Streaking Sensations: Bentley basketball teams combine for 20 straight victories

Lisa Cassidy/Daily News staff

Bentley junior guard Kim Brennan's 45-foot buzzer beater in the second overtime helped the Falcons to a triple-overtime victory over Saint Rose Tuesday night.

By Justin A. Rice/Daily News correspondent

Daily News Tribune

Posted Jan 28, 2010 @ 03:09 AM

When Kim Brennan heaved a halfcourt shot with time dwindling in the second overtime on Tuesday night, it looked like the Bentley University women's basketball team's seven-game winning streak was over.

That was an instant before the All-Conference junior guard sunk a 45-foot, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to force a third overtime against The College of Saint Rose.

``Yeah, that was completely unexpected,'' Brennan said one night after the 87-84 victory at the Dana Center. ``There was 3.4 seconds left on the clock, so there was nothing else to do but get the ball up as quick as possible. I saw an opening. Some people thought I shot a little too early, but I thought that was the best chance I had to get it up.''

The Bentley men's team also extended an unbeaten streak on Tuesday night, beating The College of Saint Rose, 88-67, for its 12th straight victory.

These types of streaks are nothing new in Bentley country. Just two years ago, the women had a nine-game streak while the men won their first 34 games. The previous year, the men won 32 straight games.

Over the last six years, including this season, the men are 160-26, while the women are considered one of the best and most consistent teams in the conference.

``It's always nice seeing the (women's) team wining and us winning,'' said senior guard Jason Westrol. ``It's nice seeing both of us successful at the same time. It just makes everybody happy around the gym to go down there and work hard at practice.

``Being around them so much brought us closer together with each other on a personal level as friends and stuff.''

Westrol, who is leading the team with 19.8 and 4.3 assists per game, has started since the fifth game of his freshman year.

``It's just every step of the way been enjoyable for me starting from my freshman year to senior year,'' he said. ``(The win streaks) just makes it that much more fun to come down to practice every day and work hard with the team.''

The three-overtime victory improved Bentley's women's team to 14-5 overall and 12-2 in the NE-10. They are in a second-place tie with Stonehill and two games back of unbeaten Franklin Pierce.

``That game was huge to get momentum going,'' said Brennan, who collected a season-high 25 on Tuesday night.

At the end of the second overtime, it looked like Saint Rose had the game in the bag. After sinking a pair of free throws, it led 76-73 with 3.4 seconds left before Brennan's midcourt heroics.

``It got us pumped up,'' Brennan said. ``How many chances can you get? It would be heartbreaking to lose after that. A shot like that is once in a lifetime. It gets you more excited. No way could we lose that game after something like that happened.''

But after it happened they still had to compose themselves and get back on the court.

``You do have to settle down and realize the game is not over,'' Brennan said. ``You can't stop playing. You realize you have to go back in and play hard again, run good offenses and play great defense. You can't rely on another halfcourt shot.''

After Bentley scored the first five points of the final overtime Saint Rose took an 84-83 lead with 19.1 seconds with a 3-pointer. The Falcons went up 85-84 after sophomore Katherine Goodwin's driving layup with 16.1 seconds to play.

Brennan sealed the deal by sinking a pair of free throws and a Saint Rose desperation heave wasn't close nearly as close as Brennan's.

``We're kind of plugging along,'' Bentley women's coach Barbara Stevens said. ``Our games, unfortunately, are not as easy as the men's seem to be. They kind of have more cushion than we do, but we're managing to eke out wins that are important to us.''

On Tuesday night, junior forward Brian Tracey scored a season-high 24 points for the men's squad. That victory, coupled with Stonehill's 73-51 loss to Le Moyne, lifted the Falcons (17-2, 12-2 NE-10) into a tie for the top spot in the 16-team conference.

Bentley has won the NE-10 title an unprecedented five straight years and is vying to make it six in a row. Saint Rose fell to 10-9 overall and 7-7 in the conference.

Westrol, who had 17 points, six assists, five rebounds and two steals against Saint Rose, said opponents gun for them every game and they feed off the pressure.

``I guess we handle situations like that pretty well,'' he said. ``Pretty much every team comes ready to play against us. We know that we can't take anything lightly. We have to come out with the same intensity every night and hope for the best.''

The men's and women's teams will continue to feed off one another as both Bentley teams play Pace University Saturday afternoon in Pleasantville, N.Y.

``We're both really strong teams,'' Brennan said. ``We definitely support each other. When the guys get a win, we definitely want to also be winning. We do feed off each other's energy that we have.''

Marchionda nets game-winner with two seconds left for Falcons

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Lisa Cassidy/Daily News staff

Trinity Catholic senior Mike Marchionda (left) tangles with Lowell Catholic's Shane Guarino on his way to four goals, including the game-winner with two seconds left and his 100th career point, last night at Watertown's Ryan Rink.

By Justin A. Rice/Daily News correspondent

Daily News Tribune

Posted Jan 26, 2010 @ 02:26 AM

WATERTOWN — With about 14 seconds left in last night's game against Lowell Catholic at Ryan Rink, Mike Marchionda took a pass on the blue line near the far boards. He rushed the net untouched, deked left, and beat the goalie with two seconds to spare.

The goal was the Trinity Catholic senior defenseman's fourth of the night, the Falcons final score of a 5-4 victory, and Marchionda's 101st career point.

At the start of the period, Marchionda - who had 97 points going into the game - completed a hat trick to reach the century mark. That goal gave his team a 3-2 advantage, which eventually slipped away and seemed lost forever. That was until Trinity sophomore defenseman Kyle Manning tied the game, 4-4, with 1:28 to play and Marchionda won it 86 seconds later.

``Unbelievable, it's the best feeling ever, I can't say anything else about it,'' Marchionda said after his team improved to 5-6-3 on the year. ``It's just an experience that's probably never going to happen again.

``I was thinking: I don't want to lose my 100-point game, we need to win this.''

Before his miraculous game-winning goal, it seemed like Marchionda's third score of the evening might be the most timely of the game. After scoring consecutive goals to put his team up 2-1, Trinity gave up the tying goal in the final seconds of the second period.

It didn't take long for Marchionda to get it back. With 12:07 to play in the game, he netted his 100th point on an assist from junior forward Chris Nickerson.

``I didn't even know it was the 100th (point),'' he said. ``When I got on the bench (one of the coaches) congratulated me and I was like: `For what?' Now that I know it, it's a pretty special goal and I'll always remember it.''

The game was not stopped, but the milestone was announced over the public address system. There wasn't any fanfare heading into the game either. Trinity Catholic coach John Devaney purposely didn't tell Marchionda he was three points shy of 100.

``I just didn't want to let him know,'' Devaney said of Marchionda, who has 36 of the team's 55 goals this season, including two five-goal performances in the last four games. ``(I wanted to) let him play his regular game. The points will come.''

Marchionda's first two points of the game didn't come so quickly, however. After a scoreless opening period, Lowell Catholic (4-6-3) got on the board first with 13:26 left to play in the second stanza. Marchionda finally put the Falcons on the board with 2:08 left in the second period. The goal, which was also assisted Nickerson, opened a flurry of offense.

With 47.2 seconds left in the period, Marchionda got his second goal, this time unassisted. But the Falcon defense broke down and let in the equalizer with 14.5 seconds left in the second period. The goal was scored by sophomore Jake Santorelli and assisted by eighth-grade forward Joe Santorelli.

``I came in the locker room and said `Keep you head up, keep working hard, we're still in the game - it's only 2-2,''' Marchionda said. ``They stayed with me. We have a young team this year, so there's nothing I can really do except keep their hopes up and make them better players.''

Halfway through the final period, Lowell Catholic tied the game for the second time when Joe Santorelli beat TC goalie Sean Moccia.

About a minute later, freshman defender Adam Beckwith got what looked to be the game-winning goal for the Crusaders after taking a pass from another eighth-grader, Aaron Crandall, to go up 4-3 with 5:49 to play in the game.

But late in the third, Lowell Catholic was called for roughing. And about a minute later, Manning came through with his game-tying slap shot on the power play.

