New season, new coach for Whalers hockey team
BY STEVE SHEPPARD INDEPENDENT SPORTS EDITOR
It's a new season at the Christopher Nugent Bovers Rink with a young team, a fresh outlook and a new coach.

MICHAEL GALVIN/The Independent The Whalers hockey team opened its new season at home last weekend and faced a strong Easthampton squad that turned back the young Whalers by identical 9-1 scores on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Scoring for Nantucket were freshman left winger Gary Caruso on Saturday and freshman right winger Quinn McCusker on Sunday. "It was definitely a learning experience," said first year head coach Kris Marsh. "We were up against their varsity team. It's a good gauge when we're playing better teams like that when you consider that's the quality of team we'll be facing every game next year if we move up to the varsity level." The next game is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 4, a home game against Sandwich. In the above photo Ted Fales (15) pokes the puck away.

Kris Marsh isn't daunted that he's the third coach in three years for the fledgling Whalers hockey team; he's glad to have the opportunity to keep his skates on.

When Marsh landed on Nantucket in August, he had recently graduated college, was awaiting his upcoming nuptials with future bride Lindsay and preparing for a new job as a preschool teacher at the Nantucket New School.

He also wasted little time in hitting the ice and imparting what he'd learned as a collegiate hockey player to the island's junior team.

"As soon as I got here I was coaching every day," he said.

Marsh has a solid hockey background, having played center and right wing for four years for NYU, a team that finished second in the nation in his freshman year and 16th in the country last year. Being so little removed from the rigors of college hockey, Marsh is confident that his knowledge and enthusiasm will rub off on the team.

"The kids are enthused," he noted. "You can see it the freshmen coming in who are listening to two coaches who have just graduated from college hockey," he said, referring to assistant coach Mark Latter, recently of URI. Also lending their skills as assistant coaches are Dave Bell and Mike Nee.

As for the team, there are 26 suiting up this year, with a strong showing from the junior class, including team captain Gaven Norton, goalie Joe Bopp and James McIntosh. Assistant captains are sophomore Taylor Thayer and freshman Steven Reis.

Also returning is Danny Kurash, the only senior on the team so far. Quinn McCusker, Gary Caruso, Alex Perkins and Evan Theroux are other strong skaters among an enthusiastic squad.

"The team looks extremely good," is Marsh's assessment. "A lot of freshmen have been skating since the rink's been around. I'm confident we'll have a positive season."

Playing against teams like Easthampton, which turned back the young Whalers team with two 9-1 victories over the weekend, will help prepare the island team to match up with tough mainland foes. "There are three hotbeds of hockey in the country," Marsh noted, "Michigan, Minnesota and Massachusetts. We have to be prepared to face very good programs."

This will mark the third year the hockey team will play a junior varsity "club" schedule. After this season, the team will have the opportunity to be sanctioned as a full-fledged varsity sport. "It's not a matter of numbers anymore," Marsh said, pointing out the numbers of players "are going to keep growing." He pointed to the eighth grade with upwards of 40 students playing hockey. "Once the eighth grade moves up, we can have two teams."

For the time being, Marsh and his team are ready for the season to begin. He said speed and fundamentals will be stressed, as he and his coaches hope to build a new tradition.

"I definitely see the program going in a nice direction," he said. "It's all about playing disciplined, fast hockey. The rink

has nice, fast ice too." I