ORR/Fairhaven Hockey Dominates Bears

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The boys’ ice hockey team at Old Rochester is one of the most unique at the school, as it is the combination of both ORR and Fairhaven High School athletes. Another extremely interesting aspect of the team is that they have several eighth-graders on the team to compensate for the eight players lost from last year’s squad. These eighth-graders provide a lack of experience for the team, but their overall skill level is so high that it effectively cancels out. No more evidence is needed after the boys’

7 – 2 win over the GNB Voc-Tech Bears.

Going into the third period, the boys were up 4 – 1, still within striking distance for the Bears. However, two goals in the span of less than 20 seconds at the start of the third period all but solidified the win for the Bulldogs. Fairhaven’s Mike Lygren scored a hat trick for the Bulldogs, and solo goals were scored by ORR seniors Zack Matthews and Cam O’Connor, along with Fairhaven’s Mason Evich. Eighth-grader Connor Severino, brother of senior Captain Cam Severino, also scored. Freshman Chris Nadeau also played extremely well before turning his goalie duties over to Derek Gibson in the third period.

With the win over the Bears, the boys advance their overall record to 3 – 4 – 2, and their conference record to a perfect 2 – 0 – 0.

The Old Rochester girls’ track team cut it close, but they pulled out a 52 – 34 win against Fairhaven thanks to several performances late in the meet. Going into the mile, the girls were at a deficit where they needed second and third places in the mile just to make it to the final event, the 4 x 400 meter relay. Freshman Rachel Scheub and junior Sammie Barrett stepped up big for the girls, getting the two needed places.

The 4 x 4 was particularly exciting, as it would decide the entire meet. The team of Sam Allaire, Morgan DaSilva, Arden Goguen, and Paige Santos ran a great race and were able to hold off the Lady Blue Devils. With the win, the girls continue their 44 straight conference win streak, and remain undefeated for the season.

By Michael Kassabian

MAC Hosts “Evening of Love Songs”

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The Marion Art Center will host an “Evening of Love Songs” with musical entertainment by The Occasion Singers on Saturday, February 16 at 8:00 pm. The Occasion Singers are an elegant a cappella vocal group directed by Cassandra Morgan with singers Christopher Saulnier, Rui Moniz, Eric Bosworth, Melanie Hannack, Denise Bastos and Caroline Blais. They will perform all of the favorite classics such as “It Had to be You,” “Embraceable You,” “Fly Me To The Moon,” “My Funny Valentine,” and many other standards and some surprises. This group is known for its tight harmonies and smooth vocal interpretations. The pace is nonstop and the warm and lighthearted entertainment style will leave audience goers wanting more!

For an extra romantic touch, audience members can say, “I Love You,” with a Vocal Valentine. For an extra $15, the Occasion Singers will dedicate one of their love songs to audience members during the show. A member of the group will be taking requests before the show.

Tickets for the Cabaret are $12.50 for MAC members and $15 for general admission. Guests are invited to bring their own refreshments.

Tables are available for reserved parties of 4 or more. Reservations are highly recommended; call 508-748-1266 or email marionartcenter@verizon.net. Marion Art Center is located at 80 Pleasant Street in Marion, MA 02738.

Marion Cub Scout Pack 32 Fundraiser

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Marion Cub Scout Pack 32 will be holding a fundraiser during Marion Recreation’s Public Skating on Sunday, February 3 from 12:00 to 2:00 pm. The Pack will have coffee and cocoa from Uncle Jon’s Coffee as well as water and baked goods for sale. Admission is $5 per skater. Hats and gloves must be worn in order to skate. Thank you for your support.

Tri-County Symphonic Band Concert

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Sunday, February 3, 3:00 pm, Old Rochester Regional High School, 135 Marion Road, Mattapoisett. “Procession of the Nobles” is a concert filled with pieces that are fit for kings, queens, princes, princesses, dukes and duchesses. This program of music is written for and about the aristocracy. New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra bassoonist Mark Romatz will be our soloist. Tickets are available at The Symphony Music Shop in Dartmouth, The Bookstall in Marion, at the door and online at www.tricountysymphonicband.org. Tickets are $10 (students $5, children 12 and under are free).

Mattapoisett PTA Bingo for Books

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Do you enjoy an exciting round of Bingo? Do you like to read? Well, the Mattapoisett PTA has an event to satisfy both! On Friday, January 25, come and enjoy a night out with family and friends playing Bingo to win books!

Doors will open at 6:00 pm at Old Hammondtown School Cafeteria and Bingo will begin promptly at 6:30 pm. Play five rounds of games for a one-time charge of $5 per card. Snacks and beverages will be available to purchase. For more information, contact PTA President Pam Ciffolillo at pamciffolillo@comcast.net.

