Summer Retreat Interviews #2: Rookie Defenseman Hunter Lydon

Thanks to the miracle of modern video technology, rookie defenseman Hunter Lydon will now introduce himself to you:



If it weren't for that other modern miracle we know as Facebook, Lydon says he wouldn't have known Emerson had a hockey team:



His first impressions of the team?



Like most hockey players, he was introduced young and the game never left his heart:



Lydon said he's a bit worried about transitioning his roller hockey skills to the ice, as the mindplay is similar but things like stopping and hitting are vastly different. He'd do well to speak to fellow defenseman Justin DeMarco, who also had to trade his wheels for steel.

As far as his style of play is concerned, Hunter fits into the mold of a classic stay-at-home defenseman, and he acknowledges there are a few areas of his game that need improvement:



Is he ready to "make school his number 1 priority and hockey his number 2," as assistant captain Pete Keeling asked of all his teammates recently?



Sounds like a yes to me.

Interesting fact about Hunter: he is not a fan of any NHL team and finds hockey boring to watch on TV. He'd rather be watching a good movie or working on one. A lot of the guys found it hard to believe.

He was probably one of the first to fall asleep during the late night viewing of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em 6. I'll have everyone know I watched it through to the end.

And rewound it.

Next up: a lengthy and thought-provoking interview on hockey and rap with assistant captain Pete Keeling, due sometime next week. I'll be on vacation until then, but if you have something you'd like to contribute to the blog, email me and I'll make sure it goes up.

Summer Retreat Interviews #1: Goalie Zach Wilson '09

This is the first of three interviews I shot at the summer retreat which took place at defenseman Sean Legnini's home in Avalon, NJ at the end of August.

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Zach Wilson will be a senior this year, and this Fall is his last in Boston, as he'll be spending his Spring at the school's L.A. program, hoping to get a leg up on his career in television. Wilson has been with the team the past two seasons, serving as backup goalie to Greg Cohen and sharing the net with Lance Ning last Spring while Cohen was in the Netherlands.

Off the ice, Wilson is very involved in the EVVYs production team, and is the head of the TRF sports production unit, which puts together award-winning multi-camera coverage of many Emerson athletic events, including hockey.

Here's a highlight reel from an Emerson/Berklee game the EVVY's shot and Zach edited together to some music:

I accidentally hit him in the back with a puck at practice one night last season, but he was gracious enough to forgive me for that. We played 18 holes of miniature golf on the Ocean City boardwalk (don't go to Congo Falls Golf -- sure the large gorilla is alluring, but every hole is an unimaginative par 2) and we sat down for an interview the next day over hamburgers.

Here, Zach talks about how the retreat helped build "teamraderie," as he put it:

Teamraderie is especially beneficial should you fall out of a kayak:

Getting down to brass tacks, Zach appraises the team's ability for TV coverage:

...and talks about how games being shown on the Emerson Channel would bring the team more exposure:

He feels the condensed schedule this year will be a challenge for the team:

But a little later, he added: "I think if the younger guys stick to it and really get committed from the beginning it'll be a lot easier because they'll be used to it as opposed to like trying to add stuff to the schedule."

Finally, let's go back in time a bit. To about... 1991, when Wilson appeared on Sesame Street (he comes in around 1:40):

I think I had the same haircut when I was 4 years old, LOL... He told some of the other guys and I that he was in a couple more episodes, too.

If you want to see more of Zach's work off the ice, visit his YouTube page at: http://www.youtube.com/user/ZWilsonFilms

Hockey hits big at org. fair

Spoke to defenseman Sean Legnini this weekend and he was delighted to inform me that many Emersonians stopped by the team's booth at the organization fair (org. fair) last Friday.

More than 100 hockey fans pledged their support by adding their names to the team's e-mail list, and 8 students approached Legnini, Keeling and other members of the team about playing this Fall.

Two of those students are sophomores who were unaware the school even had a hockey team, and the other six are freshmen.

"One of the freshmen played varsity and his team went to the Flyers Cup, which is a tournament for the best high school team in eastern Pennsylvania," Legnini told me. "So he's probably pretty good."

It is unknown at this point how many or which of the 8 will actually play in games. The team's coach and captains will be assessing the new talent in the three practices leading up to next Sunday's season opener against Bentley.

Both captain Gwizdowski and assistant captain Keeling have indicated to me that anyone who shows enthusiasm and commitment will be given the opportunity to play.

Fall 2008 Schedule

Circle November 8th on your calendar (I know I have) as that's when this year's Boylston Cup will be fought for at Walter Brown Arena. The Lions also face some tough opponents this year in club squads from Bentley and Merrimack, both schools that have NCAA hockey programs.

Thu Sept 18: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Tue Sept 23: Practice @ Walter Brown. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Thu Sept 25: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Sun Sept 28: Game vs. Bentley. Simoni. 7:30pm-9:20pm.

Tues Sept 30: Game vs. Merrimack. Simoni. 10:00-11:50pm.

Thu Oct 2: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Sat Oct 4: Game vs. TBA . Simoni. 8:50pm-10:40pm.

Tue Oct 7: Game vs. Berklee. Simoni. 8:00pm-9:50pm.

Thu Oct 9: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Tue Oct 14: Practice @ Walter Brown. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Thu Oct 16: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Sun Oct 19: Away Game @ RISD. 9:30pm. Brown Rink.

Tues Oct 21: Practice @ Walter Brown. 11:00pm-11:50pm

Thu Oct 23: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Fri Oct 24: Away Game @ Berklee. Simoni. 9:00-10:40pm.

Sat Oct 25: Away Game @ Bentley. Waltham, MA. 10:00pm.

Thu Oct. 30: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Sat Nov. 1: Game vs. TBA. Simoni. 8:50pm-10:40pm.

Wed Nov. 5: Game vs. Clark. Simoni. 8:00pm-9:50pm.

Thu Nov 6: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Sat Nov 8: Boylston Cup vs. Berklee. 5:00pm. Walter Brown.

Sun. Nov 9: Away Game @ Clark. 10:00pm-11:50pm.

Thu Nov 13: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Sun Nov 16: Game vs. MCC. Simoni. 7:30pm-9:20pm.

Tue Nov 18: Practice @ Walter Brown. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Thu Nov. 20: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

Mon Dec 1: Game vs. Suffolk. Simoni. 8:00-9:50pm.

Tue Dec 2: Game @ MCC. Billerica, MA. 10:20pm-12:00am.

Thu Dec 4: Practice @ Simoni. 11:00pm-11:50pm.

According to Pete Keeling, there are a few away dates to be determined with Suffolk, Merrimack, Brandeis and RISD, so I'll update when he gets those scheduled. And I know that I'm not the only alum who'd like to see an alumni vs. current team game added...