``I was ready to take a slap shot and it hit off the goalie's pads,'' Manning said. ``Then I think it took a bounce off someone, and then when it went in it was just crazy. Then when Mike scored the game-winning goal, it was amazing.

``It's just ridiculous. That's all you can say about that.''

Both Manning and Nickerson played the entire game as the Falcons only have 13 players, including two goalies.

``I'm speechless,' Nickerson said. ``That was a great goal. We all played our hearts out.''

Devaney said that in his 14-year tenure with the Falcons, they have never scored a game-winner like last night's.

``We had tying goals, but we haven't had a winning goal (like that),'' he said. ``That was just a great high school hockey game. There's a lot of ties in our league, and a lot of one-goal games in our league. The competition is great. In our league, things are pretty tight.''

Things could not have been tighter in the final seconds last night when junior forward Steve Simmons passed to Kevin McAdam, who poked the puck to Marchionda at the blue line.

``I skated in thinking: What move am I going to do to beat him?'' Marchionda said. ``I didn't know if I was going to shoot it or deke him. I just went with the deke.

``I can't believe I scored.''

Wrestling regimen inspires in battle with melanoma

“A lot of your best stuff will happen after there’s been a lot of bad things,’’ said Jeff Parker, Foxborough High graduate.

By Justin A. Rice Globe Correspondent / January 21, 2010

Facing 30 radiation treatments after a cancerous mass was removed from his neck in the fall, Jeff Parker drew strength from his wrestling career at Foxborough High and, later, at the University of Buffalo. Especially a punishing preseason in his first season at Buffalo in which he vomited in nearly 30 straight workouts.

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“I’ll puke but, guess what, I’m not going to stop,’’ Parker said. “It’s going to take a lot more than that to break me.’’

The 25-year-old Parker took that mentality into his radiation treatments last September and did not vomit once.

“I was thinking of it kind of like [wrestling] preseason,’’ said Parker, who was diagnosed shortly after July Fourth with melanoma before undergoing surgery in early August. “Thirty days and I’m done; it’s not too bad.’’

During his treatments, Parker never missed a day of work at the Kraft Group or a practice session as an assistant wrestling coach at Franklin High.

A fanatic fan of the Food Network, he even kept his weight up despite losing his sense of taste.

“I don’t want to shrink down to nothing,’’ said Parker, down to 225 pounds after wrestling at 260 in college. “I take pride in being a big guy.’’

The cancer spread after radiation and metastasized in several vital organs, and he is undergoing experimental treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. With Parker’s medical bills mounting, a pair of his former college teammates, Mickey Moran and Joe Muscarella, organized a benefit in his honor.

Buffalo’s match on Jan. 30 against Ohio will double as the “Takedown Cancer’’ event. Proceeds from the match and a sports memorabilia auction will offset the cost of Parker’s treatment not covered by insurance. The surplus will be donated to Dana-Farber, along with Carly’s Club, a pediatric cancer organization in Buffalo.

In just the first three weeks of fund-raising, the drive raised about $6,000. Buffalo coach Jim Beichner thinks they can raise $20,000.

“It wouldn’t have snowballed if we didn’t have a kid of character like Jeff Parker,’’ Beichner said. “He’s extremely well liked and well respected.’’

An academic all-conference selection and SUNY Chancellor award winner, Parker won 73 matches at Buffalo. His senior year, he earned the “Ideal Bull’’ award, presented to the school’s most well-rounded athlete.

Overwhelmed by the support, Parker is uncomfortable with the attention but knows it’s for the greater good.

He’s motivated by the resiliency of the children at Dana-Farber hopping out of cars and onto crutches.

“They don’t feel sorry for themselves at all,’’ Parker said. “I don’t feel sorry for myself but I feel sorry for them. If I could help them at all, that’s what I want to do.’’

Parker also hopes to leave an impression on his wrestlers at Franklin High. He tells them how he endured plenty of lows before reaching his highest highs.

“A lot of your best stuff will happen after there’s been a lot of bad things,’’ he said. “In eighth grade, I was 6-20 and had a pretty down season. My senior year, my record was 40-0. In order to get to that 40-0, there was a lot of bad things that happened to get there.’’

Parker developed his toughness by training with Father John McLaughlin, who had built a hall of fame coaching career on the mat at Woburn High. About eight Foxborough wrestlers went to train with McLaughlin at St. Mary’s Church in Foxborough, but after one session Parker and his best friend, Mike Ragusa, were the only ones to return religiously, drilling on an unpadded commercial-grade rug in the church basement.

“When new people would come in and work with them and say, ‘Are you kidding?’ Parker would say, ‘Rug burns will make you tougher,’ ’’ McLaughlin recalled.

As a senior at Foxborough, Parker was the all-state and New England heavyweight champion, and then wrestled at Binghamton University before the program was cut.

He transferred to Buffalo before red-shirting his first season with a hip injury. When he returned to the mat, he took the starting heavyweight spot and was named cocaptain his senior season.

Two months after graduation, Parker noticed a lump on his neck that was diagnosed as melanoma a few weeks later. Soon the son of a cancer survivor was himself undergoing surgery to remove the muscle that runs from his ear down the side of his neck to his clavicle.

Despite responding well to treatment, doctors soon spotted cancer on his liver and lungs.

His father, Walter, 54, who has been free of stomach cancer for four years, has a hard time comprehending it all.

“It’s kind of shocking, two people from the same family, two different cancers,’’ Walter Parker said. “It’s really heartbreaking, as hard as this kid worked, to see this happen.

“We continue to have faith and hope and pray that he beats this like I did.’’

Father McLaughlin is also praying.

“I pray he’s healed from cancer; I pray that God remembers how great of a person he is and how giving he is and the type of person he is,’’ said McLaughlin, now based in Washington, D.C.

Parker knows his wrestling foundation has been his greatest weapon against cancer. But in his mind he has only survived preseason conditioning and still has a long season to go.

With only two sessions of his new treatment under his belt, Parker has to go back for more every three weeks with no end in sight.

“This part of my battle with cancer is going to be more [about] things I learned from wrestling,’’ Parker says. “Those [radiation treatments] were quick and I could see the end. This one is longer. I don’t know the end. I can’t see the end right now. It’s like the day-to-day grind of a regular season.’’

To learn more about the fund-raiser for Jeff Parker, go to www.ubathletics. buffalo.edu/wrestling/news/ parker-benefit.shtml.

© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.

Orange Bowl pregame: Coldest Orange Bowl ever doesn't faze Iowa fans

RODNEY WHITE / THE REGISTER

Jenny and Tim Hugunin of Norwalk, Iowa, donned their patch-laden overalls for the party outside LandShark Stadium.

By JUSTIN RICE
Special to the Register

Miami, Fla. — Carting a red cooler around Land Shark Stadium on Tuesday afternoon, Marshal Versteeg wore jeans and a thin black jacket five hours before what was flirted with being the coldest FedEx Orange Bowl in the game’s 76-year history.

The 2002 Iowa graduate moved to South Florida six years ago, but wasn’t fazed by the weather since he grew up on a dairy farm in Sibley.

His girlfriend, however — a Boca Raton, Fla. native — looked like she was dressed for a game at oft-chilled Kinnick Stadium.

“I’m fine now but later I know I’ll be cold,” said Carly Feduniec, sporting black North Face boots over double socks while holding a hooded sweatshirt and winter jacket with a fur-lined hood.

“I’m prepared. I got hand warmers.”

Temperatures dipped to 49 degrees by the time No. 9 Georgia Tech and No. 10 Iowa finally kicked off, shattering the previous Orange Bowl record for the coldest kickoff of 57 degrees in 2008.

Tuesday night was the coldest in a week of weather that was the chilliest South Florida has felt in nearly a decade.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=D2&Dato=20100105&Kategori=SPORTS020502&Lopenr=1050811&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=1" target="_blank">Iowans in the parking lot laughed at the wind-chill advisory in South Florida, knowing temperatures in Iowa have dipped into the negative double digits.

