Category Archives: Newburyport

October 31, 2009 · 7:29 pm

Cape Ann League Cross Country Winners are Hamilton-Wenham (Girls) and Newburyport (Boys)

Newburyport runners listen for the starter’s gun as Coach Hennigar watches from behind

A perfect afternoon at Bradley Palmer State Park on Saturday afternoon for the Cape Ann League cross country championships. Perfect, that is, for the spectators. I doubt that the runners were thrilled with the mid-60s, sun, and gusty winds they encountered.

The regular season champions both delivered as the Hamilton-Wenham girls swept both JV and varsity events while the Newburyport boys also had a pair of team championships.

Neither team had the winner in the varsity events but that fact didn’t keep the winners from posting convincing victory margins.

The Clipper depth carried them to the CAL championship. Sean Hickman finished seventh and was followed in short order by Chris Suprin (9th), Greg Englehart (10th), Keith Conway (11th) and Brian Morse (12th).

The next cross country event is the state championships on November 14th at Franklin Park. Class enrollment becomes a factor in this one, and Newburyport will move away from some of it’s CAL competitors and drop to Division 4. Two NHS teams won state championships last school year – girls’ soccer and boys’ hockey. Maybe it’s the cross country boys’ turn? Their depth might be the ticket to the title.

Rachel Rikeman got 10th in the JV meet to pace Newburyport girls while John Stancel and Matt Getz finishing one-two in the JV race. The other top-five members for the winning Clipper’s JV team were Owen Williams, Ian Wood, and Ryan Kell from right to left.

Alanna Poretta of Pentucket owned the varsity race. No one was near her when she came past the starting line and at the finish; she was nearly a minute better than the second place HW girl was.

In the boys varsity meet, Ipswich’s Greg Krathwohl trailed a North Andover runner on the trip past the starting line but later was the first to come out of the woods. Greg had plenty left at the end and ended up 30 seconds ahead.

Steve Sawyer was named coach-of-the-year for both of his HW teams. My wife and I traveled with him in Europe in 1968 and he will not deny it.

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Filed under 2009 Cape Ann League Cross Country Championship, Cape Ann League, Hamilton-Wenham, Newburyport, Pentucket

Tagged as Alanna Poretta, Bradley Palmer state park, Cape Ann League, Coach Don Hennigar, cross country, Greg Krathwohl, Ian Wood, John Stancel, Matt Getz, Owen Williams, Ryan Kell, Steve Sawyer

October 27, 2009 · 6:00 pm

Newburyport Boys’ Cross Country Team Undefeated In Regular Season

October 27th (Tuesday) – At Woodsom Farm in Amesbury, I saw the Newburyport boys’ cross country team complete an undefeated (12-0) season in the Cape Ann League.

Host Amesbury provided little opposition, in fact the way the Clipper runners were grouped together; it looked like a training exercise especially at the front.

Senior Matt Getz leads eight Newburyport runners across the finish line

The local paper, which I suspect viewed the race from Liberty Street, had all the runners finishing in first in some sort of blanket finish. My photo, taken at the finish line, would suggest otherwise. The winner was clearly Senior Matt Getz.

The local paper also listed the eight tied for first as; Matt Getz, Brian Morse, Sean Hickman, Ryan Clark, Greg Englehart, Chris Suprin, Chris Jayne, and Keith Conway. Again referencing my photo from the finish line, I see Matt Getz (who clearly was the winner) and EIGHT runners behind him. Someone was left off the local paper’s list. I wonder whom? I’ll post it here if someone sends the info to my email address – 85peterjulie17 at gmail dot com.

Matt Tolley raced off to the early lead.

Coach Don Hennigar told me at NHS on Thursday that he thought that this was the first undefeated boys team he’s had since 2003.

Newburyport cross country girls finish 10-27-09

left to right - Maddie Cutrone, Merri Adsit, Kiley Knowlton, and Renee Angelo finish first together at Amesbury

The Clipper girls were just as dominating versus Amesbury. Four Clipper runners took the lead together early and ran that way (training workout style) the entire way. I wouldn’t attempt to pick a winner even using my photo of the finish.

