Northfield Mount Hermon Director of Athletics Tom Pratt recently announced the appointment of David Huoppi as head coach of the boys’ varsity lacrosse team. Huoppi will replace current head coach Jeffrey Neill ’97, who is stepping down after seven seasons at the helm. Huoppi inherits a lacrosse program that has made tremendous strides forward over the past decade and that competes on a national level with the strongest teams in the country.
Prior to moving to NMH in 2009, Huoppi taught and coached at Milton Academy, Belmont Hill School, and Salisbury School. Though he competed scholastically at Milton Academy and collegiately at Trinity College, Huoppi is still actively involved in international lacrosse, as he has been a key contributor to the success of Finland’s national lacrosse program since 2005. He helped lead Finland to a 9th place showing in the 2006 World Games, and he captained the Finnish squad in both the 2008 European Championships and the 2010 World Games. This June, Huoppi will look to lead the Finns to success at the 2012 European Championships, held in Amsterdam, where they will strive to improve on their 5th place finish in 2008. Away from lacrosse, Huoppi is a member of NMH’s mathematics department, where he teaches Number Theory, Calculus, and Honors Algebra 2. He holds a B.S. in Mathematics from Trinity College, as well as a Master’s in Mathematics for Teaching from Harvard University.
“I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to lead the Northfield Mount Hermon boys’ lacrosse program. Coach Neill’s efforts over the last seven seasons have put NMH lacrosse in a position to compete with the best teams in the country, and I want to continue to grow our program to the level of consistent national prominence. As head coach, my goal is to prepare our boys to compete at the collegiate level both academically and athletically, as well as to prepare them for success in life outside of school and lacrosse. The next few years are sure to be an exciting time, as we continue to search for new ways to educate the head, the heart, and the hand of our student-athletes at Northfield Mount Hermon.”
Huoppi will assume the reins of the program upon the conclusion of the 2012 season as Neill departs NMH to become the Director of College Counseling at Western Reserve Academy in Ohio.
As the season crosses the halfway mark this week, we wanted to reach out about a handful of schedule changes coming up over the final weeks of the season. Please be in touch with any questions, comments, or concerns!
1. Today’s game against Trinity-Pawling will be played at 3:30pm at Loomis Chaffee School.
2. We will practice at 2:00pm on Sunday, April 29 and on Sunday, May 13 in preparation for our Monday games. The boys will be given a day off earlier in the week.
3. All juniors should make plans to sign up for the college fair at Deerfield Academy on Friday, May 4. This will require them to miss practice likely, but perhaps only miss a chunk of it. It is more important for them to be at the college fair than at practice.
4. Our game against Westminster on Wednesday, May 16 has been postponed to start at 3:30pm from earlier in the afternoon.
5. We are working on changing our season finale with Loomis Chaffee from Saturday, May 19 to Friday, May 18. The change has not yet been confirmed, but please make note that we are looking to switch this due to the complications arising from this being our Chat day (prom).
6. Finally, all underclassmen were emailed about a month ago about the New England Prep Showcase. This was the event we participated in at Salisbury last year, and it was incredibly well-attended by college coaches. It will be at Brunswick this year, and all players who are able should sign up. Please connect with your sons if you have not yet seen this information. It is past the registration deadline at this point, but we are hopeful that people may still sign up.
NMH suffered a hard-fought loss at the hands of an opportunistic Berkshire School squad on Saturday afternoon, falling by a final score of 9-6. The Hoggers fought valiantly, pulling the score to 6-5 at one point early in the fourth quarter, again fighting from behind, but Berkshire won the final frame 3-1 to seal the victory. Again, the NMH defense was terrific, starting with Patrick Sullivan ’12 (Darien, CT) between the pipes, who made 16 saves. Offensively, NMH was led by a two-goal effort by Gus Colonna ’13 (Williamstown, MA).
It was less a matter of NMH starting slowly on Saturday afternoon and more a matter of Berkshire being more opportunistic in the first half. As such, the Bears, who dominated face-offs all game, scored twice on two of their first four offensive possessions, to take a 2-0 lead just about 3 minutes into the game, first on a shot that barely crossed the goal line, squeezing past Sullivan and almost having been kept out by an NMH defender, and then in transition as an errant pass was knocked down by a Berkshire attackman, who then rifled a shot into the low reaches of the net. The game slowed down after that, with the 2-0 lead holding through to the second quarter.
