Mites 1: The Mites 1 team stunned the previously undefeated Lower Cape 2 team on Saturday by beating them 4-1 in Orleans. The Gateway team jumped out to an early lead with three quick goals in the first period. Both teams then scored in the second period. The Mites 1 skating speed paid off well in this game and their on-the-mark passes led to many assists in the goal scoring. All-in-all this was a team effort and a team win!

Squirt 1: The Gateway Ice Wolves played 3 games this weekend and came away with wins in all 3. On Saturday, the Ice Wolves traveled to Rockland to take on the GYH Ireland team and beat them while only having 8 players. The final score was 8-2 and Julia Elicier led the charge a goal and 4 assists. Also scoring were Tyler Lovendale with 4 goals and 2 assists, while Quirino doCanto added 3 goals and 5 assists. Chris Gauvin stepped in and earned the win in net. The win moved the Ice Wolves to 21-0 in the Yankee Conference.

On Sunday, the Ice Wolves played a double header at home against Martha’s Vineyard and gave their fans two amazing games to watch. In the first game, Alex DeMarco came up with some great saves limited MV to 1 goal. Chris Gauvin and Quirino doCanto had the goals while Tyler Lovendale assisted on both goals, securing the 2-1 win.

In the second game, the IceWolves battled adversity and came away with a 3-2 victory. Scoring in the game were Tyler Lovendale with 2 goals and Chris Gauvin with 1. Quirino doCanto assisted on all three goals.

Squirts 2: The Gateway Squirt Sharks team had two wins and one loss to advance them into the championship round of the Falmouth Clipper Classic Hockey Tournament, which will be played on Monday, January 21st. Gateway played two games on Saturday and the first game was a solid win against the Falmouth Squirt C team with a score of 2 – 0 earning another shut out for goalie, Alex DeMarco. The goals were by Ben Demoranville assisted by Stephen Old and by MacKenzie Hennessey (her first of the season) assisted by R.J. Vickery.

The second game against the Warwick Waves was a much more difficult game. Gateway ended up playing short-handed due to illness and played hard, but could not pull out a win. In the third and final round Sunday, and Gateway rallied together for a decisive win against the Walpole Squirt C team 4 – 1. A Goal by Jack Martins, assisted by Thomas Gallavotti got us on the board early, an unassisted goal by Johnny Rodrigues, and a second goal by Jack Martins, assisted by Shannon Breault sealed the deal. However, the fourth and final goal was an amazing shot by Ben Demoranville who managed to get his own rebound and netted a tough angle, top shelf shot while being knocked to the ice.

The Sharks then made it to the Championship game of the Winter Clipper Classic Tournament in Falmouth Monday. Gateway ended up facing the Warwick Waves in the Championship game and the Sharks played some of their best hockey of the season. The Sharks got on the board quickly in the first period with Johnny Rodrigues scoring 20 seconds in off of an assist by Ben Demornaville. Gateway was able to hold that one goal lead into the third period when Warwick tied the game half way through the period and then followed it up with the game winning goal with just 41 seconds on the clock. Gateway pulled their goalie to get a sixth skater on the ice for those final seconds and put immense pressure on the Warwick goaltender, but was not able to net the goal needed to send the game into overtime, a 2-1 loss and taking second place overall in the tournament.

 Bantams: The Gateway Bantam team faced off against the Pembroke Titans this past weekend at Hobomock Arena. In the first period, Gateway opened the scoring with Brady Smith scoring on a breakaway assisted by Alex Atkinson. In the second, Mike Houdlette poked one through with a pass from Sean Kelso. Houdlette later in the period tucked in another goal assisted by Will Paling. Then to end the period, Alex Atkinson scored to make it 4-0. When play resumed in the third period, Mike Houdlette struck again to finish his Hat Trick goal including a hat from one of the fans from the stands. With three minutes left in the game, the Titans found the back of the net to make it 5-1. As the final buzzer sounds it is official that the bantams extend their winning streak to 9 games and clinch third place in the league. The team’s last loss was November 23.

For those of us lucky enough to experience all four seasons, winter tends to bring about the starkest of changes to our environment.  While we humans fight the colder months with thicker jackets and hotter soup, nature has its own way of dealing with the bitter conditions that envelop New England a few months a year.

Nasketucket Bay State Reservation on Brandt Island Road in Mattapoisett offers hikers a chance to see how nature still thrives despite the cold.  On Sunday, January 20, area outdoor enthusiasts were invited to take part in a hike around the reservation, led by a member of the Department of Conservation and Recreation.  The expedition focused on identifying different plant species and how they react to the winter months.

