For Gandara, Hard Work Pays the Family That Helped Him Get Into the Off Sport
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
For a twelve-year period in the late 80’s and 90’s, AIC hockey featured a newsletter called SLAPSHOT. Back then it was mailed out to our subscribers four times a year. We have decided to revive the newsletter as a way to stay connected, as well as to inform our hockey alumni, the AIC community, friends and fans about what’s happening in the world of AIC hockey. Seth Dussault, the voice of AIC hockey, has agreed to be the editor. He will be assisted by the Coordinator of Athletic Communications, John Hanna, who will also be a principal writer. Moreover, Don Moorhouse, noted writer and radio personality in the Springfield area, who currently serves as the voice of UMass Hockey, will be an occasional contributor to the newsletter. As most of our readers know, Don played hockey at AIC for Coach Wright. It should be noted that all three of these individuals are AIC graduates. Our objective is to feature stories that are fresh, lively, and thought provoking, and that provide in-depth coverage into hockey at the college, past and present. In a sense this newsletter will celebrate the rich tradition that is AIC hockey. We hope you’ll enjoy it! For Gandara, Hard Work Pays the family that helped him get into the Off sport. By Seth Dussault “My mom’s family is actually from Nova Scotia, so hockey ran in the In many ways, senior left wing David family,” he said. “I was the youngest out Gandara seems to not fit the mold of a of all my guy cousins and I grew up typical hockey player. going to all of their games with my Born deep in Southern California, grandpa." the 5'1 0” forward is a Native American, "Naturally I wanted to play as well.” as a member of the Morongo Tribe. For a man whose family is so Yet Gandara embodies exactly what important to him, hockey brought him a a hockey player is. He has been a long way from home; his first stop was leader at every level he has played, efforts, commenting that “David is a the NAHL with the Chicago Hitmen. both on and off the ice, and the work tremendously dedicated player; he’s all “I met a lot of life-long friends. I was ethic instilled in him in his upbringing in. During the dog days of summer, he’s lucky enough to have great billets who has helped him to be successful. grinding it out in the weight room.” made me feel right at home, which “I was always one of the smallest Gandara says the work ethic comes made it not as difficult,” he said of his kids on my teams growing up so I had from his tribal heritage. “My family has time with the Hitmen, adding that "The to take the strength and conditioning always preached hard work to me. The competition helped me make the jump part very seriously,” Gandara said of tribe has been very supportive of me after only playing one year.” his intensity in the weight room, where through my career and my dad updates It took more jumps than that for him he has won the Wally Barlow Fitness them all about my successes,” he said, to turn into a regular in AIC's lineup. He Award three years in a row. “I have adding that “Most of my family lives on played thirty games in his first two always just wanted to be the best the reservation there, and they have years, scoring his first collegiate goal hockey player I can be; being in the been some of my biggest fans against Army his sophomore year. best shape you can be helps. This part throughout my hockey career. My Last season, however, Gandara's of the game is something that can cousin has driven out to Air Force to improvements earned him a larger role. definitely help you on the ice.” come watch me.” Playing all 36 games, he tallied a career Head Coach Gary Wright has taken While his tribe loves his successes best six goals and seven assists. notice of Gandara's weight room on the ice, it was his mother's side of See GANDARA, Page 4 Teammates By Don Moorhouse unanswered questions about life during The endless line of glowing red lights In October of 2001 , Red Sox legends our four year stint with the AIC Yellow on the Parkway told me that this Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky Jackets. We have shared exponentially wouldn’t be an easy trip. It was Saturday jumped in a car in Massachusetts and more since leaving that team. on a holiday weekend. But I knew Matt drove to Florida to visit a dying Ted There have been weddings, funerals, would appreciate it. I thought at the least Williams. christenings, a trip to Nassau County I would be honored as the guest who Why would two octogenarians grind Coliseum for a Springsteen concert, and traveled the longest route to honor a out a 1 ,300 mile road trip to visit the one-on-one visits to ponder those still friend. “greatest hitter of all time?” unanswered questions. Not even close. Because they were teammates. This most recent trip started at Bill Teggart was there from Ontario. The fascinating story is captured by Quinnipiac where I was doing a radio Barry Smith came from Florida. Tony writer David Halberstam in the book The broadcast for UMass hockey. It was a 4 Sericolo, now a respected NHL Teammates, and it’s a story that is p.m. game, over at 6:30 p.m. and I was linesman, came over from working the relatable to anyone who has shared bus on the road by 7. See TEAMMATES, Page 5 rides and locker stalls, wins and losses, Coach's Corner and their love of the game, with a By Gary Wright teammate. We had a slow start to our season, which began with five challenging non- We are lucky here. As members of conference games, all losses, before getting into our conference schedule. We are the AIC Alumni Hockey group, we generally ambitious about playing the national powers in college hockey, and our haven’t had to say goodbye to a hope and belief is that those games will make us more battle-tested for the rigors of teammate. Atlantic Hockey. To a certain extent it already has. We recently went through a 3-0- This group, conceived by Matt 1 conference streak, which has invigorated our season. The key is to push hard to Schimenti and buoyed by support from foster a strong playoff surge. guys like Bill Teggart, Bryon Lewis, and Our team has a number of home games during the second semester, which Frank Zanetti, has been growing since includes a contest with 8th-ranked UMass Lowell at the Olympia. The AIC-UMass its inception in 2008. We have had Amherst game (Tue. Feb 9) at the MassMutual Center is certainly one of our alumni games at The Olympia, a battle scheduling highlights. We anticipate a big crowd and it should be a great event for at West Point against former Cadets, both schools and for Western Mass hockey in general. The fact that the game will and a trip to the Outdoor Game at be held right down State Street from our campus is exciting. We hope that many of Rentschler Field in Connecticut. you will make an effort to get out and support our team. Over the past few seasons There are other interactions beyond we have had friends and alumni watch us on the road as well. the annual gathering, chance Interestingly, Mike Babcock, the former Detroit Red Wings coach and current encounters in youth hockey rinks, coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, wrote a book titled Leave No Doubt. It’s mostly planned get-togethers for stories and about his experiences coaching the Canadian Olympic team to a gold medal in drinks, and most recently a surprise Vancouver. In the book, he talks about deciding to replace Martin Brodeur in net birthday party for Matt Schimenti over with Roberto Luongo after the loss to the US. Babcock met with Brodeur and told Thanksgiving weekend. The event was him he would be replacing him in net. His response was “Yup.” As difficult as it held at a restaurant in New York City’s was, Brodeur, one of the most decorated goalies in NHL history, took it like a pro. meatpacking district. For the rest of the Olympics, he was supportive and positive. “Talk about leaving On a Saturday night. In New York your ego at the door” is how Babcock summed up the situation. City. On a holiday weekend. In 1 989, I had a similar predicament with one of our AIC goalies, although on a Again, this story is relatable to anyone smaller stage. Mark Buckley and Bryon Lewis had rotated in net, practically who has shared a locker, a seat on the throughout the season. Both of them had given us great goaltending on a team that bus, a post-game box lunch. was 24-7. At the end of the regular season, the decision was made to break the We were teammates. rotation and go with Mark in the playoffs. I planned to meet with Bryon and deliver Matt and I spent countless hours on what undoubtedly would be disappointing news to him. I wasn’t looking forward to the bus, too many minutes on the our meeting. When I told Bryon our plans, he reacted pretty much the way Brodeur bench, and a hockey bag full of did, with courage and class.