Berkshire began the second quarter in similar fashion, twice finding the back of the net in the early going in transition to secure the 4-0 lead. Finally, NMH got on the board as Casey Kermes ’12 (Brooklyn, NY) emerged from a pile-up with a hard-fought ground ball, drew a defender, and flipped a pass to Hayden Jenkins ’13 (West Barnstable, MA) on the crease for a well-placed shot and score. NMH showed some real life off the ensuing face-off, winning possession, and then pushing it in transition; however, though NMH put together three shots on the possession, the Berkshire goalie was on his game, denying the Hoggers each step of the way. Back in the other direction, Berkshire took a real momentum lead in first drawing a penalty in transition and then scoring man-up to bring the score back to a four-goal differential at 5-1. The rest of the quarter saw the two teams exchange a handful of penalties, but each of the goalies was able to keep the opposition at bay. Finally, Colonna struck his first of the game on a step-down shot to pull the score to 5-2 heading into halftime.
NMH was nabbed with yet another penalty late in the second quarter, giving Berkshire possession to start the second half on the man-up. The Bears struck a goal just as the penalty expired to pull ahead to 6-2. It seemed that Berkshire scored again almost immediately, but the goal was called off. Back at the other end, NMH produced some quality offense, but the Berkshire defense turned the Hoggers away. NMH got on the board as Spencer Lee ’13 (Brantford, ON) struck his first career goal for NMH as he buried a pass deep behind his defender in transition from Thomas Shields ’12 (Grosse Pointe Farms, MI), who showed terrific composure in the riding game to come up with a turnover. With the score now at 6-3, NMH began to show more life. The Hogger defense made light work of the Berkshire offense on several possessions, and the NMH offense put together some terrific attempts. Consecutive Berkshire penalties also bolstered the NMH group. Colonna capitalized on the second man-up chance by burying a terrific outside shot in the lower right-hand corner of the net, and then after a lengthy defensive stand, punctuated by a half-dozen saves by Sullivan, the Hoggers pushed the ball up in transition, just missing as the final seconds ticked off the clock for the quarter. However, with just 6 seconds left, Kermes found Sam Franco ’12 (Brunswick, ME) with a nifty pass on the backdoor for a quick tally to end the third quarter down one at 6-5, having won the quarter 3-1.
Berkshire emerged from the intermission with renewed life and scored three consecutive goals to put the game, ultimately, out of reach for NMH. That said, with the score at 9-5, NMH put together some terrific lacrosse, swarming on offense and playing tremendous defense. Unfortunately, though they took 14 shots in the fourth quarter, only 8 of them were on net, and all of them were gobbled up by the Berkshire keeper who only got better as the day went on. A lot of penalties in the fourth quarter gave both teams man-up chances, but in the end, neither team could capitalize. Avery Rak ’12 (Norwich, CT) was able to cut the deficit somewhat with a terrific shot on the run with 3 seconds left on the clock, to account for the only NMH goal of the final quarter.
With the loss, NMH falls to 1-2 on the season while Berkshire evens out at 1-1. Next up for NMH is more league action as they hit the road on Wednesday to play Choate Rosemary Hall before hosting Avon Old Farms on Saturday.
The Hoggers ended Wednesday’s match-up with Millbrook School in tremendous fashion, out-scoring their opponents 7-2 in the second half, but unfortunately, NMH fell just short of making the comeback complete as they had gone down 8-2 in the first half. The final score of 10-9 in favor of Millbrook was a function of NMH not showing up to play in the first half. That said, the Hoggers showed some of their best lacrosse of the season in the final 24 minutes, taking over 25 shots and impressing in every aspect of their game. The comeback was initiated by some terrific defense that was quarterbacked by the play and leadership of Patrick Sullivan ’12 (Darien, CT), who made 12 saves on the afternoon.