The big event for these teams is Saturday (October 31st) afternoon at Bradley Palmer Park. This would be the Cape Ann League championships. The varsity teams run at 2PM (girls) and 2:30PM (boys).

I expect that the boys will be severely tested by both Masco (11-1) and Hamilton-Wenham (10-2).

The young Clipper girls completed the regular season at 5-7 and may surprise some folks at Bradley Palmer.

Look for pictures and a recap to show up on this blog on Saturday (October 31st) in the evening.

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Filed under Cape Ann League, Newburyport

Tagged as Amesbury Cross Country, Brian Morse, Cape Ann League, Chris Jayne, Chris Suprin, Don Hennigar, Greg Englehart, Keith Conway, Kiley Knowlton, Maddie Cutrone, Matt Getz, Merri Adsit, Newburyport boys' cross country, Newburyport girls' cross country, Renee Angelo, Ryan Clark, Sean Hickman, Woodsom Farm

September 12, 2009 · 5:15 pm

Hear, See, Speak No Evil of President Obama

Criticism offends his defenders

I guess the point of the Newburyport Current’s editorial, “Another anti-Obama overreaction,” and John Burciaga’s, “Goodbye to town hall meetings from hell,” is that those of us in disagreement with Mr. Obama are fair game for any cheap shot that comes to mind.

The editorial “only” describes us as, “hysterical,” while Mr. Burciaga chooses; “politically unwashed, naïve, reliant on bloggers of low mentality, nonreaders, yahoos, clingers to idiocy like a crucifix, rejecters of Jesus Christ, and thugs.”

I think that what escapes these writers is that Barack Obama received only 53% of the popular vote in the past election. So even back in November (2008) 47% of the voters did not want Barack Obama to be the President.

Bringing things up-to-date, the September 12th daily Presidential Tracking Poll by Rasmussen has, “33% strongly approving of the way Barack Obama is performing in his role as President.”

Both written pieces seem to assume that the President won by a landslide and is still held in high regard. The facts indicate otherwise. 53% bought into Barack Obama’s campaign rhetoric but far less are still on board as the reality of implementing his ideas kicks in.

Mr. Burciaga’s cheap shots made perfect sense to the winners early on but now they sound like they belong to an extreme lefty who is not paying attention to what has gone on since Barack Obama took over.

A person strongly approved by only 33% of the voting public should have expected some opposition when he tried to get the schoolchildren of the voters to consider: (1) What they could do to help the president, and (2) What is President Obama inspiring you to do. For the President even to think that such questions are appropriate reminds me of Brian’s line in The Breakfast Club – “Claire, you’re so full of yourself.”

It interested me that GHW Bush addressed the nation’s schoolchildren in 1991. His efforts were not received any better than Obama’s were. If the Current editorial had stated that the Democrats’ negative reactions to President Bush were, “anti-Bush overreactions,” I would have conceded that the editorial was evenhanded…….but it did not happen.

Mr. Burciaga writes as one who is tolerant of only those who agree with him. I wonder if he realizes that it was Obama’s ideas that turned some of the town hall meetings into sideshows not the elected officials attempting to defend them. Congressman John Tierney was very wise to defend Obama’s ideas from long distance rather than from before a live audience.

Looking ahead, I wonder how Mr. Burciaga will handle the compromises that the increasingly unpopular President will have to make to salvage any of his increasingly unpopular plans.

Nonetheless, one thing remains certain, no matter what Barack Obama says or does, Mr. Burciaga will be available to demean all critics in The Newburyport Current.

( Appeared as a letter-to-the-editor in The Newburyport Current on September 18, 2009. )

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Filed under Barack Obama, John Tierney, Newburyport, Newburyport Current, President Barack Obama

Tagged as Barack Obama, John Burciaga, John Tierney, Newburyport Current, President Barack Obama, Rasmussen Presidential Tracking Poll, The Breakfast Club

June 16, 2009 · 6:36 pm

From Newburyport to the Portland Sea Dogs

Todd Jamison at Hadlock Field

Todd Jamison moved to Newburyport at eleven and by the time he graduated from NHS he had figured out that he wanted a career in sports.

