So while everyone was throwing and attending end of the summer parties, I was in a rink all weekend. The 2009-10 Neponset Valley River Rats Tier 1 Midget AAA season has begun. It started last Monday with practices and continued thru this Monday. We have a whole new team this year with only 4 guys back from last season. Myself and my buddy Scott McDougall brought in the best hockey players born in 1991-1993 we could find and we found some great talent. Guys on our team are committed to Wisconsin, Princeton, Brown and Union; with more guys who will be committing soon.
We had 2 good practices then played a league game Wednesday and a scrimmage game Thursday. Wednesday we beat the Western Mass Blades 12-0 at home. Then we played the South Shore Kings of the Eastern Junior Hockey League on Thursday at home and beat them 4-3. The Kings are a junior A team that are being looked at as the best team in their league. It was a great game to coach and we came back from a 3-1 deficit halfway thru the game. After those 2 games we were onto the Tier 1 Faceoff in Marlboro, MA. We beat the Phantom Fireworks 6-0 in a mercy rule shortened game Friday, they had been moved up a division due to a team backing out last minute and their goalie played great. On Friday we played the Boston Little Bruins, who knocked us out of the tournament in the semi finals last year. We beat them 4-2 and it felt good to get a little revenge. That night we had to play the Cape Cod Whalers in a tournament/league game so it was a very important game. After being up the entire game and taking it to them all night we blew a 3-0 lead within the last 5 minutes of the game and ended up tying 3-3. It was a tough one to swallow, but luckily we bounced back on Sunday. We started off with a 4-2 win over the Western NY Selects and finished round robin play with a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Colonials. Finishing 4-0-1 record in the tourney ranked us first in our bracket and gave us a semi final matchup against the always strong Mid-Fairfield Black team.
Two years ago in the tournament Mid-Fairfield gave us one of our worst losses by mercy ruling us 7-1. It was something we made sure to tell the boys about before the game and as fate would have it we won the game by the same 7-1 score ending the game by mercy rule. The win set up a rematch against the Whalers and we wanted to win badly. We have never won the tournament, winning it would set us up nicely for a number 1 ranking in the country and also avenge our previous tie.
It's funny I've played in alot of big games and I've never been very nervous. But when you're coaching and can't get out there to control the play and all you can do is tell guys when to change up or offer advice it's a totally different feeling. You can do everything you can to get the guys ready, but then it's up to them. The first period we were all over them but couldn't score and were down 2-0 after the 1st. We were able to get 1 in the 2nd and hold them off the board to end the 2nd period down 2-1. Then the 3rd period was all us. We scored a short handed goal to tie it up with about 13 minutes left and then took it to them hard. We finally scored the eventual game winner on a bomb from defenseman Kyle Quick with about 5 minutes left and were able to hold on for the win.
So as it stands now we are 8-0-1 with a couple weeks off so guys can move into prep school and deal with school activities the first few weekends. I'll be sure to keep you updated when the national rankings come out.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Concerts and Championships
Well I promised to give you a write up about Countryfest 2 weeks ago and never got around to it. In the mean time I also found my way to the Bruce Springsteen concert this past Saturday. Two Saturdays, 6 bands and artists; pretty good couple of Saturdays if you ask me. At Countryfest I missed Lady Antebellum because I was in the parking lot with a few hockey guys that I hadn't seen in a while, but I heard I didn't miss too much. Either way I wish I had gotten the chance to see them. Miranda Lambert and Montgomery Gentry put on good shows also with tons of energy and good songs. Miranda doesn't know it yet, but she's my future ex wife for sure! Sugarland was on before Kenny and for a minute there I thought they had stolen the show. I had heard they were incredible live, but those words don't do them any justice. They had Gillette Stadium rocking and I swear the ground was shaking during some songs. Jennifer Nettles has an amazingly powerful voice and a killer body to go with it.
But then came the big one, Kenny Chesney. He opened the show by coming up thru the ground on a swing seat at the 50 yard line singing "Live Those Songs Again" and rode the seat all the way to the endzone where the stage was, the guy knows how to put on a great show. This was my second time seeing him and he was better this time than the first. Just the energy he puts into his shows is unmatched. I've seen alot of the big country bands and artists over the past few years (Gretchen Wilson, Dierks Bentley, Big and Rich x2, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts x3, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, and Taylor Swift) but no one comes close to Kenny. He has this amazing talent of having 70,000 people going crazy with his country rock, then in the matter of seconds he slows it down to some love and reflection songs and has 70,000 feel like an intimate 700, then he's back at it finishing the show rocking out with songs about Boston and everything that reminds you about growing up. It was truly amazing.
Then this past Saturday I had the pleasure of heading to Comcast Center in Mansfield, MA to see the Boss. At first I was hesitant to go, but then I remembered songs like "Dancin' in the Dark, Glory Days and Born in the USA. I knew I had to go. My dad was telling me stories that he was one of the greats of his time and now I know why. He was great live and played for almost 3 hours. He rocked it every minute he was on stage.