After going down 4-0 after the first quarter and then 8-2 at the half, NMH began to claw back into the game in the third quarter. First, the Hoggers showed some life defensively after a man-down kill and clear, thanks to the efforts of Sullivan, co-captain Tucker Kavanagh ’12 (Andover, MA), and Paul Anderson ’12 (Amherst, MA). The clear led to an NMH man-up opportunity on which Casey Kermes ’12 (Brooklyn, NY) fed Gus Colonna ’13 (Williamstown, MA) for a shot and score. On the play, Colonna also drew an additional Millbrook penalty, giving an additional extra-man opportunity on the face-off. Continuing his dominance at the face-off X, Jacob Siwicki ’12 (Gambrills, MD) won the draw to Kavanagh, who deftly kicked it up to Sam Franco ’12 (Brunswick, ME) for another NMH possession and man-up scoring chance. This time the Hoggers could not capitalize, but shortly after the penalty expired, co-captain Avery Rak ’12 (Norwich, CT) stepped in from about 10 yards and rifled a shot inside the far post to bring the score to 8-4 halfway through the third quarter. Another Siwicki face-off win led to an NMH possession yet again, but the Millbrook defense thwarted the attempt. Over the next few minutes, the two teams fought back-and-forth, up-and-down the field. Finally, several possessions later, a Millbrook attackman struck on a tremendous individual effort to bring the score to 9-4. On the ensuing possession, NMH produced a lengthy offensive stand that resulted in a one-on-one battle between Hayden Jenkins ’13 (West Barnstable, MA) and his defender with Jenkins coming out on top, sticking one in the back of the net to pull back within 4 at 9-5. Yet again, Siwicki won the face-off, giving NMH more life, but a forced shot led to a Millbrook clear on which an NMH player was flagged for a trip. Millbrook capitalized on the man-up chance with their tenth goal. Things got interesting as the final minute wore down. After a patient Millbrook offensive, John Griffin ’12 (Oceanside, NY) intercepted an errant pass and broke up-field with the ball. With less than 20 seconds on the clock, he dodged past the Millbrook defender who picked him up and drew a pushing penalty. NMH opted to hold onto the ball to maintain possession on the man-up opportunity to begin the fourth quarter.
After going down 8-2 at the half, NMH committed to winning the next quarter, a modest goal that they achieved in the third by a score of 3-2. Looking at a 5-goal deficit with 12 minutes left to play, the Hoggers again committed to winning the quarter. NMH struck gold in the final intermission as a Millbrook player was struck with a three-minute non-releasable penalty for an illegal stick, giving NMH a 6-on-4 advantage to begin the final frame. In what proved to be an instrumental stand in the outcome of the game, Millbrook held NMH at bay for well over 2 minutes of this man-up opportunity. This is not to say the NMH offense was ineffective, though, as the Hoggers took 11 shots in this period of time. Finally, Jenkins netted his second of the game in taking a feed from Franco and firing a shot; the ball never reached the net and instead was knocked down, but Jenkins followed up on his own rebound and pocketed it in the low corner of the net to bring the score to 10-6. Feeling the momentum, NMH won the resulting face-off, still man-up for under 30 seconds. Quality chances on net by Luke Leyden ’14 (Northfield, MA) and Kermes kept the momentum in NMH’s favor, but some great saves by the Millbrook keeper kept the Hoggers off the board. Finally, after a successful ride by NMH, Franco took matters into his own hands, beat his defender, and dumped a shot past the keeper for the 10-7 score. Arick Escamilla ’13 (Monterrey, MX) and Bron Loiselle ’13 (Queensbury, NY) combined for another big face-off win with Siwicki to give NMH the ball back once again. The NMH offense was firing on all cylinders at this point, and they peppered the net with shots, but the impressive part of their play over this next span was their energy on the ride. On four consecutive opportunities, the Millbrook goalie made saves on high-quality NMH shots, but on each of those occasions, NMH successfully rode the Mustangs to regain possession. Finally, on the fourth such instance, Kermes knocked a ball down out of the stick of the Millbrook goalie; then after getting the loose ball, he hit Franco who was streaking across the crease and who, in turn, fired a 4-yard shot on net. Unfortunately, the ball rang off the far post, but Colonna was there to pick up the rebound and bury it to bring the score to 10-8.
Some luck again came NMH’s way as despite some terrific effort by Siwicki, Kavanagh, and Kermes on the ensuing face-off, Millbrook drew a pushing call on the sideline; unaware that it was not an open substitution opportunity, Millbrook lost possession for too many men on the field, giving it back to the Hoggers again! Immediately, NMH produced a shot on the crease, but the Millbrook keeper was on his game and stuffed the chance. Back at the other end, the NMH defense was spectacular. A couple saves by Sullivan but also some outstanding play by Peter Schultz ’14 (Westfield, MA), Griffin, and Anderson not only kept Millbrook off the scoreboard, but produced much-needed turnovers. Unfortunately, an NMH penalty in the fray set the team back slightly, but the man-down unit came up with a big turnover to kill the chance. Over the next several minutes, NMH produced some more quality offensive chances, many off of successful rides in transition, but Millbrook continued to make saves and work the ball up the field. With under 2 minutes left to play, NMH continued to dictate the pace of the game. After a successful clear, NMH called timeout, and the ensuing offensive stand produced four shot on net, all of which, unfortunately, were knocked away by the Millbrook keeper. After another forced turnover on defense led to another successful clear, NMH took another time out late in the game. This time the results were seen as Franco found Kermes for a well-placed shot on the run to bring the score to 10-9 with 13 seconds left. Siwicki created a loose ball of the draw, but Millbrook was able to knock it free and keep it out of harm’s way to hold onto the win.