Todd (35) has pursued that career interest and has reached the management level with the Portland Sea Dogs. I visited him before the Boston Red Sox Class AA affiliate’s noon game with Binghamton on June 4th.

He told me that he had received some memorable advice from his dad Michael (lives in Byfield) when he was young. “He told me that my job should be something that I enjoy, otherwise I wouldn’t have much of a life,” said Todd.

Todd knew what he enjoyed (sports) and set out in pursuit of a career in that area. The idea of being a sports broadcaster started early. “I always admired announcers Jack Buck and Bob Costas and wanted to be like them,” said Todd. “When I was in high school I worked for WNBP. I would bring my tape recorder to legion baseball games and do play-by-play of the games. Then I would bring the recordings to the station and they would play them.”

Todd chose to go to Syracuse University because it was one of the best sports broadcasting and journalism schools in the country and he earned early acceptance. “While I was at Syracuse I immersed myself in sports,” he said. “I worked on the school newspaper and with the university radio and TV stations. I also interned at local radio and TV stations.”

All that involvement paid off as Todd won the Bob Costas scholarship for sports journalism at Syracuse and met the well-known graduate.

Employment in sports followed in all sorts of places. “I have had the chance to travel the country,” he told me. “I’ve been in 45 of the 50 states strictly through broadcasting.”

He covered the Summer Olympics in Atlanta in 1996 for the Canadian Broadcasting Company (“I was on the field when Michael Johnson set the world record”) and he also broadcast a Final Four.

Todd did full-time minor league radio work in places such as Sioux City (Iowa), Louisville (Kentucky), and Sioux Falls (South Dakota) with a goal to get to the majors.

“I lived in the Midwest for four years and came to realize that I missed the New England area,” he said.

He interned at Portland in 1997 and was glad to get back to New England in 2002. “When the long-time radio guy here (Andy Young) retired to go into teaching I became the radio voice for the Portland Sea Dogs,” he explained.

In 2005, things changed for Todd. “My wife was very sick (She is doing well now) and I couldn’t justify being away half the year broadcasting,” he recalled. Todd decided to move into other aspects of the baseball operations at Portland.

During the season, some of the things he does include managing the content on the video board at Hadlock Field, gathering sponsors, working on the website, and overseeing their radio network and the games themselves. He also does sports talk show hosting in Portland.

“My job is year round,” he said. “The off season is very sales driven.”

Portland may be Double A but their connection to the current Red Sox team is significant, according to Todd. “There are 18 guys on this year’s Red Sox team who have played at Portland including Papelbon, Pedroia, Lester, Youkilis, and Beckett.”

Taking in a Sea Dogs’ game this summer makes perfect sense to Todd. “We have the #1 first base prospect (Lars Anderson) in all of baseball and several other top Red Sox prospects too,” he said.

And then there’s the price of tickets. Top ticket at Hadlock – $9. Would that cover parking for a Boston game?

Todd helped put together this year’s Boston Red Sox media guide and he is looking forward to a Sea Dogs game that will be played at Fenway Park on August 8th.

Having learned of Todd’s background, education, experience, versatility, talent, and energy, I suspect that Todd’s trip to Fenway Park in August might not be his last one.

( This story appeared in The Town Common on June 16, 2009. )

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Filed under Lars Anderson, Newburyport, Portland Sea Dogs, Todd Jamison

Tagged as Bob Costas, Chris Camerson, Lars Anderson, Newburyport High School, Portland Sea Dogs, Syracuse University, Todd Jamison

June 6, 2009 · 8:38 pm

Georgetown Wins Division 3 North Baseball Title vs Newburyport

The scoreboard after the game

(Lowell) I was at sunny LeLacheur Park in Lowell and watched Georgetown hang on to defeat Newburyport, 4-3, to gain the North Sectional Championship in Division 3 on Saturday afternoon on June 6th.

