No. 16 Vol. 1 2
www.mypaperonline.com
January 2018
Randolph Youth Hockey Team Wins Big in Europe
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By Anya Bochman hat general manager Kevin Melly and his Morris County Team USA Bulldogs players found interesting about Stockholm on a recent tournament trip to Europe was the temperature. The northern city was surprisingly much warmer during their Christmas vacation stay than the Northeast of the United States. The 10-member traveling youth hockey team made up of 9- and 10-year-olds from towns in Morris County flew to Scandinavia during the Christmas holiday week – the only free time for the children - to play teams from Sweden and Finland. The entourage included some 50 parents, who had financed most of the trip’s cost. Melly spoke of the importance of the selection process for his team, which does not play in any particular league. Athletic prowess is not enough; the kids also have to demonstrate respectfulness and an appropriate type of attitude. “I told them that they are ambassadors of their country [overseas],” Melly said. “They need to know to act a certain way.” The team uses Aspen Ice in Randolph as its home rink, and is comprised of Morristown’s Jordan Papadopoulos, 10; Roxbury’s Ryan Van Zile, 10; Randolph’s Shane Melly, 10; Roxbury’s Nick Colatrella, 10; Denville’s Jake McCloud, 10; Randolph’s Keegan Melly, 10; Randolph’s Robert Magnotta, 10;
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Hunter Parrillo, Robert Magnotta and Andrew Nicholas skating while Goalie Ryan Puco looks on during a game in Sweden. Photo courtesy Kevin Melly.
Jefferson’s Hunter Parrillo, 9; Stanhope’s Ryan Puco, 9; and Morris Plain’s Andrew Nicolas, 9. The Bulldogs had great success in Europe, winning 5-0 against top teams in Sweden and Finland, even as the locals came out by the hundreds to root for the home teams. Aside from the games, the children enjoyed interacting with their foreign opponents, most of whom were fluent in English. “It was a big deal for the local towns, to come out to see Americans play,” Melly stated. “They loved when the team sang the [American] national anthem, and even played some Bruce Springsteen for us!” The team went out to dinners with their opponents and families, took a cruise from Helsinki to Stockholm, visited local museums and tried to take in as much of the local culture as possible. Several team members became pen pals with players from the opposing teams. Melly, who called the trip a “great expe-
rience,” noted that regardless of nationality, the children seemed to have a universal language. “You expect them to talk about hockey, but then they start talking about things like Xbox – normal 10-year-old kid stuff,” the general manager said. The trip was such a success that all the parents want to continue with similar endeavors in the future. The Bulldogs’ Swedish and Finnish hosts expressed interest in playing them again next year; potential trips to Russia, the Czech Republic and Italy are currently being negotiated. “I told my team when we got back to the States – this trip may be over, but the journey that you’re on will continue for a long time,” Melly stated. Perhaps the biggest surprise for the general manager of the Bulldogs was that the children didn’t suffer from jetlag. “I was really happy to see lots of energy,” he commented. “The foreign coaches were really impressed with our kids and their energy.”