South Beach was mostly filled with hardy Hawkeye fans to start the week, according to Brain Fox, a 21-year-old Iowa senior majoring in business.

“I went in the water. It was a little cold, but this is like April back home — this is like a heat wave,” said the Charles City native while wearing a yellow Orange Bowl T-shirt, cargo shorts and sandals.

Fox’s friends all wore jeans on the partly cloudy afternoon mostly in the high 50s.
“I don’t see a need to wear pants,” Fox said. “Back home it’s 15 below.”

Wearing four layers of clothing, Mara Frazier of Boulder, Colo., was prepared for the area’s chilliest cold snap in nine years.

“This was supposed to be a mini vacation away from the cold,” said the Iowa City native who got her teaching certificate from Iowa in 1987. “Today in Boulder, it’s just as warm — if you forget the foot of snow.”

Randy Ferdig, 52, of Iowa City, was glad to get in a few 80-degree beach days before the arctic cold front that has gripped the eastern half of the country set in.

The only warm clothes he brought were a jacket and a sweatshirt.

“This is nothing,” he said while tailgating behind a red Chevy pickup with two Hawkeye window flags and another 10-foot tall flag planted next to the car. “I’ll take this any day.”

Ferdig has held Iowa season tickets for 25 years.

“It feels like a fall football game at Iowa,” he said before adding that he thought the weather would benefit his team. “They’re used to playing in this. I was talking to one of the equipment managers and he said they’re real happy. The temperature is good for them. They won’t have any heat exhaustion.”

While Hawkeye fans were in paradise this week, Florida farmers were feeling the pain. Crops across the state were destroyed as temperatures were forecast to dip below freezing in some inland areas of the state.

“Those are the things you go through no matter where you’re farming,” said Versteeg, whose parents still run a dairy farm in Sibley that also grows corn and soybeans. “It’s unfortunate. We’ve dealt with hail and drought. That’s the risk you run when you farm.”

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BC’s Rehnquist dons robes of scout team

Despite being a BC walk-on, Peter Rehnquist already has scored his first college points. (Bill Greene/Globe Staff)

By Justin A. Rice Globe Correspondent / January 4, 2010

James Rehnquist surprised his band of five basketball-crazed children 10 years ago, taking them to shoot on the “highest court in the land’’ - the gymnasium located above the chamber of the United States Supreme Court.

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The kids’ grandfather, William H., the 16th chief justice of the Supreme Court, served more than 33 years on the bench and was known to preside over sharp-elbowed games on the basketball court.

This fall, Peter Rehnquist had a surprise of his own for his father: He had earned a roster spot on the Boston College basketball team as a walk-on.

A 6-foot-4-inch sophomore who starred at Sharon High, Rehnquist is thrilled with the opportunity to carve out a role on the Eagles’ scout team and sit at the end of the bench.

“The first couple days were tough,’’ he said. “I’d never been dunked on before and the first three days of practice I got dunked on. This is Division 1!’’

Rehnquist helped power Sharon to back-to-back appearances in the Division 2 state tournament before averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds per game in a postgraduate year at Deerfield Academy. He had his sights on Division 3 ball, like his father, who starred at Amherst in the 1970s.

James Rehnquist collected 1,512 points during an All-America career at Amherst, then knocked around semipro leagues in Europe.

While attending law school at Boston University, he coached Thayer Academy, including an undefeated season and NEPSAC championship in 1986.

“Jim is an amazing individual. He’s totally amazing,’’ said Sharon High boys’ coach Bruce Jackman. “I still get some of his youth league kids and they do a great job.

“He and his wife are two of the most supportive parents I’ve ever seen.’’

Peter says he considers going into coaching, even if it is just coaching his children’s teams, like his father did when he was growing up.

At one point, James simultaneously coached all five of his children despite being a partner at Goodwin Procter LLP in Boston. He even attended all of Peter’s freshman games at Sharon High that tapped off at 3:30 p.m.

Peter’s younger brother, Tomas, made the varsity at Roxbury Latin as a sophomore this season. His sister, Grace, a freshman guard at Williams, is the second-leading scorer for the Ephs.

“I had to get the UNIVAC out to crunch the scheduling numbers to see how many games I could go to,’’ James said.

“My wife [Anna] and I figured out we could cover pretty much all the games and even go to some together.’’

Scouting his options

Peter Rehnquist bypassed Division 3, deciding to attend a larger university and focus on academics. But he missed organized basketball during his freshman year when he caught on with a friend’s intramural team.

“We lost to the football team in the finals,’’ said Rehnquist. “They had a 6-7 receiver [Ifeanyi Momah] guarding me, so it was pretty tough.’’

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In April, on a lark, he sent an e-mail to Eagles assistant coach Mo Cassara, inquiring about trying out for the men’s team.

“They were very receptive, I was amazed,’’ said Rehnquist.

Cassara asked him to attend summer workouts. In the fall, head coach Al Skinner invited him to join the team.

He got on the floor for two minutes against Dartmouth in the season-opener Nov. 13 and then ripped down a rebound the following game in a three-minute stint against Saint Francis, earning knee-buckling praise from his friends in the student section.

His only career basket, a hard drive in the final 30 seconds of a 72-46 win over Bryant Dec. 20, sent his teammates on the bench into a frenzy.

“It was pretty loud. It was during break, so it was a smaller crowd than usual but a couple of my family members were up to see, so it was pretty cool,’’ he said, adding that his father, who makes most games, was away on business. “He was a little upset. I told him I’d score another one for him next time he comes if I get in.

“Luckily it went in,’’ he said. “One of my friends sent me a text message saying, ‘You’ve scored more NCAA points than Kobe [Bryant], Dirk [Nowitzki], and Kevin Garnett combined.’ ’’

For Rehnquist, who was a high school center, his biggest challenge is learning BC’s system on the fly. As a scout team player, he also has to learn opponents’ offenses and defenses. Although Rehnquist said he relies on his mind to make up for his lack of athleticism, Skinner said he wouldn’t be on the team if he couldn’t keep up.

“It’s one of the more difficult positions to be in because walk-ons get as much criticism as anyone else, as much heat as anyone else, but don’t get any glory because they don’t get a chance to get on the floor [a lot],’’ Skinner said. “You have to have a tremendous love for the game to be in this type of environment. Obviously he appreciates that and has been a good teammate.

“When he does play, he wants to fit in and that’s the real challenge, to be part of it, so when he does participate, he doesn’t hurt the team.’’

Nobody can accuse Rehnquist of taking advantage of the family name. Skinner, in fact, was surprised to learn of his background.

“I don’t think I would add anything to the BC program just because my grandfather was somebody,’’ Rehnquist said. “I don’t think that helps on the basketball court.’’

Off the court, he has had to adjust to juggling his academic load around four practices and two games per week. After returning from the Eagles’ trip to Michigan at 3 a.m. in early December, that morning he had to make up a psychology test given while the team was in the Virgin Islands for a tournament the previous week.

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The Virgin Islands trip was well worth it, however, as he ran into Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl, a Sharon native, in the hotel elevator.

“I actually thought, ‘What happens if I run into Bruce Pearl in the elevator? I gotta mention I’m from Sharon, Mass.,’ ’’ said Rehnquist.

It’s in the blood

James Rehnquist said he never pressured his children to play basketball or go to law school, saying he doesn’t want to encourage something that’s not there or discourage something that is.

Although he’s never mentioned it to his father, Peter Rehnquist sees the law in his future.

“It’s never like you have to live up to the Rehnquist legacy or anything like that,’’ said Peter, who nevertheless inherited his granddad’s competitive spirit. “We’d play croquet and he’d try to get in our heads while we were playing the game. He’d always win somehow, too.

“He was really competitive, that’s where we get our nature from.’’

Attending the Clinton impeachment and Bush v. Gore hearings was just a sidebar to an otherwise normal relationship.

“To us, he was our grandfather, not the chief justice,’’ Peter said.

William Rehnquist died Sept. 3, 2005, after presiding as chief justice for nearly 19 years, the fourth-longest tenure in history.

