concord on Jan. 3, Memorial had enjoyed a fairly light schedule; its first four opponents boasted a combined .396 winning percentage entering Wednesday.

The team’s current stretch, which continued with Guertin and still includes Central on Saturday, Jan. 13, and Salem on Jan. 20, will be a true gauge of Memorial’s potential. The win over Brady, off to a fast start at 4-1-1, is also a statement.

“That’s the win we wanted,” McDonough said afterward. “We were looking for one of those, against a team that’s good like they are, and we came, we played hard. They played hard, too, but in their barn, killing off that 5-on-3, I can’t ask more from those guys who killed that thing off."

“We’ll go home happy tonight.”