Over a hundred people filled Filippo’s Restaurant to celebrate the ending of another successful hockey season for the North End Youth Hockey Introduction Program.
In attendance were forty of our talented neighborhood hockey players, dedicated parents, coaches and special guests, members of the Boston Bruins, including: Dennis Seidenberg, Brad Marchand, Adam McQuaid, Landon Ferraro, Jimmy Hayes, Matt Beleshey, Tory Krug, Brett Connolly and John Liles. Besides the excitement of pictures and autographs with our Bruins celebrity guests, our young players did not go home empty handed. They all received a personalize trophy and a North End Hockey t-shirt & winter hat. This was a great ending to another fun filled hockey season.
“I am thankful to the Boston Bruins for making the night even more special for all of our kids,” said Daniel Toscano, president of the North End Youth Hockey Program.
The North End Youth Hockey Introduction Program is a fifteen week program held on Saturday mornings at the Steriti Skating Rink. In addition to having lots of fun, the key objectives are to introduce proper stance, improve balance and agility, enhance starting, stopping, forward, backward and lateral skating, introduce puck handling, shooting, passing and overall team play. Registration for the 2016-2017 season will begin during in the late spring or early fall.
The program has grown from twelve players during its first season in 2012 to forty players this year. “The program has been a huge success since its first year in operation and continues to grow each year,” said Daniel Toscano. He added, “the program has grown so quickly that we, unfortunately, had to turn several interested players away this year. With the growth in numbers of children living in the North End community, I believe we are a few years away from being a full service hockey program.”
Special thanks to our coaching staff: Bryan Derrick, Corey Stearns, Constantine Davides, Julia Williams, Kate Leary, Greg Riehle, John Driscoll, Scott Usechek, Joe Madden and Mike Pergola, who dedicated their time every Saturday morning working with our kids and teaching, not only the fundamentals of ice hockey, but valuable life lessons. In addition, special thanks to all our supporters for making the North End Hockey Program a huge success each year: State Representative Aaron Michlewitz, City Councilor Sal LaMattina, North End Athletic Association, Mike’s Pastry, Teddy Pasto, Star Market and Filippo’s Restaurant. (Photos by Julianne McHugh)
(Photos by Julianne McHugh)
North End Youth Hockey Players – 2015/2016 Season
- MELINA RIKKOLA
- RYAN MAZIARKA
- JACKSON LEBLANC
- MEADE DAILY
- DANIEL SCIBELLI
- NIKLAS McHUGH
- EVA BOUCHER
- PJ McMAHON
- HENRY GONZALES
- LUIS GONZALES
- FERDINAND CARANGELO
- JULIA MCDONALD
- DECLAN MADDEN
- LEXINGTON HOWARD
- BECKETT MURPHY
- JONATHAN MORALES
- ELLA PERGOLA
- MIA PERGOLA
- CLOEMAN WOLFSON
- WYATT BOUCHER
- GIANNA PERGOLA
- RYAN McHUGH
- RICHARD WELLS
- SOPHIA GINSBURG
- MAX HASKELL
- JAMES HEATH
- RYNNE DAILY
- LORENZO VESPIGNINI
- MAX MENDOZA
- RAY USECHEK
- JACK USECHEK
- MAX HOWARD
- ALEX POUPOLO
- BRADFORD ADAMS
- LUKE MCDONALD
- EMMA PEREZ
- CEILIA CAREY
- ANGELA WELLS
- ADAM WHITNEY
- ANNA CAREY
Thanks to the Mendoza family for getting the Bruins players there! Great friends, great community!