“Some kids last year went on Wikipedia and quizzed me on my grandfather because they didn’t believe me,’’ Peter said.

His father, however, couldn’t avoid the long shadow of the highest magistrate in the land.

“The attention is good for my ego,’’ James told People magazine during his junior season at Amherst in 1976, “but I realize that part of it is because of my old man, and that bothers me. I also think the constant puns about both of us being on the court and the bench are juvenile.’’

James also told People he chose Amherst after drinking free beer at a frat house.

When asked if his son chose Boston College in the same manner, he said, “God, I hope not. I think he had a lot more maturity than his father.’’

© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.

Senior uses her smarts to excel in girls' hockey

Globe South Sports

Braintree High School’s Justine Hassan (left) is first in her class academically. (Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff)

By Justin A. Rice Globe Correspondent / January 3, 2010

Before the hockey season started, Braintree High headmaster David Swanton worried that Justine Hassan had too much on her plate this semester. Six Advanced Placement courses on her schedule, plus hockey, made Swanton’s head spin.

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“I said, ‘Justine, the headmaster just approached me; he’s concerned you’re taking on too much,’ ’’ recalled hockey coach Kevin Burchill, who likes to boast about Hassan’s academic achievements, especially her excellent 2320 SAT score. “She looked at me and said: ‘What do you mean? School’s easy. I’m more worried about hockey this year.’ ’’

With that, the number one student in Braintree’s senior class entered her senior hockey season wondering if it would be her last truly competitive one. Hassan, who also plays lacrosse, has the academic credentials to attend Harvard, Princeton, or Dartmouth, but probably does not have the hockey skills to play in the Ivy League.

The fourth-year varsity forward could possibly walk onto a Division 3 hockey team.

“Even though I love hockey, I’m not worried about the hockey part,’’ said Hassan, who has 40 goals and 34 assists in her career, including two goals and one assist this season. “I just want to get in [to schools]. I know I’ll never play hockey professionally, so I can’t worry about it too much.’’

Picking between Harvard, Dartmouth, Princeton, Amherst, Williams, and Bowdoin is a pretty good predicament, one that Burchill cannot help but laugh at.

“She’d make a sacrifice [to play Division 3] that in anyone else’s eyes is not a sacrifice,’’ he said. “Amherst, Bowdoin and Middlebury are schools some kids would give their right arms for. . . . She has the world by the tail. She can do whatever she wants to do.’’

Braintree might just be the brainiest team in the area. Almost all 25 players are honor roll students. Sophomore Tori Machado is also at the head of her class, and after being tutored by Hassan, junior goalie Nikki O’Brien made straight A’s.

Hassan’s sister Jessie is also on the team as a sophomore defender.

“That truly makes my job so much easier, because they understand what we’re trying to do,’’ said Burchill, whose team started the season 3-1-1 through Dec. 22. “On the other side, when you’re coaching kids that are not on top of the food chain academically, they do what you say, rather than trying to sort it out and figure out the whys.’’

But even though his team, especially Hassan, has a tendency to overthink the game, rather than playing it instinctually, Burchill said the Wamps did not get competitive until the current senior class entered the program.

They finished with a 14-5-3 record last year, after losing in the second round of the Division 1 state tournament for the third straight year. Playing more fluidly than ever this season, the Wamps feel it is their best shot to make a run at the state title.

“That happens sometimes,’’ Hassan said of thinking too much on the ice. “I get frustrated. I’m almost trying too hard, and that makes me play worse. I’m working on it.’’

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On the other hand, Hassan has college-level calculus, AP psychology, AP human geography, AP physics, AP biology, and her AP language class under control.

She has her eye on an engineering or premed undergraduate track.

After scoring 2320 out of 2400 on her SATs last May, she regrets the day that news of her score spread like wildfire in the school’s hallways.

“I told a couple of people, and, before I knew it, I was walking down the hall and heard people talking about me,’’ said Hassan, who, despite being shy about sharing her score, said she never hides her intelligence. “. . . I don’t try to be dumb, but I don’t try to be a know-it-all.’’

Hassan knew she wanted to play hockey from the moment she pressed her nose against the glass at one of her brother’s youth games.

“All the little sisters would run around the rink,’’ she said. “I was glued to the boards watching the game. I just liked the game from the beginning. I persuaded my parents to sign me up.’’

Despite her parent’s initial misgivings, she played hockey just like her brother, who attends college in Minnesota. Unlike her brother, Hassan’s college choices have been limited by her parents to a three-hour driving radius.

“Luckily, there are many good schools within three hours of Boston,’’ said Hassan’s father, Captain James Hassan, who heads the Area E-5 police station in West Roxbury. “I think she will be a worthy candidate at any one of them.

“She’s at a crossroads determining where she wants to go,’’ he said. “Of course, a lot will depend on which schools will accept her. . . . I used to tell her: ‘Do the best you can. You don’t want your choices to be limited by other people. To make yourself most effective, you make the choices. You’re in charge.’ I guess she picked up on that theme.’’

© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.

Growing into leadership position

Xaverian captain cites sibling’s role in success as goalie

Xaverian Brothers High senior goalie Kyle MacDonald keeps a close watch for opposing skaters during last weekend’s 5-0 win against Westford Academy. (David Kamerman/Globe Staff)

By Justin A. Rice December 31, 2009

After the Xaverian Brothers High hockey team lost in the Super 8 boys’ tournament for the second straight year last March, Kyle MacDonald not only hit the weight room - the Hanover teen also hit a growth spurt. The 6-foot, 165-pound senior goalie grew so much his pads no longer fit.

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Fortunately, his folks were generous enough to buy him new gear in October, which meant Santa didn’t leave much under the tree on Christmas.

“I didn’t expect much,’’ said the Division 1 college prospect, who said he mostly received clothing last Thursday. “Pads cost over a grand, so I was happy.’’

Besides putting on 10 pounds and growing nearly 3 inches, MacDonald, a three-year starter and hockey captain at the Catholic school in Westwood, has also made his presence in the net bigger by improving his technique.

“He’s done that and he’s so quick so that combo makes him tough to beat,’’ said Xaverian coach David Spinale. “He’s the backbone of our team. That’s no secret. We continue to rely on him, and he thrives on it and enjoys shouldering the load.’’

MacDonald, 18, started playing goalie 12 years ago, serving as a target for his older brother, Chris, who helped Hanover High win a state title in 2007 and now plays at Wesleyan University.

The older sibling had been trying to get him in the street hockey net for years, starting when he about age 3, MacDonald said. “My dad was like, ‘Stay away from him, Chris.’ Once I was old enough to put pads on, he was like, ‘Put them on,’ ’’ MacDonald said.

“He used to come in close and shoot his slap shot right in front on my face. One day I came out closer to him, I cut off the angle, and no more,’’ he recalled.

The firing squad during those street hockey games included the elder MacDonald’s friends, and Spinale credits that experience for helping Kyle succeed on the varsity as a sophomore.

“That had a direct impact on him in terms of his confidence level,’’ Spinale said, “not only being able to compete athletically but to socially be confident.’’

MacDonald started the ninth game of his sophomore season and ended up leading the team to its first Super 8 appearance in school history.

“I can’t imagine playing my first varsity game in net; the pressure on the goaltender is enough as it is,’’ said Xaverian teammate Nate Hardiman, a four-year varsity player from Stoughton. “That just shows he belongs there.’’

Xaverian returned to the Super 8 last season and ultimately lost 2-1 in overtime to Burlington.

Hardiman has been motivated to improve defensively this year, having missed his assignment at a key moment in last season’s final game. With only one returning starter at the blue line, Chris Kennedy of Sherborn, the team’s forwards have had to become more defensive minded.

“A lot of kids nowadays worry about ‘I gotta score 100 goals, I gotta look pretty’ ’’ to impress colleges, Hardiman said. “But back-checking and getting back in the defensive zone are things coaches see. Coaches realize, ‘This guy can help us out on defense.’