It was an impressive comeback for the Hoggers, but, in the end, they fell short of the mark. They will look to come out with more energy on Saturday as they open league play with a home game against Berkshire.
The 2012 edition of the Hoggers erupted for 11 consecutive goals against Gould Academy on Saturday afternoon, holding the Huskies scoreless through the second and third quarters, en route to a 15-4 victory. NMH received big performances from a handful of players. Most notable were the 12 saves by Patrick Sullivan ’12 (Darien, CT), the 4-goal and 1-assist efforts by Casey Kermes ’12 (Brooklyn, NY) and Luke Leyden ’14 (Northfield, MA), the 11 face-off wins and 4 groundballs by Jacob Siwicki ’12 (Gambrills, MD), and the 4-point performances by Gus Colonna ’13 (Williamstown, MA) and Avery Rak ’12 (Norwich, CT).
The Hoggers got things going in auspicious style as Siwicki won the opening face-off to Kermes, who carried in on offense. After some substitutions, NMH attacked the net, and Sam Franco ’12 (Brunswick, ME) stuck an unassisted tally to get things rolling in the first minute of play. Gould responded with a goal of their own before Siwicki won another face-off, leading to a flurry of NMH shots on net, setting the tempo for the rest of the game, during which NMH would out-shoot Gould 40-20. After some successful riding by the NMH offense, Rak earned his first assist of the game by finding Leyden on the crease for a quick tally and the 2-1 lead. Less than a minute later, after another Siwicki face-off win — this time to Bron Loiselle ’13 (Queensbury, NY) — Franco attacked the net again, this time to find the Gould keeper up to the challenged, but Leyden picked up the rebound and buried it for the quick 3-1 lead. Yet another Siwicki face-off with, this one to Jack Kieckhafer ’12 (Andover, MA), led to another lengthy NMH offensive possession; unfortunately, Gould was able to work the ball up the field and score in transition to hang tight at 3-2. It turned into somewhat of a back-and-forth game for the next four minutes or so as the NMH offense continued to find the net with shots at one end and the NMH defense in front of Sullivan continued to thwart the Gould offense. Finally, Kermes found Colonna open on the crease for a quick shot and score to give NMH the 4-2 lead. Gould struck back right away as a defensive miscommunication conceded a goal, but NMH struck back one final time in the first quarter less than a minute later; the Gould goal would be their last for a 36-minute stretch. This time for the Hoggers, a Colonna face-off win led to an offensive possession that saw Rak finish a shot on the run to end the quarter with NMH on top 5-3.
The second half started with a lot of action, as NMH continued to iron out some wrinkles defensively and to figure out its strengths offensively. The result was some outstanding defense and transition as well as some lengthy and productive offense. Neither team scored in the opening four minutes, despite an NMH man-up opportunity. Just after the penalty released, Thomas Shields ’12 (Grosse Pointe Farms, MI) took an 8-yard shot that was knocked away by the Gould keeper; however, Leyden capitalized on the rebound once again, picked the ball out of the air, and snapped a quick shot into the open net for the 6-3 lead. Several moments later, Rak set-up Colonna for a 10-yard shot that he buried in the upper right-hand corner of the net. After some more back-and-forth play controlled nicely by Sullivan, LSM Tucker Kavanagh ’12 (Andover, MA), and the rest of the NMH defense, some excitement ensued as Franco drew two flags before passing to Kermes, who buried a time-and-room shot to give the Hoggers the 8-3 lead and a man-up advantage. Just a couple moments into the man-up chance, after yet another Siwicki face-off victory, Colonna passed the ball to Shields, who rifled home an 8-yard shot for the 9-3 lead, which held to the half. There was another Gould penalty late in the period, and NMH opted to maintain possession to get the ball back to begin the third quarter.