This game was tense from beginning to end. Newburyport ended the game with runners on second and third just a hit or an error away from winning the game.

It somehow made sense that pitcher Andrew Sinkewicz fielded the last grounder and tossed to first baseman Marco Luisi for the final out. Andrew and Marco were the two difference makers in my opinion. Andrew pitched a complete game in the biggest game of his life and also drove in what turned out to be the game winning run in the top of the 7th with an infield grounder. Marco launched two homers (2nd & 6th innings) over the left field fence that were the only runs on the board until the final inning.

The Clippers put plenty of pressure on the Royals with baserunners aplenty. Only in the fifth did they go quietly.

Ryan O’Connor started for Newburyport and was relieved by Tommy Morris in the 7th. Except for the two bombs by Marco Luisi, Ryan pitched very well. He had the misfortune of making the last out of the game which necessitates reminding folks that no one person ever loses a team game.

The coaches involved, Bill Pettingell(Newburyport) and Mark Rowe(Georgetown), have known each other for years. Bill coached Mark and later Mark was on Bill’s coaching staff. Those facts probably made the victory a little bittersweet for Mark Rowe.

I took quite a few pictures. Clicking on anything underlined will bring up a picture.

The teams wait for the North Andover/Reading game to end.

Mark Rowe and Bill Pettingell meet with the umpires before the game.

Tyler Stotz, Kyle LeBlanc, Joe Clancy, Matt Mottola, and Kyle McElroy line up during introductions.

Ryan O’Connor pitches for Newburyport and Andrew Sinkewicz pitches for Georgetown.

Marco Luisi mobbed in the second inning and the sixth inning after hitting homers.

Joe Clancy scores Newburyport’s first run in the sixth inning on Tommy Morris’s sacrifice fly.

Mike Ruh scores Georgetown’s 3rd run coming home on Anthony Conte’s triple in the top of the 7th.

Anthony Conte scores the eventual game-winner after Andrew Sinkewicz’s grounder to first in the 7th.

Coach Pettingell gathers his team together before their last at-bats in the bottom of the seventh.

Georgetown celebrates after recording the final out.

Joe Clancy leaves the field unable to score the tying run.

Georgetown celebrates the championship trophy.

The two coaches shake hands afterwards.

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Filed under 2009 North Division 3 Finals, Georgetown, Newburyport

Tagged as Andrew Sinkewicz, Anthony Conte, Bill Pettingell, Georgetown baseball, Joe Clancy, Kyle LeBlanc, Kyle McElroy, LeLacheur Park, Lowell, Marco Luisi, Mark Rowe, Mark Ruh, Matt Mottola, Newburyport baseball, Ryan O'Connor, Tommy Morris, Tyler Stotz

May 5, 2009 · 5:55 pm

Lord, Make Me An Instrument

An answered prayer brings a garden new life.

(May 5, 2009) God proved to me recently that He has a sense of humor.

This past week I reread a chapter in a book entitled, “Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To,” by Anthony DeStefano. The title of the chapter I reread was, “Why Should I Get Involved?”

To quote the author, “What is this prayer that generates such an immediate and surefire response from God? Basically, it’s simply a request: “Please, Lord, make me an instrument to carry out some important mission of mercy for you.” In other words, “Please use me to help someone in need.”

Further along in the chapter the author adds, “Mark my words, after you say this prayer, someone in need is going to practically show up on your doorstep – and he or she is going to be in dire straits.”

Also further: “Are you beginning to see why this prayer always works? It ties into the very essence of God’s being, which is love. If we pray for God to use us as an instrument to help someone else, we are really praying to be God-like.”

Then the reassuring part: “If God sends you someone to assist, he is also going to give you the time, the resources, and the wherewithal to do it…………..No matter what your personal situation, when the moment comes to help someone in need, you will be given all the wisdom and means necessary to be successful. Of that you should have no doubt.”

I couldn’t think of any reason for not praying – “Lord, make me an instrument,” – to see what would happen. Therefore, on Saturday (May 2nd), I started using that prayer.