“If you have guys that are only offensive-minded, you’ll get hurt and lose games that way.’’

The team’s young defenders have held up fine in the season’s early going, with the Hawks starting 2-0, including a 5-0 win against Westford Academy. But there’s no doubt that MacDonald’s presence in the net gives his squad a little more room for error.

“When we made mistakes in the defensive zone he bails us out a lot, especially on penalty kill,’’ Hardiman said of MacDonald. “When they’re ripping shots from the point, he’s guaranteed to make the first save.’’

No matter how much work is ahead of them this year, the five players returning from the last two Super 8 teams know deep down their legacy is secure.

“Looking back on it, I will get to say I was part of that first team that made the Super 8 in school history,’’ Hardiman said. “Yeah, it’s a big thing, but I try not to look back on the past.

“It’s great that we made it but we’re disappointed we lost it,’’ he added.

Landmark game

According to the Fenway Park events calendar, Thayer Academy and the Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School will meet on the hallowed baseball grounds for an ice hockey game next Thursday.

The teams will play on the rink built for this season’s edition of the NHL Winter Classic, with the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers slated to face off at 1 p.m. tomorrow at Fenway.

© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.

Former Newton North star Gurley enjoying home stretch with UMass

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Adam Hunger/Associated Press

UMass guard and former Newton North star Anthony Gurley shoots over BC's Joe Trapani during last night's game at Conte Forum.

By Justin A. Rice/Daily News correspondent

Daily News Tribune

Posted Dec 24, 2009 @ 01:25 AM

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CHESTNUT HILL — Even though Anthony Gurley transferred to the University of Massachusetts after his freshman year at Wake Forest, Newton North's all-time leading scorer still doesn't make it back to the Boston area much these days.

This past week was a rare treat for the Minutemen's red-shirt junior guard from Roxbury.
Six nights after returning to the site of North's 2005 and 2006 Eastern Mass. championships for an upset over Memphis at the TD Garden, Gurley finally got to play a real game at Conte Forum, where he attended summer camp as a kid.

``It feels good being able to go home twice in a week, playing in front of hometown fans,'' Gurley said before UMass' 79-67 loss to Boston College last night.

Collecting his first career double-double with a game-high 23 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, Gurley was 6-of-20 from the field and 2-of-6 from beyond the 3-point line.

``It was one of those nights,'' Gurley said after shaking his head at the stat sheet. ``You know every night is not going to be Christmas. So I guess you gotta find other ways to get the job done, whether it's rebounding or defense, or stuff like that.

``I guess that's what I attempted to do tonight.''

Gurley paced UMass in the first half with 11 points, including a dunk that tied it at 19. But BC led 26-25 at the break after Gurley missed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from just inside the midcourt logo.

BC extended its lead to 10 with 10:22 to go and UMass got within five, 60-55, with just under five minutes to play. But Joe Trapani (18 points) sunk a 3-pointer that would have just about sunk the Minutemen with 4:05 to play had it not been for a flagrant foul late in the game.

With 1:42 to play, UMass cut it to 70-63 after Ricky Harris was intentionally fouled by BC's Reggie Jackson. Harris split the free throws and the Minutemen got the ball back and got a layup. On the other end, however, Jackson put BC up 72-63, and even Sean Carter's emphatic dunk was too little, too late for UMass.

As good as it felt to play at Conte Forum last night, the experience did not top beating Memphis at the Garden on Saturday night.

``Not at all, not even close,'' UMass' leading scorer said on Tuesday. ``I went to high school in Newton, but I'm from Roxbury. I grew up going to the Garden. It was definitely very, very, very exciting.''

Gurley scored 14 points for the Minutemen in the 73-72 victory. The winning play against Memphis was actually drawn up for Gurley with 3.8 seconds left. But the plan broke down and the ball ended up in the hands of freshman Terrell Vinson, who knocked down the game-winning jumper.

It was the first UMass game at the Garden since 1997.

``It was big for our program, it gives us a lot of confidence and it just kind of lets Boston fans know there's a lot going on out in Western Mass. as well,'' Gurley said. ``When I was growing up, I didn't know too much about UMass. I knew of (John) Calipari and (Marcus) Camby. But other than that I did not follow their program because they were on the other side of the state.''

For North coach Paul Connolly, the fact that Gurley ended up in Amherst makes a lot of sense. Of all the recruiters that visited Gurley in Newton, including Memphis, Syracuse and N.C. State, the UMass efforts stood out.

``Travis Ford drove 120 miles per hour to get here,'' Connolly said of the former UMass coach, whom Derek Kellogg replaced after Ford bolted to Oklahoma State.

Ultimately, Gurley was lured away by Winston-Salem's Southern hospitality. He averaged 6.4 points and 14.5 minutes per game as a freshman, and was doing well academically. But Connolly said the late Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser told him that spring that Gurley was homesick.

``It was a great experience,'' Connolly said, ``but when it was all said and done, when you got home and your head hits the pillow at night, are you happy? And he wasn't.

``I tried to walk him through the process a little bit, but at the end of the day he wasn't happy.''

Connolly said the fact that another former North standout, Lex Mongo, plays for the Minutemen helped ease Gurley's transition to Amherst.

``That was good for Anthony to have a buddy out there, he's very happy out there,'' Connolly said. ``He's in a situation where he's going to score 1,000 points in three years, barring injury.''

Connolly said Mongo could've stared in Division 3, but chose to walk-on at UMass.

``I'm really proud of Lex because that's not an easy role,'' Connolly said.

Connolly watches all of his former players at the collegiate level at least once each season, including Corey Lowe at Boston University. But he did not see Mongo and Gurley play in person until earlier this season against Arkansas-Fort Smith on Nov. 21 - a game in which Mongo recorded his first career assist.

Connolly missed Saturday's game at the Garden, but did attend last night's game against BC.

``I sent (Gurley) a text after the game in the Garden and told him you and Lex are 3-0 at the Garden,'' said Connolly, referring to their two high school triumphs on the parquet.

Last night's game was not Gurley's first against BC. Last season, Gurley scored 17 points as UMass fell to BC, 85-81, in Amherst. The season before that, Gurley scored 13 points for Wake in a loss to the Eagles in Winston-Salem.

He fell short again last night.

``I was proud he had 10 rebounds, but it looked like he tired a little bit at the end, and didn't sprint back on defense as hard as I'm accustomed to him doing,'' Kellogg said. ``He had a good game, but I think he can continue to improve and get better.''

Waltham's Morin coaches championship NASCAR crew

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Photo contributed

Waltham's Greg Morin teaches students at Pit Crew U in North Carolina. Morin was the pit crew coach for Jimmie Johnson's Sprint Cup champion team this season.

By Justin A. Rice/Daily News correspondent

Daily News Tribune

Posted Dec 18, 2009 @ 01:04 AM

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Growing up in Waltham, Greg Morin was never a NASCAR fan. Nevertheless, there he was in Las Vegas earlier this month for the sport's Champions Week - the toast and talk of the town.

For the second straight year Morin coached the pit crew for the No. 48 Hendrick Lowe's car raced by Jimmie Johnson, who won a historic fourth consecutive championship title this season.

``It is definitely not something I directly pursued,'' Morin said via e-mail Monday. ``Not having grown up a race fan, I did not have a clear appreciation for the sport. After learning about it and becoming a part of it, I'm very glad that my adventure, even though it was done in a roundabout manner, has allowed me to accomplish and be a part of all that I have.

``Being at the awards ceremony was amazing. Not only is it great experience and reward for the work that was put in during the season, it's history. Being a part of history, especially sports history, is something that every guy dreams of, and we became a part of history this year. Simply amazing.''

Morin graduated from East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., in 2001 with a degree in Recreational Therapy before becoming a teacher and athletic trainer. He soon met the staff at Performance Instruction & Training (PIT), a motorsports pit crew training facility in Mooresville, N.C.

He decided to enroll in the school. After completing the school's Pit Crew U program, he moved into a coaching position. He eventually became PIT's Director of Motorsports, heading up the school's Pit Crew U program, and coached professional teams that came to PIT for training.