Gould killed off the NMH man-up opportunity to begin the second half and then held the NMH shooters at bay for nearly 6 minutes. An NMH penalty in the meantime kept the Hogger defense working, but they were able to kill the chance. NMH had their own man-up opportunity almost immediately afterwards, drawing a slashing call in transition up-field. The Gould keeper made some great saves, but NMH could not find the back of the net. Back at the other end, Paul Anderson ’12 (Amherst, MA), Peter Schultz ’14 (Westfield, MA), and John Griffin ’12 (Oceanside, NY) forced turnover after turnover and were terrific in turning the ball back up-field in transition. Kermes got the scoring going in the second half with consecutive goals, the second on an assist from Leyden on a man-up chance to pull NMH’s lead to 11-3. NMH put a flurry of shots on net over the next few moments, but the Gould keeper kept the scoresheet clean. Finally, Franco dished a pass cross-crease to Leyden for an easy finish and then Kermes struck an unassisted tally in the final minute of play to give the Hoggers the 13-3 lead heading into the final frame.
In the final quarter, NMH continued to rotate through a large number of players, giving lots of Hoggers some game experience. Stepping up and shining were a handful of individuals, including Arick Escamilla ’13 (Monterrey, MX) and Marcelo Manautou ’12 (Monterrey, MX). The two teams worked the ball up-and-down the field throughout the early going of the fourth, but NMH finally moved their lead to an 11-goal differential about 3 minutes in as Colonna took a pass from Rak and unleashed a shot from about 8 yards that picked the upper right-hand corner of the net to give NMH the 14-3 lead.
Anderson, a defender, struck a goal with about 2:30 left to play, and Gould snuck one in with just over a minute left to play, to end the game with the 15-4 NMH victory.
With the victory, NMH improves to 1-0 on the season while Gould drops to 0-3. The Hoggers will continue with another out-of-league contest on Wednesday as they travel to Trinity College to take on the Millbrook School in a neutral site game before beginning league action next Saturday with their home-opener against Berkshire School.
It was a sad ending to a great game for the Hoggers as a Belmont Hill midfielder stuck a shot inside the far pipe about 2 minutes into double overtime to win the scrimmage for his team by a final score of 9-8. That said, it was a great contest between two evenly-matched teams, each of whom was spinning through large numbers of players. NMH was paced by the superlative contributions of goalie Patrick Sullivan ’12 (Darien, CT), who made 21 saves on the afternoon, including 4 in the two overtime periods. Offensively, the Hoggers received points from six different players, including multiple-point efforts from co-captain Avery Rak ’12 (Norwich, CT) and Casey Kermes ’12 (Brooklyn, NY) who each scored 2 goals and 1 assist, Seth Bird ’12 (Concord, MA) who scored 1 goal and 2 assists, and Sam Franco ’12 (Brunswick, ME) who scored one goal and one assist. The story of the game, though, was the face-off play of the Hoggers. Gus Colonna ’13 (Williamstown, MA), who also scored once, went 7-for-8 on the draw, while newcomer Jacob Siwicki ’12 (Gambrills, MA) went 8-for-13 on his draws and picked up 4 ground balls. Defensively, in front of Sullivan, NMH received strong performances from Paul Anderson ’12 (Amherst, MA), who led all players with 5 ground balls, John Griffin ’12 (Oceanside, NY), and Peter Schultz ’14 (Westfield, MA).
The scrimmage signifies the end of the preseason for NMH as they will kick off their regular season with a neutral site contest to be played at Belmont Hill on Saturday against Gould Academy.
After a bus breakdown on the return from watching the Bowdoin College versus Amherst College game on Saturday night resulted in a 2:30am return to the hotel, the Hoggers were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning as they took to the bus at 8am to head to the fields for a scrimmage with Phillips Exeter Academy. It took a while for NMH to shake off the cobwebs, but once they woke-up, the Hoggers showed some true brilliance. Clearly leading the way through the scrimmage was goalie Patrick Sullivan ’12 (Darien, CT), who made 16 saves, approaching mid-season form. Once again, the stingy NMH defense of John Griffin ’12 (Oceanside, NY), Peter Schultz ’14 (Westfield, MA), and Paul Anderson ’12 (Amherst, MA), along with LSMs Tucker Kavanagh ’12 (Andover, MA), Jake Wilson ’15 (Boulder, CO), and Eli Tirk ’12 (Ashfield, MA) did a terrific job in limiting for the most part a very talented Exeter offense. It was particularly impressive how well this group communicated with one another in the face of a dynamic and shifty group of attack men.