But now to the big topic. Championship. I was thinking about it on my way to the gym tonight and realized that the first few years of my professional career that the months leading up to training camp I just wanted to make the team and have a good year personally. But now, turning 25 next month, I don't know how many more years are left in my career and I want to win a championship. I want to lead Evansville to a Champions Cup, get a ring, have a huge party, be on the ice with 20 brothers celebrating in front of 2000 people at Swonder Arena. Only a select few players each year can say they were tops in their league. And that is my goal this year. Set the personal goals aside, obviously I still have personal goals, but now my personal goals lead to a team goal. Being the last one standing in April or May. Win our last game.
-Hutch-
But then came the big one, Kenny Chesney. He opened the show by coming up thru the ground on a swing seat at the 50 yard line singing "Live Those Songs Again" and rode the seat all the way to the endzone where the stage was, the guy knows how to put on a great show. This was my second time seeing him and he was better this time than the first. Just the energy he puts into his shows is unmatched. I've seen alot of the big country bands and artists over the past few years (Gretchen Wilson, Dierks Bentley, Big and Rich x2, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts x3, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, and Taylor Swift) but no one comes close to Kenny. He has this amazing talent of having 70,000 people going crazy with his country rock, then in the matter of seconds he slows it down to some love and reflection songs and has 70,000 feel like an intimate 700, then he's back at it finishing the show rocking out with songs about Boston and everything that reminds you about growing up. It was truly amazing.
Then this past Saturday I had the pleasure of heading to Comcast Center in Mansfield, MA to see the Boss. At first I was hesitant to go, but then I remembered songs like "Dancin' in the Dark, Glory Days and Born in the USA. I knew I had to go. My dad was telling me stories that he was one of the greats of his time and now I know why. He was great live and played for almost 3 hours. He rocked it every minute he was on stage.
But now to the big topic. Championship. I was thinking about it on my way to the gym tonight and realized that the first few years of my professional career that the months leading up to training camp I just wanted to make the team and have a good year personally. But now, turning 25 next month, I don't know how many more years are left in my career and I want to win a championship. I want to lead Evansville to a Champions Cup, get a ring, have a huge party, be on the ice with 20 brothers celebrating in front of 2000 people at Swonder Arena. Only a select few players each year can say they were tops in their league. And that is my goal this year. Set the personal goals aside, obviously I still have personal goals, but now my personal goals lead to a team goal. Being the last one standing in April or May. Win our last game.
-Hutch-
Friday, August 14, 2009
Country Fest!!!
The best weekend in New England is upon us, tomorrow 70,000 country fans will embark on Gillette stadium for Kenny Chesney's Country Fest. It's one of the best times of the summer, this year the concert sold out in 15 minutes. Can you imagine that many tickets selling that quickly? That's insane. I'll be one of the fans in attendance and be partying in the parking lot before it starts. Country music is huge among the hockey players in this area and we also are some of the best partiers so you know it'll be a great time.
Kenny Chesney will be the last on stage, but before that will be Miranda Lambert, Sugarland, Montgomery Gentry and Lady Antebellum. It's an all day event and like I said will be an absolute blast. I will try to upload some pictures onto the blog on Sunday and will write a blog with all the highlights of the event when I do that.
Hutch
Kenny Chesney will be the last on stage, but before that will be Miranda Lambert, Sugarland, Montgomery Gentry and Lady Antebellum. It's an all day event and like I said will be an absolute blast. I will try to upload some pictures onto the blog on Sunday and will write a blog with all the highlights of the event when I do that.
Hutch
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Summer winding down
Hey everyone, it's been such a long time since I have gotten on here to write. It's not that I don't have time or don't want to, it's just been that I haven't had much to talk about. For the past 8 weeks it's been pretty much the same thing Monday thru Thursday on the ice 3 hours a day and getting ready for this season. It's been a long summer of wondering where I would be playing and that wondering has come to an end. I signed with the Evansville Icemen of the AAHL yesterday afternoon. I'm extremely excited to get there and start the season. I remember playing there last season in front of sold out crowds whether it was a Friday night or Sunday afternoon. The fans are really into the team, they have great ownership and they just hired a great coach. Right now it seems like the best fit for me and I couldn't be happier. Going down there with me will be my roommates from last season Brett Riley and Mario Passarelli. Those two along with Ryan Huggett and Steve Koich are out here in Boston for the rest of the summer to skate and train together until we all leave.
Away from hockey it's been a great summer so far hanging out with the boys, heading to the beach and going out on the weekends. I went down to Martha's Vineyard a couple weekends ago for a summer tourney with a some buddies. The tournament had 10 teams with guys from around Mass that play in college and pro leagues. It was one of the best times I've ever had and the hockey was good as well. Some highlights were riding around on mopeds we rented, swimming in the ocean at 2am and of course dancing and making fools of ourselves all night. Picture 12 hockey players trying to dance to rap music, no matter how graceful we are on the ice it doesn't usually transfer onto the dance floor.
