BY RYAN O’CONNORSitting at a youth hockey conference, watching what was likely to be another boring prerecorded training video, Kermit Brunelle sighed. On the screen, Don Lucia, coach of the national champion University of Minnesota ice hockey team, was giving a speech. “A lot of people think I have the best job in hockey, and I tell ...

BY RYAN O’CONNORHanover coach Tim Winslow and his defending state champion Marauders thought they were seeing double most of the second half. With his team ahead, 37- 19, early in the third quarter of the March 5 Class I semifinal against upstart No. 9 Pembroke, Winslow said he assumed his fourth-seeded squad was well on its way to the ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEYNear the bottom of the 48-team pack of robotics teams from across New England, Pembroke Academy’s chances at a trip to the national finals were not looking good. But after being selected as an ally with Trinity High School and Rhode Island’s Rhode Warriors team, Pembroke and its new partners went on an impressive run, ...

BY RYAN O’CONNORThree nights after visiting Lebanon snapped the Pembroke boys basketball team’s four-game winning streak with a 55-40 thumping, the Spartans resumed their winning ways by taking their anger out on winless Merrimack Valley. While the 65-33 victory on Monday, Feb. 18, was nice, coach Matt Alosa was the first to ...

BY JENN McDOWELLBaby burned Matthew Butler, 26, was arrested in February for allegedly burning his baby’s foot in chicken soup. Butler later allegedly stabbed himself in the chest in a suicide attempt, and was hospitalized prior to his arrest. According to police, Butler was watching his three children while their mother was at work at the ...

BY JENN McDOWELLTwo Pembroke Academy students were recently suspended for a cafeteria fight that carried over into a situation of what is commonly known as “cyber bullying.” One of the girls was suspended immediately after the physical fight, and the other after a parent printed out copies of statements on MySpace Web pages which ...

BY SAPNA PATHAKPast Spartans softball teams took it for granted, but Deb Smith makes sure her squad appreciates it. Allowing less than two runs in five out of their six wins, the girls of Pembroke Academy softball are proud to stand by their defense. “Sometimes PA softball hasn’t seen how important defense is and relied more on ...

BY SAPNA PATHAKDon’t let the 1-5 record fool you. It’s certainly not putting any doubts into John Graziano. No, the first-year head coach of Pembroke Academy’s baseball team isn’t worried about what the win-loss column shows. Indeed, he’s more concerned with what he sees on the diamond. “Our record ...

BY SAPNA PATHAKAfter getting off to their best start in program history last year, the boys of Pembroke Academy tennis are looking for a repeat performance. Only this time, they’re targeting a different postseason outcome. A quick start might not be as easy this season, as the Spartans graduated three of their top six players in No. 2 David ...

BY MATT STOUT Talking on the phone about his team and how it truly earned its first playoff berth, Pembroke hockey coach Marc Noel was asked if he was pleased with his team’s play as it enters the most exciting time in program history. Like any coach knows, those types of questions are perhaps best answered by the team itself. So, Noel ...