Morin began the 2008 season with Hendrick Motorsports as the head pit crew coach for the No. 48 team, as well as Jeff Gordon's No. 24 team. The No. 48 team won the 2008 Sprint Cup championship.

Besides winning championships both years, Morin said winning the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway both years stood out as the greatest highlight of his run with the team. He also enjoyed ``being a part of a team that never quits, never stopped trying to get better, even though we were in first place.''

As unlikely as Morin's success in the sport is, it was far from unplanned.

``Greg and I mapped out his path before he ever enrolled in Pit Crew U, and he may have had a plan before he even met me,'' said Breon Klopp, PIT's Senior Director of Development, in a statement. ``That ability to see and plan ahead has made him a champion coach. In class, Greg always asked `Why?' in addition to `How?' Understanding the reason behind an action provides insight as to how improvements are made.''

Under Morin's leadership, both pit crews for the No. 48 and No. 24 teams have won numerous awards for quickness and precision. Morin said he also developed a desire and work ethic to be the best at his craft.

``It takes a lot of sacrifice, and that itself might be the biggest challenge,'' he said. ``There is a lot of time spent on the road on the weekends, at the shop practicing and training during the week. Even at home, you never really get away and stop thinking about work. We are always trying to get better and find an advantage, and it can be hard to stop working once you go home because of that desire to perform and win.''

But the benefits far outweigh the negatives.

``The best part of what I do is competing at the highest level of our sport with the best team in the sport,'' Morin said. ``Knowing what we've accomplished, and the challenge that lies ahead in an effort to accomplish more, it drives you to get better and stay hungry.''

He doesn't get back to Waltham much these days, but he said every few years he visits family in the Greater Boston area. He is unlikely to make it home much this offseason.

``We work even harder in the offseason to get that much better for the next season,'' Morin said. ``We will train and practice even harder to stay ahead of the competition in 2010.

``Next season will be a dogfight for the championship. There are a lot of people gunning for us, and we've got to be prepared to out-plan, out-prepare, out-work and out-play the competition.''

Her play is to swoon over; she’d rather not

Globe South Sports

By Justin A. Rice Globe Correspondent / December 17, 2009

An accomplished three-sport athlete, Taylor Shepherd always carries a bottle of water or a sports drink, like a toddler toting a sippy cup. So when Shepherd was diagnosed with a syndrome that causes her to easily dehydrate and occasionally black out, her family had a hard time swallowing the news.

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“I drank 10 bottles of water a day,’’ said Shepherd, a junior at Fontbonne Academy in Milton.

“To hear that I was dehydrated was weird for my parents; I’m always drinking water, Gatorade, or Propel.’’

The Quincy resident was diagnosed with vasovagal syncope after collapsing on the softball field as a freshman. The non-life-threatening condition decreases blood pressure and blood flow to the brain, resulting in dizziness or fainting.

Shepherd combats the disorder with sodium pills, consuming eight to 12 cups of water per day, and getting enough rest.

“When it first started happening, I didn’t know what to do - I would just drink as much as I could and thought I’d be fine, then I rushed off to the bathroom,’’ Shepherd said. “Now that I’m used to it, I know how to judge it, when to have a sip [of water] and when to drink a bottle.’’

Her condition has hardly slowed her down on the ice, the volleyball court, or the softball diamond. She collected hat tricks in both the state semifinals and the state final to power Fontbonne to the Division 2 girls’ hockey championship last March, was named to the Catholic Conference all-star team, and was a Globe All-Scholastic.

With Shepherd netting a pair of goals and an assist, the Ducks opened the season with a 5-0 win over Boston Latin School last week. The victory extended the squad’s shutout streak started last season by Kristen Conners, who became the first MIAA goalie in history, male of female, to blank every postseason opponent en route to a state championship.

Conners is now a freshman at New England College, but her backup, junior Sam Curly, delivered 15 saves in the opener. Freshman goalie Lan Crofton will also see significant minutes in goal.

“That’s what makes me less nervous when I’m playing, the fact that [Shepherd] is going to stop them from coming in on me or get a goal right back,’’ Curly said. “She does it every single time.’’

Facing double- and triple-teams, Shepherd may have trouble matching last year’s 35-goal, nine-assist output. But Fontbonne coach Bob Huxley believes his top line of Shepherd, junior Elizabeth Coleman (16 points last year), and senior Catherine Flaherty (22) can be the most productive in the state.

“I think they’re that good, they’re just so much fun to watch,’’ said Huxley, who describes Shepherd as a “very fluid skater who sees the ice well.’’

She laced up her first skates at age 7, and started playing hockey the same year. Though she was the first in her family to play hockey (her father, Jerry, played basketball at Nichols), her parents were a rather easy sell on her suiting up for a travel team.

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“The fact that I loved going to practice at 5:30 in the morning - they knew it was something I enjoyed and they said, ‘You know what, we’re willing to spend the money,’ ’’ said Shepherd, who was introduced to the game by neighborhood boys on rollerblades.

“They boys would make you look silly with their stick handling. It made me want to learn how to do it. I wanted to be faster and do that stuff they did to make me a better player.’’

Shepherd had a similar experience the summer before her sophomore year when she was invited to train with some of the best female high school players in the nation at the Community Olympic Development Program in St. Paul, Minn.

“I’d much rather be a little fish and kind of look up at the girls who play hockey all year long,’’ she said. “It’s motivating to keep up with them. For me, my drive is there, and I want to be the best player I can be every shift, be ready to play; ready to play up with them.’’

But Shepherd had her worst vasovagal syncope attack to date in Minnesota when she fainted in a game and was sent home early.

“You never know when it can happen,’’ Shepherd said. “When it happened on the ice, it was very scary for me.’’

She turned down an invitation to play in Minnesota last summer, partly because she was afraid of getting sick again and partially because she wanted to compete in summer softball and volleyball with her friends. Although next summer she will focus on hockey, she probably won’t give up volleyball and softball during the school year. She will only return to Minnesota if she feels her dream of playing Division 1 hockey, preferably at Boston University, needs a boost.

“Right now we’re focused on winning as many games as possible and meshing as a team,’’ Shepherd said. “The team chemistry is already unbelievable. It’s outrageous already.’’

© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.

