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GA's new rink may change the landscape of hockey in River Rival Region

Tuesday, January, 15 By John Shimer
Staff writer

The grand opening last December of the exquisite and state-of-the-art Whiston-Bragdon Arena on the Governor's Academy campus has opened new doors for two of the local hockey programs: Newburyport and Triton.

A big surface rink with dimensions measuring 200 feet by 90 feet, the $12 million building can seat upwards of 400 people. The old Govs rink | thought to be a run-down, unreliable facility that was often either too cold or too warm for competitions depending on the weather | has been turned into a parking lot.

Based on the positive public reaction to the newly-opened Whiston-Bragdon Arena, the Byfield rink could quickly become a host site for state-wide competitions.

As far as costs go, GA charges $250 for a full 60 minutes for rentals compared to the $210 Newburyport's Graf Rink charges for 50 minutes. That figure for Whiston-Bragdon was derived from the average of several local hockey rinks. But that fee is not set in stone for next season because GA has not been able to predict its annual costs thanks to its recent opening last month.

However, GA gives Triton High a significant discount | somewhere in the neighborhood of half the hourly cost | due to the close working relationship the schools have initiated over the years.

The Govs football team used Triton's stadium two years ago after a rain-out caused damage to GA's playing surface. The Vikes also used the Govs cross country course last fall. It's a natural partnership given the schools' proximity; the Byfield schools sit within a mile of each other. Governor's Academy officials have made facilitating the Triton hockey team its top priority, according to Jeff Wotton, associate athletic director at GA.

"From our perspective, having a relationship with a local high school | especially one in such close proximity to ours is a huge convenience in case something goes wrong and quite important," said Wotton, who is in charge of planning daily events at the new rink. "We also feel like we have something to give back to the local community, and this is one way to make that happen."

Space and time will be limited during the hockey season with the Govs boys and girls varsity and junior varsity squads getting first dibs. Those teams generally command the ice time from 3:30 p.m. to often as late as 10 p.m. due to games and practices.

Still, the new arena played host to the first public school game over winter vacation. The Masconomet girls team hosted a game. The Danvers boys also rented time for practice. With Newburyport and Triton locked into varsity schedules at the Graf Rink for the remainder of the season, neither schools' team has plans to host a varsity-level competition at Whiston-Bragdon.

However, the construction of a secondary option to Newburyport's Graf Rink has already benefitted Triton and Newburyport in terms of ice time.

The Triton varsity team has been offered a one-hour time slot right after school from 2:20 to 3:20 p.m. for practice on weekdays. The Vikings have been using it on a periodical basis over the last couple of weeks.

In future seasons, GA will offer a 6 p.m. Saturday evening time slot to Triton for home games. Wotton said he has already made the offer to Triton athletic director David Dempsey, but nothing was finalized.

The Viking JV squad has been the team most affected. The squad previously had the unenviable privilege of playing games at 6 a.m. or 9:30 p.m. This season, the Triton JV picked up a Sunday evening time-slot (6:30 p.m.) for games. "The Graf is obviously over-taxed in that three high schools use the facility in addition to all its other uses," Dempsey said. "Jeff (Wotton) has been very accommodating in terms of finding quality extra ice time, especially for our JVs... Because their games usually vary from the obscenely early to the ridiculously late."

Newburyport took advantage of some extra time on the larger sheet of ice (the Graf's dimensions are 185 feet by 85 feet) last week to prepare for Central Catholic | a Super 8 team a year ago | which plays its homes games at Merrimack College. "Playing on larger sheets of ice creates a big enough difference in the style of game, so we went over there to prepare for the Central game," said Newburyport coach Paul Yameen. "However, we haven't discussed moving out of the Graf. The only time we would use the Governor's facility would be to prepare for another team that plays on big surfaces."

After Newburyport tied the Raiders, 3-3, Clipper senior captain Derek McCoy said the preparation on the larger sheet of ice was a huge factor in how Newburyport played. "Playing at GA gave us a chance to get our legs used to the longer rushes you have on big surfaces as opposed to the short, quick bursts at a smaller rink," McCoy said. "You have to get used to covering more ice, adjust to finding people, and learn to always keep your head up because there is not as much pressure on you. The biggest factor is special teams for power plays because you have to account for space that normally wouldn't be there on our normal rink."

As far as Triton's first-year coach Kevin Dodier is concerned, playing games at The Whiston-Bragdon Arena could be a good draw for the younger kids in his program. "I think it would be appealing; we always lose kids to prep schools, and this would be a good draw for eighth-graders to get to use that beautiful rink as one of our facilities," Dodier said. "I think it would be exciting for the kids to play a couple of games in a high-tech building. If it was up to me | and the kids have expressed an interest in it | a game at GA would be an awesome change of pace for us and the fans."

The cost to rent the new rink could be an important factor in determining which schools would use to the facility. Governor's Academy officials have made a commitment to be competitive with the other rinks in the area.

Newburyport Athletic Director John Daileanes said he would not be opposed to renting ice time at GA if it is in the best interest of his school.

"My responsibility as the AD is to find the best time for our athletes to play their sports and figure out the most affordable cost that could potentially save us money," said Daileanes, who added GA has also been quite helpful to his program. "Recently we have had an expanded interest in our hockey program and have struggled to find time for our JVs. So we certainly will be keeping an eye on the new rink."

No one wants to burn bridges, though, with what has been the bread-and-butter facility for both Triton and Newburyport | the Harry S. Graf, Jr. Rink. The facility is rich in tradition for three high schools (serving Amesbury as well) over the years.

One major difference between the rinks is that the host team for games at Graf Rink gets 50 percent of the returns from gate receipts. The host team for games at Whiston-Bragdon Arena will get 100 percent of the returns.

Still, the Graf will remain the primary home facility for both the Vikings and Clippers for the foreseeable future. "The Graf has been a great public service to us over the years, donating countless hours of free ice time," said Dempsey. "The Graf is also a great hockey tradition, which those kids thrive on and pumps them up to hear of the great players to have skated there in the past. I grew up in Lynn and it reminds me of the old Manning Bowl, the stadium where Harry Agganis used to play football."

Dodier, a former star at Amesbury as a netminder, said the experience of playing in the smaller building was unforgettable.

"Personally, I love playing there when it is packed, especially for those River Rivals," Dodier reminisced. "The atmosphere and the fans are right on top of you, and it just gets electric. Just by judging the reaction of the fans, you can tell when someone has scored or there was a big play." Comparing Rinks