Ice Hockey Remains Atop the SCC

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Here is a look at the seventh week of scheduled games for Old Rochester Regional winter athletics.

Boys’ Basketball: The Bulldogs continued their season of excellence this week, defeating two more SCC teams to remain perfect in the conference. The boys first defeated Apponequet 68-53 thanks to strong performances by junior Will Santos, who scored 18 points, freshman Noah Fernandes, who scored 15 points, and senior Jordan Menard who recorded a double-double (11 points, 13 rebounds). The win had extra significance, as the Bulldogs officially qualified for the state tournament, becoming the first team in the Southcoast to do so. Later in the week, ORR defeated GNB Voc-Tech in an 82-41 blowout. The boys got out to a 30-8 lead after the first quarter and never looked back, with four Bulldogs scoring in the double-digits. Menard was the top scorer on the night with 20 points.

Girls’ Basketball: The girls had a tough week, losing to both Apponequet (54-38) and GNB Voc-Tech (66-34) to drop their conference record to 6-6 overall. Sophie Church led the Lady Bulldogs offensively in both games, scoring 15 points against Apponequet and 11 against GNB Voc-Tech. Morgan Browning also played well against GNB Voc-Tech, recording 10 points on the night. With an overall record of 7-5, the girls will need to play consistently in order to keep their record above .500 to qualify for the state tournament.

Boys’ Track: This week, the boys’ team finished off their regular season with two wins against Diman (66-20) and Seekonk (57-29). Kevin Saccone won both the hurdles and high jump in both meets, and against Diman, Hunter Parker won the mile, while sophomore Will Hopkins won the 300 meters. Later in the week, several of the team’s top athletes took place in the MSTCA Coaches Invitational/Elite Meet, with several posting impressive results. The highlight was once again Saccone, who placed fifth in the hurdles and won the long jump, defeating some of the state’s best athletes with a monster leap of 22’1”. Next week, the team’s freshmen and sophomores have a chance to shine in the annual Janiak Freshmen Sophomore Meet.

            Girls’ Track: The girls’ team also notched another two wins to close out their regular season, while in the process clinching their fifth consecutive undefeated SCC title. Despite having several girls out due to sickness, the girls managed to defeat Seekonk (70.5-15.5) and Diman (82-4). Winners for the Lady Bulldogs included Nicole Mattson (600 meters), Maggie Adams (55-meter dash), Zoe Smith (55 hurdles), Sam Ball (1000 meters), and Maddie Meyer (two mile, mile). The Lady Bulldogs’ freshmen and sophomores will also be competing in the Janiak Freshmen Sophomore Meet at GNB Voc-Tech on Saturday, January 31.

            Boys’ Swimming: The boys’ swim team suffered another tough loss this week to Dighton-Rehoboth, falling to the Falcons by a score of 82-36. Despite the loss, freshman Gabe Noble-Shriver swam well, winning the 50-freestyle in 27.38 seconds. Teammate Nate Wentworth was the only other Bulldog to win an event in the meet, claiming the 100 breaststroke in 1:23. With the loss, the boys’ record now stands at 1-5 overall.

Girls’ Swimming: The Lady Bulldogs’ swim team had a great week, claiming their second victory of the season with their win over Dighton-Rehoboth, 94-75. The girls had several winning performances on the day, including Teagan Walsh (diving), Julianne Mariner (100-breaststroke), and Cate Feldkamp (500-freestyle). In addition, the 400-freestyle relay team of Colleen Beatriz, Megan Field, Molly Richards, and Erin Burke took home first place, adding valuable points to contribute to the girls’ win. ORR’s record now stands at 2-4.

Ice Hockey: This week, the ORR/Fairhaven hockey team faced off against SCC rival Dighton-Rehoboth for the first time this season. Just prior to the end of a Bulldog-dominated first period, Dighton-Rehoboth managed to get one past the ORR defense in the final five seconds, giving the Falcons a 1-0 advantage going into the second period. However, the Bulldogs responded with five goals in the second period that would prove pivotal in their eventual 6-2 win. Scorers for the Bulldogs included Jeremy Lawton, Jake Durocher, Sam Henrie, Shane Matthews, Zach Peterson, and Mike Lygren. The win was a very important one for the Bulldogs, as it knocked D-R off the top of the SCC rankings, which ORR/Fairhaven now shares with Bourne.

Below are the overall winter team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of January 25.

Boys’ Basketball: (11-1-0) (11-0-0); Girls’ Basketball: (6-6-0) (5-5-0); Boys’ Track: (8-1-0) (7-1-0); Girls’ Track: (9-0-0) (8-0-0); Boys’ Swimming: (1-5-0) (0-5-0); Girls’ Swimming: (2-4-0) (1-3-0); Ice Hockey: (7-2-0) (7-0-0).