Groundwork (icework?) laid for Winter Classic

Written by Justin Rice

Friday, December 11, 2009 05:41

BOSTON — Turns out there is not much difference between building and maintaining an NHL hockey rink inside a baseball stadium and a hockey dad’s backyard rink. In both instances, round-the-clock care is required along with boatloads of patience. In the NHL’s case, however, boatloads of water are also required. “This crew was handpicked and they have passion,” Dan Craig said of his 200-man crew building the rink in Fenway Park for the 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. “They can make ice at any time like you would with your son, like I did with my son. “There is nothing more peaceful than being out spraying at 3 a.m., when you know the best players in the world are going to play on it.” The third annual event will be played this year between the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers at 1 p.m. on Jan. 1 — leaving Craig and his team plenty of time to stretch the 200-by-85-foot ice surface from Fenway’s first base to third base — in the shadow of the famed Green Monster. “We’re taking our time,” said Craig, the NHL’s ice guru who is known as the Ice Man. “Patience is one of things that is number one on our list. We tell the guys when we get up in the morning we don’t rush through anything, we don’t go out there and lay down 1,000 gallons of water, turn around and go get a coffee. “They’re on the hoses constantly for 16 hours, just spraying back and forth for 16 hours in a given day.” On Thursday the NHL began the process of placing the rink in Fenway by parking its 53-foot long Winter Classic refrigeration truck next to the ballpark on Van Nes Street, where it will stay up till and throughout the game. “It’s fabulous,” said Craig, whose official title with the league is facilities operations manager, after getting out of the truck. “You look up here and it gives you chills. Just to be within the walls [of Fenway], never mind bring a rink [to] it.” Containing 300 tons of equipment, the truck will pump more than 1,000 gallons of coolant per minute to keep the ice cold and solid. “This system is monster, we haven’t even pushed its limits,” Craig said on a partly cloudy, blustery 47-degree day. “On a day like today this thing wouldn’t even hiccup. This is our second season [with it] and we don’t foresee any problems. “It’s like going out for jog, it’s always nice to have good weather but when you go out for a jog and it’s raining you still get up and go.” Nevertheless, in the event of rain or a blizzard, the league has a built-in makeup date of Jan. 2. Craig, who has been in the ice-making business for more than 30 years, said his crew will not start making ice until the middle of next week. A full, firm sheet will be in place by the end of next week. They will not even start the ice-making process until Wednesday. In the meantime Craig’s 200-person team started laying down panels on the lawn so the rink does not to damage the field. “We’re coming in here from the National Hockey League and we’re showing this grand stadium, this grand ball park the utmost respect,” Craig said. “The same as I would expect anyone if they came into our NHL facilities to do. That’s why we’re working with the grounds crew, we’re working very closely with them to make sure everything is taken care of so when we leave it’s like we were never here. That’s how we like to leave it.” This is not the first time the NHL is working in a baseball stadium. While the first Winter Classic was in Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, where the NFL’s Bills play, last year’s was at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. Don Renzulli, the league’s senior vice president of events and entertainment, said they learned a lot from last year. Wrigley Field’s concourses were packed during intermissions so the NHL has asked the city if the Red Sox if they can keep Yawkey Way closed off to pedestrians and open to fans attending the game. “What you have during a baseball game is 17 or 18 breaks where people go to the bathroom, get there concessions,” he said. “Here you have two 20 minute breaks. And what we learned last year is the concourses were just body to body so [Yawkey] helps us expand. “Each year we learn more with these stadiums.” The NHL has also expanded the events in the run up to and after the Winter Classic as there will be public skating, an alumni game and college hockey games at Fenway. There will also be a Spectator’s Plaza starting Dec. 31 located next to Boston Beer Works, in the parking lot diagonally across Brookline Avenue from the Red Sox ticket office. As for tickets to the this year’s Winter Classic, Renzulli said 310,000 fans tried to get tickets when they went on sale, up from 241,000 people looking for tickets last year, which attracted the largest broadcast audience for a regular-season NHL game in 34 years. Only 38,000-plus fans can fit into Fenway on game day. “So the demand is there, people want to see it,” Renzulli said, noting that New Year’s Day is no longer a college football bonanza because the best bowl games are no longer played on Jan. 1. “It’s something that college football has kind of left us open a window and we took it and people want to see it.”

Brown, Coakley to face off for Senate seat

By Justin A. Rice

BOSTON — The only woman running to replace the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy in the US Senate survived muted controversy and criticism in the run up to Tuesday’s special primary to advance to next month’s general election.

“I’m honored and humbled to have the opportunity to follow Senator Ted Kennedy, he who did ‘Dream the Impossible Dream,’” Martha Coakley said in a ballroom at the Sheraton Boston Hotel after receiving 47 percent of the vote and being introduced by Sen. John Kerry. “You know, the first phone call I received after I won the Democratic Party for Middlesex District Attorney was from Ted Kennedy.

“The first phone call I received this morning after I voted was Vicki Kennedy to wish me well with her trademark grace and warmth.”

The attorney general’s opponents US Representative Michael E. Capuano (28 percent of the vote), City Year cofounder Alan Khazei (13 percent), and Celtics co-owner Stephen G. Pagliuca (12 percent) were reluctant to attack the Coakley directly. Her opponents only pounced on the race’s front-runner after she volunteered that she would not vote for a national healthcare bill that included restrictions on abortion.

But a day after jumping on Coakley for her statements on abortion, Capuano shifted his position, saying he only voted on the bill in congress to push it through to the Senate. He said he ultimately would not approve anything with anti abortion language.

“I want to congratulate the next senator of Massachusetts Martha Coakley,” Capuano said when he took the stage to concede victory at 9:23 p.m. “She ran a good campaign and it was a good clean campaign. I want to congratulate her. I want to be there in January to make her the next senator.” “The attorney general was a good candidate. She didn’t make any slipups and we couldn’t narrow the gap.”

In the Jan. 19 special election Coakley will face Republican state Senator Scott Brown to once and for all determine who will fill the seat

Kennedy held for nearly 47 years until his death in August.

Brown defeated Duxbury businessman Jack. E. Robinson and independent candidate, Joseph L. Kennedy of Dedham. Brown was projected the winner by the Associated Press at 8:29 p.m., collecting about 89 percent of the vote compared to Robinson’s 11 percent.

With about 600,000 people out of 4.1 million eligible to cast ballots heading out to the poles to vote, turnout was probably low due to the off-season timing of the primary and cold temperatures.

“It was, it was really light,” Teia Searcy, 27, of Roxbury, said after a day of campaigning for Coakley. “I was worried for a minute. But I had great hope because I knew she was the best candidate.”

On paper, Coakley did not seem to win any category, from endorsements to spending. She was even knocked down in the grassroots. The only problem was that other candidates split those categories amongst themselves.

Capuano racked up the bulk of the endorsements, snagging former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, US Rep. Barney Frank and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. He also got the Boston Herald’s vote of confidence and all nine Boston city councilors.

Pagliuca spent at least $7.6 million of his own personal fortune and Khazei was hailed for being an ingenuous grassroots leader, who also did pretty well on the endorsement front.

He was endorsed by Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter, the Boston Globe, Worcester Telegram & Gazette, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, Gen. Wesley Clark. Vicki Strauss Kennedy endorsed Khazei in a in a Huffington Post piece.

“Well you know there were plenty of skeptics out there,” Coakley said. “They said, how could an attorney general win? We believed it was quite possible! How could she raise the money? But we believed it was quite possible. They said women don’t have much luck in Massachusetts politics — we believed, that it was quite possible that that luck was about to change.”

Coakley did not do too shabby with endorsements either. She had state Senate President Therese Murray on her side all along and at the last moment President Bill Clinton rode to the rescue.

“I think this was a close call for many voters,” Alex MacDonald of Cambridge, a Coakley supporter said just before the race was called in Coakley’s favor. “These are three talented, very admirable, very progressive candidates and I would predict that each would one if they won the seat would probably 98 percent of the time vote the same.

“But the fact is Martha possesses some special attributes that will put her in the Senate.”

MacDonald said he knows most of the candidates well but was involved in Coakley’s first campaign and already pledge his support to her, even though others asked for his help.

“In a very close call a father of three daughters is the feather that tips the scales,” he said. “I voted or Coakley for a lot of reasons most of which because I known her and always liked her but I also did it for my daughters.” Searcy, who also attended Coakley’s party, was also confident a woman will finally represent Massachusetts in the senate.

“Women make a lot of changes, a lot of wise changes,” Searcy said. “I’m happy to hear a woman is in the House. Women are the rebirth of things.”

Coakley, however, was not counting her eggs before they hatched. “Following in the steps of so many men and women who have broken barriers and cracked ceilings as well as those who have worked at the bottom of the ladder,” Coakley concluded, “it is my hope that as this is one small step for women, you will help me take the much larger steps we need to take to make those words of the Declaration of Independence truly inclusive."

Miami Hurricanes absorb pounding on the boards, fall to BC

BY JUSTIN A. RICE

Special to the Miami Herald

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- Beating one of the few unbeaten teams in the country Sunday at Conte Forum was no point of pride for Al Skinner.

``If they're expected to go undefeated the rest of the way, then, yeah, there's a lot of pride in that, but up until this point it's only eight games, it's not like it's 25 [games],'' the Boston College coach said after beating the University of Miami 61-60 in front of 5,063 fans. ``But if they go the rest of the way and win the rest, and we're the only ones who beat them, I'll be really happy about that.''

Skinner did, however, hang his hat on outrebounding UM 46-21 -- including 23 offensive rebounds compared with the Hurricanes' four.

``In five years we've never gotten beaten like this on the boards,'' UM coach Frank Haith said. ``That's just been a big part of who we are, so that's what's been most disappointing about the performance today is they slammed us like that on the glass.''