The next morning, my wife and I were walking home from coffee on the Merrimac River, and passed through the Bartlet Mall. One of the landmarks there is a large statue of George Washington surrounded by an enclosed garden measuring about 4’ wide.

It caught our attention that the perennials (sedum) in the surrounding garden needed serious care and the area was still full of leaves from last fall.

I finished the walk home and suddenly realized that God has just presented me with a place to be an instrument. That “someone” in need was…………..George Washington!

I told me wife about my realization and together we agreed to do what we could to clean that garden up. We committed the details to God.

I knew that we couldn’t just go over there and start cleaning around the statue because it’s part of the mall. I thought that maybe the garden’s care belonged to some individual or individuals and they hadn’t done the job yet.

We ventured down to Newburyport Town Hall on Monday morning to find answers. It didn’t take long to figure out that no one was responsible for that garden and that the condition it was in was likely to continue. Believe me, there were some surprised and pleased folks at City Hall when we offered to clean up that garden. In one office, we were offered cookies!

We left city hall with permission from the mayor (John Moak) to do the cleaning.

We walked by the statue again on the way home to gauge the tools we’d need.

Last night (Monday), we were at the statue for 2+ hours clipping, pulling, and raking. The major perennial we found was sedum. The dead stalks hadn’t been cut back and they, and the deep leaves, overwhelmed the plants. Our clearing work opened up the plants to daylight and they should bloom eventually.

This morning (Tuesday) we trucked close to ten large plastic bags of leaves/debris over to the Newburyport compost site.

I can’t help but smile when I think of how God answered my prayer. The “someone” in need was George Washington and God knew that my wife and I had the time, energy, and tools to be of help. We acquired a few aches from our labors but it was still exciting to be involved the way we were.

All glory to Him. Do I hear laughing?

Anyone else want to give that, “Lord, make me an instrument,” prayer a try?? We know from experience that He will answer it.

(June 12, 2009) The call was urgent and the need was immediate.

And I didn’t reflect back to the, “Lord, make me an instrument,” prayer until after the fact. I actually hadn’t prayed that specific prayer for a number of weeks.

The needs were food and funds. God doesn’t send you into situations that are beyond what you have.

We wrestled with the specifics and then headed to where the need was.

We met the need anonymously but we knew that we would be found out.

Important for us was to be willing. We had at our disposal what the person needed.

God made us an instrument and we thank Him.

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Filed under George Washington statue, Lord make me an instrument, Newburyport

Tagged as Anthony DeStefano, Bartlet Mall, George Washington, John Moak, Newburyport, Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To

April 24, 2009 · 6:59 pm

Why Not Celebrate the Creator as Well as the Creation During Earth Week?

“Down to Earth,” by Barbara Taormina in the April 17th Newburyport Current informs readers that there will be a 10-day celebration of the planet.

Let’s face it, isn’t Earth Day (Week?) just a fancy name for spring cleaning?

Most people out there cleaning up the outdoors on their property and in other parts of Newburyport could care less about making some sort of event out of it. They just want to get the work done.

Speaking of events, I was intrigued to see that as part of the Earth Week celebration students from the Edward Molin School took a field trip to Mark Richey’s wind turbine. Would I be dreaming to think that somewhere in the pre or post field trip experience the impressionable youngsters would hear an evenhanded presentation of why the wind turbine is considered marvelous by some and a monstrosity by others?

I also noticed from the agenda of events that the salespeople for global warming would be hawking their wares. Anyone that assures you that global warming is a fact is a liar. Global warming is a theory. Twenty-four inches of snow in Denver on April 17th is a fact and to some, who expect us to take them seriously, a sure sign of global warming.

Maybe the environmentalists, who are pushing so hard to make an event out of something normal, should move on to something else. Why not celebrate the creator of the earth?

Could the Earth Week organizers open up their event schedule for a time of praise and prayer to earth’s creator? We could sing songs of praise to the creator and spend time praying that God would make us wise as we manage the earth he has given us.