By Michael Kassabian

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Why Groundhog Day?

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We at The Wanderer celebrate Groundhog Day every year – we even throw a party and give out gifts to all our advertisers and associates. But why the big deal over a silly tale of a groundhog that will supposedly predict the next six weeks of weather?

First and foremost, it is a chance to celebrate having made it through the first bitter half of winter, with February 2 being the midway point between the official start of winter and the official start of spring – the equinox of the equinox, if you will.

Groundhog Day symbolizes an act of defiance of sorts, in the face of the second bitter half of winter still to come. Every February 2, we stand around a magical groundhog, who even defies death by drinking a secret elixir every summer during the Groundhog Picnic that adds seven years to his life, and we hope for winter’s hasty death.

We watch to see if Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow and retreat back into the earth to spend six more weeks in a winter coma, or if he will stay above ground as we melt our way into March over the next six weeks.

Before it was ever called Groundhog Day in the 1800s, the early German settlers of Pennsylvania brought with them the tradition of Candlemas Day, with its age-old saying, “For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May…”

The tradition of trekking to Gobbler’s Knob on February 2 began in 1887 and has remained a tradition ever since.

Just last year, Phil, named so after King Phillip and formerly referred to as Br’er Groundhog, indeed saw his shadow, which was followed by subsequent hell to pay in the form of two massive back-to-back winter storms in February and a miserably cold March that wouldn’t quit.

Some believers say Phil is always right. Whenever he doesn’t see his shadow, we hope he is.

Groundhog Day does, for us, symbolize hope, however fleeting that hope may be. We maintain the perpetual optimism that the dark days of freezing cold and impromptu blizzards will end and the warmer, sunnier days of spring will push those daffodils through softer ground and hurry up and get here.

And even if winter lingers longer than it takes a sloth to round up a herd of snails, we get to enjoy that one day when a short, furry, groggy groundhog crawls out of his hole and says, “Bite me, winter!”

If that isn’t something to celebrate, then we don’t know what is.

Happy Groundhog Day, everybody!

By Jean Perry

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YMCA Announces New Program Director

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YMCA SouthCoast is proud to announce Stephanie Winterson as the new Program Director of the Mattapoisett YMCA located at 38 Reservation Road, Mattapoisett, MA.

Ms. Winterson has been an employee here for the past four years. She has played key roles in the leadership of YMCA Camp Massasoit and has previously been an afterschool site director at both the Mattapoisett location as well as Rochester Memorial School.

“I am pleased to have promoted Stephanie as the new Program Director at the Mattapoisett YMCA. She is a breath of fresh air. She has great energy and leadership, along with dedication to the Y and the children and families in our programs. These are only some of the attributes that made Stephanie the ideal candidate for this position,” states Joseph Marciszyn, Executive Director of the Mattapoisett YMCA, a Division of YMCA SOUTHCOAST. “She brings a youthful enthusiasm to our organization, and I look forward to working with Stephanie in her new position.”

In her new role as Program Director, Ms. Winterson will be responsible for leading and managing the day-to-day operations of the School Age programs at the Mattapoisett YMCA and at Rochester Memorial School. Steph will be the Assistant Camp Director and work with our community to offer new programs and enrichment classes. “I am quite lucky to be in this position as the Program Director at this beautiful place that I have considered a second home for the past four years! Words cannot properly express how excited I am to start my new journey here.” states Ms. Winterson. She resides in Fairhaven with her family and dog, Bronx.

The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits, strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. With five branch sites serving more than 37,000 people, YMCA SOUTHCOAST has been working to meet the needs of our community for over 150 years. The Y engages people of all ages – regardless of income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Everyone is welcome at the Y and financial assistance is available. For more information about YMCA SOUTHCOAST, visit one of the branches in Dartmouth, Fall River, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, Swansea, and Wareham or online at ymcasouthcoast.org.

Marion Republican Town Committee

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The Marion Republican Town Committee will conduct its next monthly meeting on Tuesday, February 3 at 7:00 pm at 122 Converse Road, Marion. The public and new members are welcome.

Capital Assessment Rating Begins

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It’s that time of the year again when towns begin the evaluation and review process for departmental capital needs. It is no small job and one that the Marion Capital Improvement Planning Committee has now begun in earnest.

On January 23, the committee headed by Norman Hills with members Paul Naiman, Casey Barros, Carol Sanz, Ted North, Dick Gilberti, and Stephen Cushing reviewed the project list and discussed the scoring process.