After starting 8-0 for the second time in Haith's tenure, UM (8-1, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), not only dropped its first game but its opening league game as well.

``We were struggling out there, and we didn't execute like we would've liked to,'' said sophomore guard Malcolm Grant, whose shooting down the stretch almost beat BC (6-2, 1-0). ``We just have to bounce back, like Coach said, and the most important thing is we don't get down, stay positive and bounce back.''

After slowly digging his team out of a 15-point deficit with 14:07 to play, Grant sunk a three-pointer with 4:23 left to cut the lead to five and another one about a minute later to cut it to two.

He capped UM's 8-0 run with an up-and-under layup that tied it at 57 with 2:25 left. But then UM gave up perhaps its most crucial offensive rebound to sophomore guard Reggie Jackson.

Jackson, who tied Grant for a game-high 18-points, put back the rebound for a 59-57 lead.

After a timeout, Grant missed a three-pointer. On BC's ensuing possession UM senior guard James Dews snagged Jackson's missed three-pointer but stepped out of bounds on his way down.

With the ball back in his hands on the right wing, Jackson blew past freshman guard Durand Scott, taking flight for a rim-rattling but disallowed dunk. Freshman center Reggie Johnson took the charge with 18 seconds left.

Twelve seconds later Grant missed a three-pointer that was rebounded by -- who else? -- Jackson.

``We were going for the win on the road,'' Haith said. ``We want to go for the win, and I thought Malcolm got a good look.''

Jackson was fouled and drained both free throws to go up 61-57 with two seconds left, and Grant hit a 28-footer as time expired.

``Malcolm was great offensively, he just gave us a spark there in the second half and gave us a chance to win the game,'' Haith said of Grant. ``He put us right there with a chance to win the game. Had we had a couple rebounds secure, we would have given ourselves an even better chance to win the game.''

The Eagles held a 28-11 rebounding edge at the half with a 16-1 offensive-rebound advantage.

``It was a hard-fought game,'' Haith said. ``BC's energy on the glass just destroyed us.''

The write stuff

By Justin A. Rice/Daily News Correspondent

Posted Dec 04, 2009 @ 12:46 AM

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With just one leg and one lung, Jothy Rosenberg has spent his life pushing his body and mind to the limit on ski slopes, through whitewater rapids and in the ivory towers of Duke University. So it may be hard to believe that the cancer survivor's greatest challenge was chronicling his adventures in an independently published memoir called "Who Says I Can't."

"Writing is a challenging activity," said the 13-year Newton resident, who lost his right leg and left lung after being diagnosed with cancer when he was 16. "People had heard me tell my stories orally for years and said 'You gotta write these down.'

"I couldn't think of any better way to write them down than chronologically, in the order that they happened. (But) that's not the best way to write a memoir. The first version was a little too autobiographical; I went off on a lot of tangents. It ended up being a cathartic experience, but it was not interesting to anyone else."

After five years of writing, rewriting and pitching publishers, Rosenberg's book, a survival story told from the everyman's perspective, will be mass-distributed on Feb 1.

"When you spend five years maniacally focused on getting something done, that's a hard thing," he said. "This was the book I needed at a certain time, and it didn't exist."

A Dec. 16 launch party will be held at the Needham headquarters of the Pan-Mass Challenge. Racing seven times in the nearly 200-mile bike-a-thon that raises money for cancer research, Rosenberg has raised $52,000 for PMC and will donate a portion of his book's proceeds to the organization.

The 53-year-old says writing his book, which he began to outline in 2004 based on his blog entries, was even harder than completing his Ph.D in computer science at Duke University in five years.

Yet it's still hard to compare writing to competing in the annual swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco, which he has done 16 times.

"(Swimming)'s not just physically hard, it's intimidating," said Rosenberg, who keeps himself healthy by working out six times a week. "I do it because I sort of recommit myself to do something hard and lonely and make sure I stay fit. For me swimming became non-optional. It's my only defense against shortness of breath. Because I work hard at it, my lung capacity feels normal.

"It makes me feel good. It's something most people won't do. I beat a lot of two-leg athletes - that's very satisfying."

Three years after being diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma, Rosenberg's cancer had spread, and doctors were forced to remove two-fifths of his left lung and to amputate his right leg five inches below his hip. Told he had no chance of survival, Rosenberg quit school at Kalamazoo College in his native Michigan to spend his final days on the ski slopes of Alta, Utah.

After skiing for 100 consecutive days without incident, Rosenberg decided to return to school. He completed his doctorate in computer science in 1983 and, after teaching at Duke for five years, moved to California to start the first of six tech companies he has founded over the years.

Eventually a software company he worked for sent him to Boston for what was supposed to be a year-long assignment. The Rosenbergs liked living in Newton so much they decided to stay for good.

Rosenberg continued his adventures on mountainsides and in rivers before showing a "stream-of-conscious" version of his book to his wife in 2004.

"She was horrified," Rosenberg recalled. "She said, 'You're not going to publish this?' Of course, the answer is 'no' whenever your wife asks a question like that."

Rosenberg agreed to help a friend launch a startup company in Oregon soon after. While spending countless two-week stretches holed up in the Oregon winter with nothing to do, he started to refine his book.

"One of the things that I was obsessive about in my mind was how to get my point across," he said. "I want to tell people how to fight back."

But the project was still much different than anything Rosenberg had done, including two computer science books he had published.

"Writing nonfiction, writing like this from the heart is very difficult, and I found a style that I was very comfortable with," he said. "It's a little folksy and has something that will make you smile. At least every two pages there's something very funny.

"The most challenging thing about writing is when someone reads your work. You're on the edge of your seat - are they going to like it, did I get the point across?

"One of the most challenging things, of course, is I'm hyper-sensitive to even the tiniest hint of a criticism. I can be self-critical; I can be brutal; but when someone else says, 'Oh, I didn't quite get that,' that just cuts me to the quick."

In 2007 Rosenberg called on a friend, Harvard professor Dan Kindlon, the author of "Raising Cain." Kindlon recommended his agent Kenny Wapner, who Rosenberg paid to help organize his story around a set of principles and concepts he wanted to convey.

Even with Wapner's help, publishers still weren't biting on the project. The most common feedback was that Rosenberg didn't have a platform or celebrity status.

"I said that's pretty hard for me to suddenly go get," Rosenberg said. "The fact is, that isn't the point of the book. I'm not famous, and most people who this happens to are not Michael J. Fox or Dorothy Hamill. What about them? How do Lance Armstrong's books inspire and motivate them? It's like reading a biography of someone famous, like John Adams, but you don't internalize it. It doesn't translate to 'What should I do to be like Lance Armstrong?"'

Eventually Rosenberg parted with Wapner and started exploring self-publishing options. After going down one bad road, he landed on independent publisher Bascom Hill Books, who liked the idea of a story being told from an everyman viewpoint.

"He's very down to earth for all that he's accomplished," said Cashman, Basocom's director of marketing. "He has an attitude that, just as his book says, 'Who says I can't?"'

Bascom also admired his persistence.

"Everyone has a story, and it's those who continue to speak up, to fight, to be vocal about their experiences, who are the ones who break through to a larger audience," Cashman said. "Being a first-time author, it's not an easy thing to do to get your message out there. I'd say Jothy is one of most aggressive authors. He's making sure everything is covered.

"Amongst 10 million other projects, he gives this as much effort as he does to his full-time job, biking and volunteering. He's 100 percent in everything he does, and that's why he has broken through."

Now Rosenberg, who started working full-time for a BAE Systems earlier this year, is starting to get a platform of his own. The Today Show recently featured him, and he has launched a grassroots campaign to appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

"How many copies sold will I consider a success?" Rosenberg asks himself. "That's an arbitrary number. I guess if this got into 10,000 people's hands I'd feel pretty good; 100,000 would be a home run. But there are still 2.5 million amputees in this country, and there are 45 million people classified as having a disability.

"So 100,000 copies is not getting even that. As a personal goal, I have to consider it a success, but in terms of having made a big enough impact, not really."