Ryan Siedem ’15:
Breaking Away in the Sport of Ice Hockey FOR THIS EDITION OF THE PECK NEWS, WE ARE “CHECKING” IN W I T H A L U M R Y A N S I E D E M ’ 1 5 . Ryan has just been selected as one of only 22
young athletes to join USA Hockey’s prestigious National Team Development Program (NTDP) in Plymouth, Michigan. The NTDP is the pinnacle of the country’s amateur hockey development program. The organization seeks to identify elite, under-18-yearold ice hockey players and then provide centralized training so they can develop their talents to potentially participate on the U.S. National Hockey Team. Ryan will spend almost all of his free time during his last two high school years honing his skills, first on the NTDP Under 17 squad and then the Under 18 squad. Many alumni of the NTDP program go on to play on the U.S. Olympic Team, in Division I NCAA Hockey, and ultimately for the NHL.
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Photo courtesy of Rena Laverty / USA Hockey NTDP.
Peck News
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The Peck School has a proud history
skill development program for 6-year-
of developing young ice hockey talent
olds called “Mite C” at the New Jersey
dating back to the early 1900s. Tales of
Colonials Hockey Club. The Colonials
fierce rivalries between Peck and local
cultivate hockey talent across a range of
schools “played with great verve on local
ages in Tier I (more advanced) and Tier II
ponds and on a makeshift hockey rink
teams. Ryan’s natural talents were quickly
(actually a flooded tennis court) at the
recognized and he spent 10 years with the
Field Club,” are recounted in Because They
Colonials club playing in their elite AAA
Cared: A Centennial History of The Peck
traveling team. During many of those
School, 1883 – 1993. Peck has also been in
years, Ryan’s team was ranked in national
the vanguard of gender equality in sports
polls in the top five of AAA teams in
having a co-ed ice hockey team for many
their age group. Ryan was a leader on his
years and a 2015-16 ice hockey team with
Colonials team throughout his tenure, and
“A LOOK BACK TO 2 0 1 5 ”
was one of three captains during his final year, Bantam Major, in which the team
Peck taught me how to manage my time efficiently because I had to juggle all the work with a busy hockey schedule. I built habits that I still live by today—not only in the classroom, but also on the ice. I loved the nine years I spent at Peck and wouldn’t be where I am today otherwise.
lost in the quarterfinals of the National Championship in Anchorage, Alaska. In his seventh and eighth grade years at Peck, Ryan also played on The Peck School’s ice hockey team, taking on local opponents such as Delbarton, Pingry, Morristown-Beard, and Far Hills. In 2014, he helped drive the team to championship
work with a busy hockey schedule. I built
victory in the Greater Morris County
habits that I still live by today—not only
Junior School Coaches Association
in the classroom, but also on the ice. I
(GMCJSCA) Frozen Four Hockey
loved the nine years I spent at Peck and
Tournament at Mennen Arena
wouldn’t be where I am today otherwise,”
in Morristown.
explains Ryan.
Ryan believes his nine years at Peck were extraordinarily valuable in preparing him to manage his increasingly demanding and complex schedule as he entered high school. His Peck years included many NJ Colonials hockey tournaments throughout the academic year. Thanks to the individual attention and support he received from Peck faculty, including special meetings to keep up with assignments and homework,
three female co-captains. It is no wonder
Ryan was able to excel in school despite
that for years, families of both boys and
extreme circumstances.
girls with a penchant for ice hockey have
Ryan spent a year at Delbarton and then transferred to Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut. Avon Old Farms is well known as an eastern hockey powerhouse producing great NHL names such as Brian Leetch (retired; 18 NHL seasons with the Rangers, Maple Leafs, and Bruins) and Cam Atkinson (NHL Blue Jackets). Ryan had a terrific sophomore year at Avon Old Farms as a defensive leader, and helped guide the team to the New England Prep Large School
“Throughout my time at Peck, I learned
Championship. Long noticed by scouts,
Peck School.
how important it is to do well in school.
Ryan was one of three players from his
I quickly found out life isn’t all about
high school team who were invited to the
Ryan fell in love with ice hockey at a
hockey and there is more to it. Peck
U17 USA Hockey National Team try-out.
very early age. During his Kindergarten
taught me how to manage my time
All three players made the team.
year at The Peck School, he joined a
efficiently because I had to juggle all the
Ryan moved to Plymouth, Michigan in
gravitated towards enrollment in The
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After graduating from Peck in 2015,
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August of 2017 to begin his journey with the NTDP. He will be there for two years through the U18 World Championships. Ryan lives with a host family in the town of Northville and attends Northville High School with a number of his
Good Grief, It’s A Girl!
teammates. His schedule is rigorous, both physically and academically. He reports every afternoon at 1:00 pm to the U.S. National Hockey Team Arena for practice and weight training. The U.S. National Team competes as one of 16 teams in the USHL, which is America’s top junior ice hockey league. Hats off to Ryan for his success both on and off the rink. We look forward to watching his ongoing success at Boston College, where he has already made a commitment for 2020. Maybe we’ll see Ryan in the 2020 Beijing Winter Olympics, or playing professional hockey in the NHL in the not too distant future. (At least, that’s what Ryan promised his classmates in his Peck School Class of 2015 graduation yearbook, and we think he’s a man of his word!)
IN THE WINTER OF 1923, PECK BOASTED A STRONG ICE H O C K E Y T E A M . Many of the players from that year would eventually
go on to play at elite prep schools and Ivy League universities. A very important game was approaching against rival Morristown Prep, but a bout of the flu left Peck with only six players possessing the requisite skills to achieve victory. Mr. Peck was on the verge of forfeiting the game, when someone called out, “What about Dotty Morrell? We could dress her up like a boy, put a cap on her head, and no one would know the difference. She’s better than most of us anyway!” Dorothy proved the boys right, and at right wing scored all three of Peck’s goals. She was sprinting toward the net for a fourth when she was accidentally tripped. Her cap fell off and her long hair fell down. A gasp came from the crowd of spectators. “Good grief, it’s a girl!” someone shouted. Another voice added, “…And a pretty one too!” Technically, there were no rules against girls playing hockey in those days, but it was certainly an uncommon sight. After a short conference between officials and the headmasters, the game was called, but the score remains in the history books. In subsequent years, many female students at Peck would develop a passion for ice hockey and play on Peck’s co-ed hockey team. Many would even become captains of the Peck ice hockey team, before going on to enjoy their own collegiate careers. (Check out a video of three of our female ice hockey captains in action from 2016, in Hockey Pucks and Pony Tails! www.peckschool.org/hockey.) Peck News
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