This event is a fundraiser for The Mattapoisett PTA. The Mattapoisett PTA is open to all parents, teachers and community members. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization run by volunteers. The PTA’s primary objectives are to provide Mattapoisett students with enrichment beyond the classroom environment and to support the teachers and staff.

Gateway Youth Hockey Weekend Recap

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• Mites 1: The morning game for the Gateway Mite 1 team was a nail-biter that came down to the last few minutes when Erin Craig put in the game-winning shot in the net from the defensive point to give them a 10 – 9 win over the SC Panthers. Earlier in the game, Derek Gauvin had beautifully faked out the Panthers’ strong goalie by holding onto the puck for a moment longer than expected and then popping the puck in behind the goalie’s skate. In the afternoon, the Mites faced Yarmouth-Dennis. Matthew Quinlan’s four goals helped the team reach their 10 – 0 tally. Jack Breault received the game puck for recognition of his and fellow defenseman Lucan DeMoranville’s strong work at the blue line. If they hadn’t been so good at keeping pucks in the offensive zone, so many goals would not have been possible!

• Squirts 1: The Ice Wolves went 1 – 1 on the weekend, losing a close game on Saturday to YD 4 – 3 and winning 6 – 1 over GYH USA on Sunday. Scoring goals on the weekend were Jack Martins with two, Bryan Gallagher with one, Tyler Lovendale with two, Quirino doCanto with two, Chris Gauvin with one and Kaleb Riggle with one. The Ice Wolves moved to 20 – 0 in the Yankee Conference.

• Squirts 2: The Gateway Squirt Sharks came out on top during another very competitive game against the Lower Cape Coyotes. The 2 – 1 victory was a hard-fought game and a nail-biter to the end. Richard Vickery (RJ) got his first goal of the season in the first period to put Gateway ahead. The team played hard to maintain the lead, with RJ getting his second goal of the season off of an assist by Makayla Lorance early in the third period. The Coyotes got on the board late in the third period and pulled their goalie with a minute remaining. The game ended with immense pressure by the Coyotes, but key saves by goalie Alex DeMarco with support of the entire team resulted in another win for the Gateway Squirt Sharks.

• Pee Wees: The Gateway Pee Wee Gladiators battled Martha’s Vineyard on Sunday in a hard-fought two-game showdown at Hetland. Goaltender Stevie Strachan faced 31 shots, making numerous saves, many of them early on as the Gladiators fell in the first game 6 – 0. In the second game of the day, Goalie Zachary Pateakos had shut out Martha’s Vineyard for the first two periods but couldn’t keep up the pace, making 24 saves as the Gladiators fell in the second game 4 – 0.

• Bantams: Gateway Bantams captured another win on Sunday in Raynham against the Brewins. Final score was 3 – 0. Scoring for Gateway was Brady Smith with two goals and Brian Holmes with one goal. Assisting the goals were Will Paling with two assists, Jacob Spevach with one assist and Sean Kelso with one assist. Shutting down the Brewins were Gateway goalies A.J. Bridges and Chace Cunningham.

• Middle School: The Wareham Vikings tied in a close battle against Foxboro Blue Friday night. The game was a display of passing and puck handling; after a nearly scoreless first period, Foxboro was first on the board. Jared Westgate evened up the score midway through the second period with an assist from Sean Kelso. Both teams battled through the third period as the lead changed hands. Wareham started off the period with a goal, bringing the score to 2 – 1. Foxboro evened it up and then took the lead with three minutes left, but The Vikings did not give up as Will Paling scored with just 39 seconds to go, tying the game at 3 – 3. Coaches credit the team with a strong defensive battle, especially noting contributions from Coleby Paling, Matt Maloney, Noah Demoranville and Jake Tomasik. Defense was supported by solid goaltending from goalies AJ Bridges and Teaghin Andre.

ORRJHS December Students of the Month

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Kevin Brogioli, Principal of Old Rochester Regional Junior High School, announces the following Students of the Month for December 2012:

• Green Team: Jordan McArdle and Sahil Raje

• Blue Team: Rachel Breault and Zachary Kelley

• Orange Team: Campbell Donley and Becket Kiernan

• Red Team: Jenna Aruri and Sam Pasquill

• Special Areas: Kimberly Rigby and Vincent Pina

Marion Recreation Basketball Scoreboard and Standings

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• Celtics over the Lakers 34 – 31

Celtics Leading Scorers – Casado, 17; Snow, seven; Ucci, four; Dextradeur, four; Taft, two

Lakers Leading Scorers – Hartley, 14; Garcia, nine; Noonan, two; King, two; Gordon, two

• Hawks over the Grizzlies 31 – 24

Hawks Leading Scorers – Burke, 19; Owens, four; Parks, three; Guard, three; Villa, two