In the midfield, Avery Rak ’12 (Norwich, CT) was able to stick a man-up tally as well as to demonstrate some terrific two-way ability. Gus Colonna ’12 (Williamstown, MA) had a terrific day defensively and at the face-off X, while Hayden Jenkins ’13 (West Barnstable, MA), Luke Leyden ’14 (Northfield, MA), and Jack Kieckhafer ’12 (Andover, MA) all did some great things defensively and in transition. Marcelo Manautou ’12 (Monterrey, MX) stood out notably on a couple of clearing attempts due to his determination and good decision-making, while Kevin Gross ’15 (Surrey, NH) fought hard on the crease, producing a couple of great scoring chances. Finally, demonstrating a tremendous increase in composure and awareness on the field over just the past few days, Connor Shorten ’15 (Mountain Lakes, NJ) and Ben Wyman ’15 (Sterling, MA) contributed mightily to the offense and defense throughout the contest.
At attack, the trio of Casey Kermes ’12 (Brooklyn, NY), Sam Franco ’12 (Brunswick, ME), and Seth Bird ’12 (Concord, MA) continued to come together, putting together a great effort. Kermes was dangerous throughout and figured into most scoring plays, picking up one assist, while Franco and Bird notched three goals apiece. Bird picked up an assist in the game as well.
In all, it was a well-played game of lacrosse by both teams. The two squads will meet again, in regular season action, on Saturday, May 12 at NMH!
After the scrimmage this morning, the boys stayed on for another practice before returning to the hotel to catch up on rest. After a great morning, the team opted to spend a couple hours on the beach playing 3-on-3, having a great time. Looking ahead, the Hoggers will be up early in the morning for a final practice in Florida before heading to the airport to return to campus. Next up for NMH is a home scrimmage on Wednesday afternoon at 2pm against Belmont Hill.
After a solid 24 hours in Florida, enjoying the beautiful weather and three practices, the NMH lacrosse team took to the field for a scrimmage this evening against an experienced Austin (TX) High School squad that already had a handful of games under its belt. The NMH group, comprised of 19 players of varying degrees of experience in the NMH program, did a superlative job for their first collective contest of the season. All players spun through the field evenly, and all showed great progress. Particularly noteworthy were the contributions from the four freshmen: Kevin Gross ’15 (Surrey, NH), Jake Wilson ’15 (Boulder, CO), Ben Wyman ’15 (Sterling, MA), and Connor Shorten ’15 (Mountain Lakes, NJ). Based on their efforts, the future of NMH lacrosse promises to be bright!
The NMH defense did a good job of working out the kinks in their systems in holding Austin to just 7 goals in the contest. Patrick Sullivan ’12 (Darien, CT) anchored the stingy defense with nearly 10 saves behind John Griffin ’12 (Oceanside, NY), Peter Schultz ’14 (Westfield, MA), and Paul Anderson ’12 (Amherst, MA). Chipping in at LSM were co-captain Tucker Kavanagh ’12 (Andover, MA) as well as Wilson and Eli Tirk ’12 (Ashfield, MA), each of whom also saw time at close defense.This group proved to be solid in settled defense as well as in transition and during a few man-down situations.
Putting in good work at both ends of the field was a hard-working midfield group. Leading the way were the efforts of co-captain Avery Rak ’12 (Norwich, CT), Gus Colonna ’13 (Williamstown, MA), and Hayden Jenkins ’13 (West Barnstable, MA). Each did an outstanding job of producing some aggressive offense and also of playing stingy defense at the other end. In addition to the contributions of Gross, Wyman, and Shorten, who had the opportunity on a couple of occasions to play together, NMH saw great things from Luke Leyden ’14 (Northfield, MA) and Marcelo Manautou ’12 (Monterrey, MX). Jack Kieckhafer ’12 (Andover, MA) saw some good runs offensively, but he proved himself to be an outstanding individual defender on a number of occasions.
The NMH attack group proved to be effectively productive. Seth Bird ’12 (Concord, MA) led the way with 3 goals and 2 assists, while Casey Kermes ’12 (Brooklyn, NY) added 2 goals and an assist, and Sam Franco ’12 (Brunswick, ME) added a goal and an assist. It was great to watch this trio begin to gel and come together as a group as the contest progressed. There were a few spectacular moments throughout the contest.