The multi-million dollar list contains: Pumping station repairs – $14,195; Atlantis Drive Fire Safety system – $17,775; Washburn Park restroom repairs – $11,395; Sippican School floor renovations – $50,000; Sippican School EMS communications (as required by new state testing procedures) – $18,000; Marine/Harbormaster new trucks – $63,000; Highway Department one-ton diesel pick-up – $56,000; Highway Department FY14 pavement plan – $273,000; Highway Department general road repairs – $60,000; Water Department one-ton 4×4 pick-up – $56,000; Sewer Department generator replacement – $35,000; and for the Fire Department, a new pumper – $540,000; new ambulance – $237,000; engine 2 repairs – $20,000; two Lucas CPR devices – $28,000; and computer software – $27,000.

Another Highway Department line item titled ‘NPDES Permit Analysis’ was kept on the list but the price tag is an evolving number. As a placeholder, the committee used $450,000 but a firmer number will be needed before it can be sent to the Finance Committee for their review.

NPDES stands for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System. The Environmental Protection Agency oversees the wastewater discharge of municipal and industrial wastewater facilities, regulating the levels of pollutants discharged and issuing a permit with strict requirements. Marion is appealing the EPA’s findings that call for lower levels of nitrogen discharged and threaten the elimination of the Town’s three sewage lagoons.

Calling for “…further review … but may return,” Hills dropped the following Highway Department projects totaling just over $5 million from the list: MS4 permit assessment; isolated flood area study; Phase 1B construction; and Phase 2 design. Also on hold indefinitely were two Water Department projects. Those projects are well field explore tagged at $50,000 and Mill Street Water Main design at $150,000.

The majority of the capital needs identified by the Town’s departments will be funded through general funds, although enterprise funds may be eyed on several. All requests will require voter approval at Town Meeting in the spring.

In an effort to employ a rating or scoring system from one to 10 for the projects, the committee received a rating sheet that asks critical questions. Those questions are:

1) Is the capital item a matter of regulatory state, federal or local compliance?

2) Is the capital item a matter of public safety?

3) What is the department’s priority for the requested item?

4) Is the capital item request a replacement, upgrade or new item or service?

5) What is the impact of the capital item on the overall operation and maintenance for the department to provide service?

6) How will this capital item be financed?

7) What is the capital item’s lifespan?

Hills counseled the committee to use the same method or thinking process for each request. Their hope is that this part of their work can be wrapped up by the end of February.

The next meeting of the Marion Capital Improvement Committee is scheduled for January 29 at 7:00 pm in the Police Station community meeting room.

By Marilou Newell

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Academic Achievements

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Rhode Island College is pleased to announce that Jaclyn Hahn of Mattapoisett and Sarah Blasenak of Rochester been named to the Fall 2014 Dean’s List for scholastic achievement. Full-time RIC students must attain a minimum grade point average of 3.25 for the semester in order to qualify.

Breannon Meuse of Rochester was recently named to the Castleton College Dean’s List for the fall semester of the 2014-15 academic year. To qualify for this academic honor, the student must maintain full-time status and a semester grade point average of 3.5.

UMass Dartmouth students are named to the Chancellor’s List in recognition of earning a semester grade point average of 3.8 or higher of a possible 4.0:

Jessica Chalkley of Marion

Derek Marshall of Marion

Michael Rezendes of Marion

Ian Whelihan of Marion

Mya Akins of Mattapoisett

Matthew Burke of Mattapoisett

Myles McQuade of Mattapoisett

Megan Merlo of Mattapoisett

Sarah Ribeiro of Mattapoisett

Izak Thuestad of Mattapoisett

Aimee Gonsalves of Rochester

Nathan Murphy of Rochester

Amanda Pacheco of Rochester

Gateway Youth Hockey

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Mite C: The Gateway Mite C team had an off night and lost to the SC Panthers on Saturday by a score of 28-11. The Mites came out in the first period slow but were able to only be down by two goals in the first period, 9-7. The second period, however, they were not so lucky. The Panthers took control of the game and the lead and never looked back. Brayden Cannon led the team with a hat trick. The other scorers on the night were Jarrod Frates, Paxton Jones, Brayden Hathon, Jack Langlais, Pat Tripp, and Tommy Clavell. Nate Wilson had 21 saves filling in for the sick Charlie Carroll. It was a tough loss for the Mites, but we will be sure to get back to our total team effort ways against Nantucket next Saturday in Falmouth.

Squirts: The Gateway Squirts faced Plymouth Orange Saturday morning and played a stellar game and taking the win 8-0. Joe Urnek got Gateway on the board in the first period assisted by Braden MacDonald. Juni Suarez added two more goals in the first. In the second period, Matthew Quinlan cleared the net assisted by Urnek and Nathan Ribeiro, who also got a goal himself assisted from Matthew Paling. Ty David found the net assisted by Suarez. In the third period, Quinlan and Suarez both put points on the board giving Suarez a hat trick. On defense, Jacob Hebbel, McDonald, Paling, and Thomas Leger were on their game keeping the puck out of Plymouth’s possession. Brady Kidney made some nice passes to keep the puck moving. Ryker King earned the shut-out, making some key saves.