Grizzlies Leading Scorers – Marvel, seven; Francis, six; Pardo, four; Brulport, two; Arne S., two; Mendes, two; Arne J., one

STANDINGS

Celtics              1 – 0

Hawks              1 – 0

Lakers              0 – 1

Grizzlies           0 – 1

• Fever over the Shock 17 – 11

Fever Leading Scorers – Sweeney, seven; MacDougall, six; Perdo, four

Shock Leading Scorers – Fantoni N., 6; Rego 3; Poirier 2

• Liberty over the Mercury 36 – 20

Liberty Leading Scorers – Kutash, 14; Dickerson, 10; Mattson, six; Toland, six

Mercury Leading Scorers – Bart, eight; Smead, six; Swoish, six

• Shock over the Lynx 17 – 9

Shock Leading Scorers – Fantoni N., 10; Doonan, six; Susi, one

Lynx Leading Scorers – Horan A., three; Berg, two; Harris, two; Horan, two

STANDINGS

Liberty                         1 – 0

Fever               1 – 0

Shock               1 – 1

Mercury           0 – 1

Lynx                0 – 1

O Christmas Tree

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To the Editor:

“O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

            Thy leaves are so unchanging.”

This year, the leaves of the Christmas tree in the Bicentennial Park will be changed as the blue spruce that has nobly served its purpose is suffering from old age and disease. The original town Christmas tree went down in Hurricane Bob in 1991 and a generous resident donated the existing blue spruce. This year, the Tree/Parks Committee ran a campaign over Christmas to raise the $2,000 to buy a new tree, bring it across the country, and plant and maintain it until it can stand alone. Steve Gonsalves of Eden Landscaping has generously offered the tree — a Concolor Fir — at wholesale to the town.

The entire town responded to the campaign with checks sent to the Town House and colorfully decorated boxes around town filled with cash. We raised well over $2,000, so the tree is now on order and should be planted later this spring. We would like to thank the children of all ages who made this happen and all of the businesses and organizations that put out the collection boxes. Special thanks to Margot Stone for providing the boxes and Thom O’Shaughnessey for the very clever poster. We look forward to the lighting of the new Christmas tree in 2013! In the meantime, look for the planting this spring and celebrate all of the seasons of this wonderful Concolor Fir that you made happen.

“O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

            Thy leaves are so unchanging.

            Not only green when summer’s here

            But also when it is cold and drear.

            O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

            Thy leaves are so unchanging.”

Margie Baldwin, Margot Stone and Chrissie Bascom

Marion


Staying Safe from the Flu

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Early last week, the city of Boston officially declared a public health emergency due to the rising number of reported cases of influenza. A few days later, New York made the same declaration, urging citizens to take the proper precautions so as to prevent a pandemic.

That puts the Tri-Town in a potentially dangerous position. The South Coast is, more or less, bookended by both cities and many local residents commute regularly to the Boston area for work, which can increase potential for local infections.

“We’re all at risk,” said Betsy Dunn, public health nurse for Marion and Rochester. “It’s a much stronger strain, more virulent strain, than in past years.”

Dunn, along with nurse Kathy Downey, ran a flu shot clinic on Monday, January 14 for local residents who had still not received their vaccine.

“It’s been a steady flow of people today,” said Dunn.

Dunn and Downey offered flu shot clinics back in October during the preventative season, but the surge in reported cases in Boston has prompted municipalities all over the eastern portion of the Commonwealth to make more doses available this month.

Dunn said they had a surplus of vaccines left over from the autumn and said that they purchased more doses for this next round of shots, so there is no shortage here as has been reported in other communities around the state.

If you didn’t make it to the flu clinic on Monday, don’t sweat it. Residents can always call their local public health nurses to schedule an appointment for the shot, which really won’t make you sick.

“It’s a killed virus vaccine. It’s not a live virus so it won’t make you sick with flu,” Dunn said. While many recipients of the flu shot tend to report body aches or a sore throat, those are expected side effects and not an indication of influenza infection. Dunn said some people take ill following the shot but it’s usually because they had already contracted something minor previous to vaccination.

The Centers for Disease Control recommends every US citizen over the age of six months be vaccinated against flu, but young children and the elderly are most susceptible to infection. In addition to getting a flu shot, the CDC offers these suggestions for preventing the spread of harmful germs:

• Wash your hands frequently with hot, soapy water.

• Clean and disinfect commonly-touched areas of your home, such as doorknobs, banisters and kitchen counters.

• Cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow rather than the palm of your hand.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

• If you experience flu-like symptoms, such as sweating, sore throat or coughing, stay home for at least 24 hours.

By Eric Tripoli