In all, it was a great day of lacrosse. The boys are in for another few days of fun in the sun before heading back north. First up will be a full day on Saturday. It is worth mentioning to anyone who may have been planning to watch NMH’s midday scrimmage that their opponent had to back-out suddenly, so there will be no scrimmage. Next up for NMH after tomorrow’s practices, then, will be a go with Phillips Exeter Academy on Sunday morning.
Throughout the year, I engage in many conversations with students from around the country who are considering the PG experience. Much uncertainty and misunderstanding surround the post-graduate year, particularly given how many students benefit from the opportunity here at Northfield Mount Hermon and elsewhere each year. As such, I hoped that providing a more thorough understanding of all that might go into the decision-making process and what the experience could entail might help to foster greater understanding. Also, I take some time to make some comments on the process of applying to prep schools here as well. I should mention that I shift focus from the lacrosse-playing PG to the sport-playing PG to any possible PG throughout this piece, but it should be added as well that the post-graduate year is not exclusively the domain of the athlete. The PG experience is an amazing opportunity, and no article or brochure can fully capture every nuance, but I hope that this will lead to encouraging more students to consider the opportunity by setting up an appointment and getting on campus here at NMH or elsewhere. Read the rest of this entry »
Every trip I take to Finland seems to be better than the last time, and these past two weeks have been no exception. I have gotten the chance to play a lot of lacrosse, see old friends, make new friends, learn more about my family’s background, and ultimately experience a culture very different from what we are familiar with in the United States. During this trip, I stayed for the most part with my good friend Antti Hassinen. On my last day in Helsinki, Antti wanted to show me his favorite spot in the city where he can play as much wall ball as he wants in the rain, snow, or shining sun. My initial thoughts were that I’ve been in plenty of gymnasiums where i’ve thrown a lacrosse ball to myself against a wall, but it turned out I was very surprised to see our final destination. We set out down Antti’s street, Köydenpunojankatu, tossing the ball between us, as passers-by on the sidewalk stared at us with curiosity. After just a few minutes, we came upon a massive open space beneath an elevated section of the road, Porkkalankatu. There was a lot of construction going on nearby, so we had to navigate our way around some fencing and heavy machinery to get to an open spot directly below the overpass.
Now I knew what Antti was taking about when referring to being his favorite place to play wall ball no matter what the weather is. It was perfectly sheltered from the elements, and it also had a massive flat concrete surface which gave a true bounce back every time. First it was Antti’s turn. Positioned next to a large backhoe, he began playing pass with himself, throwing the ball high enough over the temporary fencing so that it would return back to his stick. Each time he released the ball he would count, “yksi, kaksi, kolme” etc. going up to one hundred and beyond. Antti said that when he’s feeling energized, he tries to get between five hundred and one thousand repetitions with each hand. As if the location itself didn’t provide the urban atmosphere on its own, the graffiti covering much of the wall really gave it an underground feel. We were taking lacrosse to the streets, and Antti is definitely the undisputed wall ball king of Helsinki.
When it was my turn, I matched Antti’s repetitions from distance, but then I also wanted to work on some quick sticking. With the fencing in the way, we had to meander back around all of the construction equipment to get closer to the wall. Losing count, we did as many repetitions as we could until our arms and shoulders began to tire. Wall ball is great practice, and I encourage everybody to do it. When alone, it is a terrific way to improve stick skills and the consistency of the ball coming out of your stick. Rather than taking shots on an empty goal and wasting time shagging balls, you can get a ton of repetitions in a short period of time by throwing against a wall. Satisfied with the work we had put in on the wall, Antti and I returned to his apartment to pack all of my stuff up before heading to the airport in the morning. Leaving Finland is always bittersweet for me. My friends are incredibly outgoing, and I have so much fun with them whether it is training for lacrosse, hanging out in a sauna, sipping a cup of coffee on the esplanade, or taking in an epic Kanye West performance. All of the aforementioned are just a fraction of all the fun that I had this time around. Now it is time to return to the reality of teaching at NMH. New faculty members have already arrived on campus, and in just a few days, we will begin our final preparations for opening the upcoming school year and welcoming both new and returning students and their families to campus. As for Team Finland, our coaches say they will shortly release the 23-man roster that will head to Amsterdam next summer, but until then, all we can do is wait and keep our fingers crossed.