Celebrating the creator of the earth can be an uplifting event. I was at Immaculate Conception on Friday night and heard the music of the Boston Community Choir. They were singing gospel music and it was lively – ask anyone who was there.

They were singing about someone greater than the earth. They were singing about someone who, “In the beginning created the heavens and the earth.”

Genesis Chapter One is a great source of information on earth’s creation. It would be a terrific chapter to read as part of the Earth Week celebrations.

( This letter-to-the-editor appeared in the Newburyport Current on April 24, 2009 and the Newburyport Daily News on April 27, 2009. )

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Filed under 292-foot wind tower, Earth Day, Earth Week, Newburyport, Newburyport Current

Tagged as Earth Day, Earth Week, Genesis, global warming, Mark Richey, Newburyport Current

April 23, 2009 · 3:31 pm

Triton Boys’ Lacrosse Defeats Newburyport on April 22nd

Triton coach Donna Andersen works out goalie Carson True before the game with Newburyport.

I was trying to get my usual weekly story for The Town Common and went into Tuesday (April 21st) with almost nothing. A seemingly set up interview on Thursday (April 16th) vanished on Friday, Monday, and Tuesday morning.

What to do? Could have thrown in the towel but God opened a door on Tuesday.

I heard about a boys’ lacrosse game happening on Tuesday morning between Newburyport and Triton at Newburyport. I knew that the Triton coach was a woman from seeing a game last year. I thought that I could find out in an interview about that arrangement and also discuss the game.

Some things sound good but can things be pulled together on such short notice.

I hustled over to Newburyport – a mile from here – and met the coach (Donna Andersen) on the field ½ hour before game time. She agreed to an interview back at Triton after the game.

I stood on the sidelines and used my big Canon. It was quite foggy with rain likely before day’s end.

Both teams had won only one game and the play was rough. Newburyport put some very solid hits on Triton kids. Getting a penalty didn’t seem to lessen their willingness to hit hard. Triton led throughout and won 15-9. Three of Triton’s goals came when they had the man advantage.

Andrew Sokol (#9) and his "shadow" Bert Comins.

Newburyport had one very impressive player (#9 Andrew Sokol). Only a sophomore, he had a shot that was quick and accurate. The longer the game went on the more Triton shadowed him. #43 of Triton (Bert Cumins) was the shadow.

I went home after the game to warm up and then went to Triton. I arrived just as the team was getting off the bus. I had a nice chat with Donna Andersen inside the building. I believe that the players were calling her, “Coach A.”

She teaches phys ed at Triton and also coaches field hockey. She excelled at both field hockey and lacrosse at UNH.

She became coach seven years ago when the lacrosse program started at Triton. Elizabeth McAndrews (AD at Triton then – at Amesbury now) needed someone to coach boys’ lacrosse and no one had stepped up to do it. Elizabeth knew that Donna could handle mixed phys ed classes and had a lacrosse background. Donna was surprised to be asked to take the job but accepted after a weekend’s consideration.

She likened the boys’ intensity playing lacrosse to the intensity of Division 1 women’s lacrosse.

She said that she thought that the boys were comfortable with her as their coach. She said that unfamiliar officials tend to think that JV coach Avery Woodworth is the head coach and she might be the trainer.

She told me that she doesn’t know of any women coaching high school level or above boys’ lacrosse. She thought it was surprising.

( A regular story on Triton coach Donna Andersen will appear in The Town Common on April 29, 2009 )

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Filed under Donna Andersen, Elizabeth McAndrews, Newburyport, Triton

Tagged as Andrew Sokol, Bert Comins, Donna Andersen, Elizabeth McAndrews, Newburyport boys' lacrosse, Triton boys' lacrosse

March 17, 2009 · 4:25 pm

Hockey Pro Erik Kent Not Surprised by Clipper Hockey title

Newburyport's Erik Kent after a pregame skate with the Danbury Mad Hatters.

Erik Kent may be playing professional hockey four hours away in Danbury (Connecticut) but he is well aware of all the hockey excitement in hometown Newburyport over the recent Division 2 state championship.

