It wasn’t ideal, but New Hampton played 13 games last season, the most of any team in the Lakes Region. That's saying something considering the New Hampshire-based prep league played one of the most ‘normal’ schedules in the region in 2020-21.
In doing so, the Huskies spent a considerable amount of time together, something that not every program had the chance to do amidst the coronavirus-impacted campaign.
Now, with things on track to return to normal and everyone from last year's team returning, besides the graduates, NHS is eager to dive into 2021-22 as the winter season nears closer by the day.
“At the end of the day, no one ever wants to be in a pandemic and you want it to be normal every single year, but given the circumstances, we were really fortunate that our school and conference were at the forefront in the way that we tackled things,” said Connor Gorman, a New Hampton and SUNY-Plattsburgh alum who's entering his third season at the New Hampton, N.H., program’s helm.
“We got to practice out of season, we played a few exhibition games in the fall and then we played 13 games in the winter, which ended up being the most in the conference,” the Shrewsbury, Mass., native continued. “So, it wasn’t perfect but at the end of the day it was something we were able to hang our hats on.”
Leadership group
The Huskies will be built around a large senior class, three of whom will serve as captains during the upcoming season.
Forward Trevor Castino (Islanders HC U18) will don the primary “C”, while forward Alex Lobdell (Islanders HC U18/Bedford, Mass.) and netminder Colin Androlewicz will make up two-thirds of the alternate captains' group. Junior forward Nate Novitsky (Northern Cyclones U18) will serve as the third alternate captain.
“Really good group,” Gorman said. “Awesome kids. It’s going to make my job a lot easier because they all know what I stand for and what I don’t stand for, the way I want us to play and how I want us to compete. I’m a stickler for the small details and players carrying themselves the right way, and those guys are living it.”
Key returners
Being the captain comes with its responsibilities off the ice, but Castino, from Woodland Hills, Calif., will play an integral role for the Huskies on the ice, as well. The former Los Angeles Jr. Kings standout is a cerebral forward who skates well and puts a heavy focus on the small details of his game.
Junior Matthew Babineau (Islanders HC U18/Malden, Mass.), who's entering his second season at NHS, will be another key piece of the Huskies’ forward corps. The 6-foot-1, 170-pound winger played two seasons at Malden Catholic before going to prep school.
For key additions, the Huskies brought in former Thayer forward Matthew Sullivan (Hingham, Mass.) as a post-graduate, as well as Loomis Chaffee transfer Nate Zerrenner (Elite Hockey Prep Team 18U) to aid Androlewicz between the pipes.
Under the radar
For other newcomers, NHS also added a trio of 2004 birth-year players who Gorman said might fly under the radar now but should have a noticeable impact once the season gets underway.
One of them being Scott Lagos (Braintree, Mass./East Coast Militia U18), who joins the team after three seasons at Braintree High. Vermont native Christian Day (Northern Cyclones 18U) is another newcomer, joining NHS from Boston Hockey Academy. In 43 games with BHA's 16U team last season, Day scored 12 goals for 29 points, good for second-most on the team.
Another under-the-radar addition is ‘04 defenseman, Josh Sacco. The native of Shrewsbury, Mass., played for the Worcester Jr. Railers in the EHLP last season, totaling 24 points in 34 games. He, along with six other members of NHS, is playing split season with the Islanders Hockey Club 18U team coached by Mike Busconi.
“There’s a lot of guys that I’m excited about,” Gorman said. “I’m excited about all of them, but I’m really interested to see how we do this year. We've got a lot of guys who want to move on to the next level and I tell them all the time: talk is cheap, we have got to put that work in and it starts in the fall.”
Return to normal
While playing 13 games was something to be excited about last season, the Huskies are eager to return to a normal schedule in 2021-22.
Most importantly, they're looking forward to getting back to a season that includes league rivalries, tournaments and playoffs — things that make prep hockey in New England as special as it is.
“Those were the fondest memories that I had as a player and now I want these guys to be able to experience that," Gorman said, "so we’re super excited and I know the guys are really, really excited to play a full slate of games.
“The reason why I’m in such support of the prep school model, in terms of the winter games, is all the showcases we do and staying in the hotels and whatnot, the guys get to bond with one another and make lifelong memories. We haven't really been able to do that this past year so I’m psyched for them to be able to experience that."
Liam Flaherty can be reached at liam.flaherty@hockeyjournal.com and on Twitter @_LiamFlaherty.
