ed for the NHL [National Hockey League]. Our program has been very competitive – and we’re working hard to return to our roots in that respect. Coaching at my alma mater is something I’ve always dreamed about.
istry on the team is strong and the team is physically bigger than it has been in the past. Our defensive corps is led by senior co-captain Andrew O’Connor, one of the players called upon to protect senior goalie, David Scardella,” he says.
“My coaching philosophy is pure and simple: It’s the development of players on and off the ice. Developing discipline builds character and confidence and leads students to treat others with respect.
“Coach [Paul] Marks leads a coaching staff that believes in being positive and energetic, values he instills in his players,” Brendan adds. “Our team is close both on and off the ice.”
“Co-captain Brendan Byrnes (Class I) is a great example of how this game can help make students into great athletes and great people. He’s an All-ISL player. He is a great player, leader, student and friend. Whatever he does, he’ll be a great success,” Paul says.
Coach Lisa Stirling surprises the girls’ team occasionally, to lighten what can be a season filled with a schedule of tough games. “I had my team scrimmage against a group of nationals and Olympians,” she says. “My girls lost, but they were in awe.
• George Owen, Jr. coached hockey, baseball and football – and taught math – at Milton Academy from 1953 to 1965. Named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973, George played for the Boston Bruins and led that team to its first Stanley Cup victory in 1929.
“Our team is aggressive,” Lisa says. “They have a lot of character. Some are quiet, and some are more vocal players, but they have the same goal – to win.”
• In 1967, the boys’ team won its first ISL title by beating the Andover team captained by future Harvard University All-American Joe Cavanaugh.
Brendan says that the team had been picked to finish eighth out of nine teams in the Independent School League this season, but he is undaunted. “The chem-
Milton Hockey Facts • The Academy’s first hockey team played in 1904. • In winter of 1947–48, 63 inches of snow fell. The team did more shoveling than skating that year, according to player Brad Richardson ’48. At season’s end, team members were awarded silver shovel charms.
• In 1983, Wendy Millet ’86 became the first captain of the girls’ hockey team. She and her teammates collected signatures to win the School administration’s support for the new team. • Marty McInnis ’87 plays for the Boston Bruins and played on the 1992 Olympic hockey team as well. • Timothy B. Taylor ’59 and former hockey coach Richard T. Marr led a committee to support building the new rink in the Athletic and Convocation Center. The rink was completed in 1998. • In 1997 and 1998, the girls’ hockey team captured the ISL title. • Since the NHL’s Boston Bruins began giving the Carleton Award to the best girls’ scholar-hockey player in eastern Massachusetts in 1999, two Mustangs have won: Deanna McDevitt ’99 and Amy McLaughlin ’01. • You can get the latest hockey scores online. Just point your browser to www.milton.edu and click on athletics. For more information on the hockey program or one of Milton’s other athletic teams, contact Athletic Director Mike Kinnealey at Mike_Kinnealey@milton.edu.
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