Well that's it for now. I'm sure I'll be writing much more often as the season approaches and straight thru the season as well. I want to say hello to any Evansville fans that may be reading this for the first time and feel free to email me any questions!
Hutch
Away from hockey it's been a great summer so far hanging out with the boys, heading to the beach and going out on the weekends. I went down to Martha's Vineyard a couple weekends ago for a summer tourney with a some buddies. The tournament had 10 teams with guys from around Mass that play in college and pro leagues. It was one of the best times I've ever had and the hockey was good as well. Some highlights were riding around on mopeds we rented, swimming in the ocean at 2am and of course dancing and making fools of ourselves all night. Picture 12 hockey players trying to dance to rap music, no matter how graceful we are on the ice it doesn't usually transfer onto the dance floor.
Well that's it for now. I'm sure I'll be writing much more often as the season approaches and straight thru the season as well. I want to say hello to any Evansville fans that may be reading this for the first time and feel free to email me any questions!
Hutch
Friday, June 5, 2009
Superstitions, Summer and a New Hobby
What's up everyone. It's been another long time since I've been on and some people have been wondering when a new post will be up. Along with that question I have gotten some emails from readers asking me questions about superstitions, whether I have any and what I like to do on gamedays. So I'll start with the superstitions question; I think you can ask any hockey player out there if they have superstitions and everyone will have the same outcome. "I don't think of the as superstitions, more so just a routine." Personally, I call it a routine because I think sometimes if you get so wrapped up in your superstitions you lose track of the bigger picture, the game. For me game days start the same way, wake up and have a good breakfast then go to pregame skate if we have one. Get the blood going, get a feel for the puck and loosen the legs. After lunch and a nap I head to the rink about 2.5 hours before the game starts. At the rink I'm always loose, I'll tape my sticks, get a good stretch and then just hang out til it's time to get ready for warmups. I know some guys who have to do certain things at certain times and get mentally ready for a game, but that doesn't work for me. It's all about doing what you need to do personally to get ready for a game.
With the calendar turning to June this past week the summer workouts have picked up and some teams are starting to show interest for next season. It's still really early in the contract period so I'm trying not to think about it too much or else I'll go crazy. Some guys are getting back from college and I'll be hanging out with them in the weeks to come. My summer gets pretty busy on June 22nd when my summer job of shooting pucks on goalies starts. Some of the best goalies around are on the ice throughout the day and we shoot for anywhere from 2-4 hours Monday thru Thursday, if you were to count the amount of pucks we shoot a day it would probably add up to about 1000 pucks a week. It's a fun job, it keeps me on the ice with quality goalies and great guys.
My newest hobby as of late has been betting on horse racing. My old roommate Joe Lyle got me into it and it's pretty fun. It gives you a good adrenaline rush everytime you watch your horse go to the gate. The good thing about it is it has kept me out of trouble and I'm not going out nearly as much as I went out last summer. With the 3rd leg of the Triple Crown going off tomorrrow I'm staying in tonight doing some last minute homework for the Belmont Stakes tomorrow night. Personally I like Summer Bird to at least show, if not better and you have to like Mine That Bird after jockey Calvin Borel guaranteed victory earlier this week.
Also what a great series the Stanley Cup Finals has turned into. I picked Pittsburgh in 6 at the start of the series and it's looking pretty good so far for the Pens. Crosby and Malkin have been unreal this post season, but the guy I like right now is Kris Letang who is having a great series. Not to take anything away from Abdelkader's 2 goals in the first two games of the series, not bad for the rookie from Michigan State.
Hutch
With the calendar turning to June this past week the summer workouts have picked up and some teams are starting to show interest for next season. It's still really early in the contract period so I'm trying not to think about it too much or else I'll go crazy. Some guys are getting back from college and I'll be hanging out with them in the weeks to come. My summer gets pretty busy on June 22nd when my summer job of shooting pucks on goalies starts. Some of the best goalies around are on the ice throughout the day and we shoot for anywhere from 2-4 hours Monday thru Thursday, if you were to count the amount of pucks we shoot a day it would probably add up to about 1000 pucks a week. It's a fun job, it keeps me on the ice with quality goalies and great guys.
My newest hobby as of late has been betting on horse racing. My old roommate Joe Lyle got me into it and it's pretty fun. It gives you a good adrenaline rush everytime you watch your horse go to the gate. The good thing about it is it has kept me out of trouble and I'm not going out nearly as much as I went out last summer. With the 3rd leg of the Triple Crown going off tomorrrow I'm staying in tonight doing some last minute homework for the Belmont Stakes tomorrow night. Personally I like Summer Bird to at least show, if not better and you have to like Mine That Bird after jockey Calvin Borel guaranteed victory earlier this week.
Also what a great series the Stanley Cup Finals has turned into. I picked Pittsburgh in 6 at the start of the series and it's looking pretty good so far for the Pens. Crosby and Malkin have been unreal this post season, but the guy I like right now is Kris Letang who is having a great series. Not to take anything away from Abdelkader's 2 goals in the first two games of the series, not bad for the rookie from Michigan State.
Hutch
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