GIRLS' HOCKEY CATCHING ON IN SHREWSBURY

SHREWSBURY – Diving feet first isn’t exactly the ideal position for any hockey player, let alone an entire team.

But, when Shrewsbury Athletic Director Jay Costa came back from a hockey meeting and announced to not-yet-officially-named coach Frank Panarelli that the Colonials start-up girls’ team was in business and in a league, the diving began.

“We had been talking about starting a team for a few years,” said Panarelli, who coaches the inaugural edition of the Colonials’ hockey team that includes a roster made up of seventh-twelfth graders. “With budgets being what they are in all schools, we had to be a self-sufficient program and raise all the money to start the team ourselves.”

A group of parents, led by Doug Ineson , got busy raising funds. An effort to recycle old appliances and computers raised close to $9,000 and each player kicked in an additional $500 to cover costs and the program was born.

“It’s really been great so far,” said Panarelli, who is joined on the bench by his son, Nick, and Paul Wood, who volunteer as assistants. “I was kind of expecting to show up at practice and see kids holding on to the boards to keep their balance while they skated, but that wasn’t the case. We have a lot of girls who have played hockey for a while, both on boys’ teams and on girls’ teams, and they’re very enthusiastic and coachable.”

The Colonials started out like many new teams – slowly - but rebounded after a pair of season-opening losses to reel off four straight wins. That’s thanks to some talented players, led by sophomore goalie Steph Folsom. Shrewsbury was also able to get a waiver that allows seventh and eight-graders to play, which came in very handy for Panarelli. Turns out his leading scorer is Samantha DiReda and she’s still in junior high. The Colonials also have some talent along the blue line in junior Julia Martin, a converted forward.

Shrewsbury is captained by Martin, Alyssa Ineson and Tess Parks. Then, there’s Monique Arsenault. The last name should be familiar to hockey fans, but they may have a tough time drawing the connection to Shrewsbury.

That’s because there isn’t one really. Arsenault, you see is from Maynard, and plays on the team via co-op agreement.

“It makes perfect sense geographically,” Panarelli said with a laugh. “Jay [Costa] told me there was a girl from Maynard interested in playing and I said, ‘Sure.’ I think the MIAA is really pushing to have girls’ ice hockey on Central Mass. become as big as it is in Eastern Mass., so they’re going out of their way to find chances for kids to play.”

Panarelli is no stranger to rebuilding or to making Shrewsbury hockey history, so taking on this challenge completed a hockey circle of sorts.

“I was on the first hockey team Shrewsbury High ever had [in 1981],” Panarelli explained. “My son, Nick, played in the school’s 500th game. It’s pretty cool because I scored a goal in the first game and he scored a goal in the 500th.”

The Colonials, who call the New England Sports Center home and practice about once per week, play a schedule composed predominately of Eastern Mass. teams but do face local competition in Algonquin, Gardner and the St. Peter-Marian-St. Bernard’s co-op.