I interviewed Erik recently at the Danbury Ice Arena after a morning skate prior to an evening game.

Erik was part of the NHS coaching staff last season and claimed that, “he wasn’t surprised that they were the state champs this year.”

“The team was very good last season but just didn’t play well in the tournament loss to Tewksbury,” he told me. “The leadership returned this season and if they were ever going to win a championship it would be this year.”

Erik has had contact with NHS head coach Paul Yameen. “He told me how exciting winning the championship has been. He said that everywhere he goes he’s been treated like a king.”

While the Clippers and their fans were having their excitement this season, Erik was having some of his own as he finishes his first full season of professional hockey with the Danbury Mad Hatters of the EPHL (Eastern Professional Hockey League).

Erik thought that two years ago his dream of a professional hockey career was over. “I went to a training camp in Huntsville (Alabama) in the SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League) in the best shape of my life but ended up getting cut and released. I was devastated.”

He ended up back in Newburyport working for his uncle at New England Foundations.

A phone call from New York in February 2008 reactivated his hockey dream. “I was invited to play in Jamestown (New York),” he said. “I went up there and scored points. The general manager of one of the teams I played against liked what he saw. A few months later he was looking to stock the Danbury team in the newly formed EPHL (Eastern Professional Hockey League) and he contacted me. I signed with the team this past August as their first player.”

The level of play in the EPHL is Single A but it doesn’t matter to Erik. “It is a great opportunity for players like me,” he said. “During a season of games, I get to show everyone what I can do and get my name out there.”

At 26, Erik is not sure of how long he can wait to move up the professional ladder. “It’s frustrating that it hasn’t happened yet since I’m among the league leaders in points. I know that I need to be patient but there are student loans to deal with and you don’t make much money at this level. I want to be at the next level next year.”

Erik was into hockey early. “No one in my family played hockey but my dad was a big Bruins fan. When I was three, I took part in Learn-To-Skate with Dick Tierney at Graf. By five, I was in an organized league. The youth leagues in Newburyport were unbelievable.”

By ten, he was playing in leagues away from Newburyport and then made the choice to go to Lawrence Academy (Groton MA). “I thought that I was good enough to play at the prep school level and Lawrence had one of the best hockey programs in the country. I made the team as a freshman.”

He went on to Southern Maine and played four years of hockey there. He stayed an extra year to get his degree in communications because, “my mother always told me I needed a college degree.”

In college, Erik decided to change his style of play. “Growing up I was a goal scorer,” he told me. “That’s all I wanted to do. As a junior in college I figured out that, you have to play both ways. If you do that it turns into goals.” And in Erik’s case, professional opportunities.

( This story appeared in The Town Common on March 25th. )

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Filed under Erik Kent, Newburyport, Town Common

Tagged as Danbury Mad Hatters, Erik Kent, Lawrence Academy hockey, Newburyport hockey, Paul Yameen

March 12, 2009 · 10:56 pm

Erik Kent of the Danbury Mad Hatters………….and Newburyport

Erik gets set for the opening faceoff.

A while ago I saw a story in the Newburyport Daily News about a young man from Newburyport who was playing professional hockey for the Danbury (CT) Mad Hatters. I have family within ten miles of Danbury. When a trip was arranged to visit I decided to see if I could do a story on the young man – Erik Kent.

I assumed that I could do a better story for The Town Common than the Daily News had done because I was actually going to go where the player was and not rely on a phone interview. Everything fell into place nicely and I met Erik after his morning skate at the Danbury Ice Arena on Friday March 12th.

He was a good interview despite having a bad cold. He was excited about the recent Newburyport Division 2 championship because he was the team’s assistant coach last season.

I also had a chance to visit with the team’s business manager and he gave me a ticket to that night’s game with Hudson Valley. That night I was part of a crowd of close friends and relatives. Danbury won 6-2 but had at least 60 shots on net. In one play the Danbury team went in 4-on-none on the beleaguered HV goalie and took three rapid-fire shots without scoring. Erik had the last shot and headed to the bench shaking his head.