“Today, we’re going to talk about how to find them when they don’t have their leaves,”said Amy Wilmot of the DCR.

As an interpreter coordinator, Wilmot has led several hikes around the state, many at Nasketucket.

“Personally, this is one of my favorite parks,” she said.

The hike kicked off with about thirty in attendance, many from the surrounding area like Lakeville and the Cape, a mixture of enthusiasts and experts.

The hiking trail started at the bridle path, snaked through the salt marsh path to the beach, then back into the woods. Along the way, Wilmot stopped to point out different plants, such as princess pine and holly, and explained their survival traits and which animals pose predatory problems.

“I’ve gone on a few walks with Amy in the past and she’s very knowledgeable,” said Richard Stabile of Plymouth, Mass.

Stabile has a forestry degree and works as a seasonal park guide in Quincy.  The last time he was at Nasketucket was about five years ago and he was excited about what the group would discover.

“I’m pretty good with woodland botany. I’m looking to have a good time with this group of people and to learn a lot of stuff about the park,” he said.

The Nasketucket Bay State Reservation offers over 200 acres of trails and shoreline for hiking and is open to the public every day.

“It’s a beautiful property and we want people to know it’s here,” said Wilmot.

By Eric Tripoli

There few things in this world better than eating and helping the community, especially when one can help the community by eating.  For almost a decade that has been the formula at the Marion Fire Fighters Association spaghetti supper, which was held this year on Saturday, January 19.

“They’re coming in droves,” said Marion fire fighter and past association president, Scott Shippey.  “Last year we had eight inches of snow and we still sold out.”

Less than an hour into the meal, most of the chairs were occupied with local residents enjoying a dinner of salad, spaghetti and meatballs, with ice cream for dessert.

Proceeds from the dinner go to benefit the Marion Fire Fighters Association, which supports the fire department in a variety of ways.

“The money goes to a lot of things.  It goes to help pay for new equipment for the fire department.  Sometimes it goes to association members who may be down and out,” said Shippey.

There were about 10 people working at the dinner, but early on, two EMTs were called to respond to a local medical emergency.

“Even though we’re here tonight, we’re still taking care of the community,” Shippey said.

The supper is a win-win for both the town and the fire department.  It provides an opportunity for the local emergency personnel to meet face-to-face with the community and offers a way for people to directly help their local fire fighters.

“I think it’s a good effort,” said William MacDougall, who has served as a firefighter for over 60 years and has been a member of the association for over 40 years.

“We’ve put this together a few times and people seem to really enjoy it.  It’s good for the association and it’s good for the community,” said MacDougall.

By Eric Tripoli

Two of the Tabor Academy faculty members will be taking the second semester off.

Mr. Howland and Mr. Arnfield are going their separate ways during the second semester, with Howland being awarded a sabbatical and Arnfield taking advantage of the Braitmayer Fellowship.

Howland completed the sabbatical eligibility requirement of being a teacher at Tabor Academy for 17 years.

“My wife helped me see the sense and value in taking a sabbatical, as well as Mr. Becker, who has also done a sabbatical in the past,” Howland said.

Howland also looks forward to “doing something different, something that I have been unable to do in the past. I also want to do some volunteer work or a part-time job during my time off.”

Arnfield will also take a break from teaching, but for another purpose. He has received the Braitmayer fellowship, which gives a faculty member the opportunity to complete a Masters degree or a research project.

Arnfield has gone with the latter, as he plans on building an old-style ceramics kiln.

Since arriving at Tabor Academy in the summer of 1999, Arnfield has been an important part to the visual arts program, as he has taught students ceramics, studio art and art history. He believes the time off will help him enhance his skills, especially as a ceramist.

“Being awarded the time and support to undertake a significant research/creative work project would represent a significant and ongoing learning and growth opportunity for me as a ceramic artist and as an art educator,” he says.

When Arnfield first arrived at Tabor, all of the kilns were electric, and Arnfield classified the results as “homogenous, uniform, and mundane as Levittown suburbia and American cheese.” After Shosuke Idemitsu, ’52, donated a gas-fired kiln in 2002, ceramics became more unpredictable and eventually more popular.

For his project, Arnfield plans on building his own gas-fired kiln. It will be located outside of his home in Rochester. Arnfield plans on taking his future ceramics students to the kiln twice a year, in late October and late April or early May.

“I envision this kiln project providing a significant catalyst for my students and me as we reach toward a greater understanding of the value of disciplined work and community through the transformative power of creativity and art,” Arnfield said.

While both teachers said that they will miss contact with their students, they are as excited as ever to go their own way until September, 2013. We wish them luck and success!

By Nicholas Veronesi