Pee Wees: The Gateway Youth Hockey Pee Wee team faced the #1 Pembroke Titans Sunday evening. Although the Pee Wees played hard, they weren’t able to overcome the relentless pressure of the Titans, who won the game with a score of 4-0 to hold their top ranking.

Bantams: The Gateway Youth Hockey Bantams blanked Hanover B2, 5-0. Gateway goal scorers included: Tyler and Zachary Lovendale, Jake Demoranville, Robert Ramsay, and Jameson Woodward. Tyler also added an assist. Jared Westgate added two helpers. Noah Demoranville, Jackson St. Don, and Mike Ripley also assisted Gateway goals. Goalie Zachary Pateakos turned away several late-game scoring attempts to preserve the shutout.

Middle School 1: The Middle School 1 team was back in action on Friday night against a tough Taunton team. The Jr. Vikings skated away with a 5-2 victory, pushing their win streak up to six games. The team came out a little flat early on, but eventually found their rhythm when Peter Pimental tipped home a Seth Tomasik slap shot. Next to score was James L’Heureux, who grabbed the puck out from a pile of players in front of the net and snuck it by the goalie. Taunton wouldn’t be outdone, scoring on a deflection and a one timer from in close. With the score tied at two, defenseman Coleby Paling found a streaking Quirino doCanto, who beat the defender and somehow managed to get it by the sprawling goalie to give the Jr. Vikings a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Robert Ramsay scored the fourth goal on a nifty backhand shot up and over the goalie, almost from behind the net. Vyper LaTullippe found an open Robert Maloney in the slot to score the last goal, making it 5-2. Jake DeMoranville did a great job in net again, making multiple saves.

MattMen Chili Cook Off

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The MattMen of Mattapoisett Congregational Church came together Sunday night, January 25th ,to see who amongst them cooks up the best man-made chili.  Tasting was free to all who came.  Those who wished to vote contributed $5 to The Baby Project of New Bedford.  $518 was raised for The Baby Project. Out of 15 chili cooks who prepared 16 pots of chili, Rory McFee received the most votes for his “Smoky Chili.”.  Bob Field’s “Oyster Chili” came in second place.  David Dunn, last year’s top vote getter, came in third with his “BBC Chili.”  Special mention goes out to two boys who entered the fray: Freemin and Tommy were the fourth and fifth vote getters, respectively.  Thank you to all who came out for fun, fellowship, and helped to raise a little for a good cause. Photos by Felix Perez

 

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Tabor Academy to Host Wrestling Championship

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Tabor Academy is honored and excited to host the 68th annual New England Independent School Wrestling Championship. On Friday, February 20 and Saturday, February 21 approximately 280 wrestlers, representing fifty New England independent schools, will compete for All New England status and a chance to qualify for the Prep National Tournament held annually at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. While this is the first time Tabor has had the opportunity to host this prestigious New England Tournament, the Tabor wrestling program is experienced in competing for the championship – holding four team titles and crowning 33 individual champions. Last winter, the Seawolves placed third in this event and we will be just as competitive this year. Wrestling begins on Friday at 5:00 pm and continues on Saturday at 9:00 am in Tabor’s Fish Center for Health and Athletics at 256 Front Street, Marion, MA 02738. The public is welcome.

Tabor Academy Hosts Ceramics Exhibition

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Two years ago, Tabor Academy art department faculty member Kevin Arnfield (Ceramics, Art History) received a Braitmayer Fellowship from Tabor to research, design and construct a 50-cubic foot wood-fired kiln. Mr. Arnfield’s project, much more complicated and involved than he anticipated, took nearly two years to complete and ended up involving a range of people from the Tabor community and beyond. Tabor art faculty, students, trustees, alumni, and people from the local community came together, either in the work of constructing and preparing the kiln or in the work of filling the kiln with ceramics to be fired. The inaugural firing of the kiln in October 2014 was a great success and produced very promising results.

During the first two weeks of February, the gallery in the Braitmayer Art Center will feature an exhibition entitled Wood Fire: Kiln, Art & Community – Ceramics from a Pre-Industrial Technology curated by Mr. Arnfield. The exhibition will address the history and aesthetics particular to wood-fired ceramics and the design and construction of his kiln. It will also address the value of labor and community work inherent in the wood firing process. A selection of ceramics from the 300+ pieces fired in inaugural kiln firing will be on view side by side with a number of important pieces of wood fired art pottery from local collections.

The public is invited to the opening reception of this exhibition on February 6 in the Braitmayer Art Center at Tabor Academy from 6:30 to 7:30 pm.