Sports blog: Stamford Sports Scene
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By JOE RYAN

Times Correspondent


STAMFORD -- It would have been a shame if that spring afternoon at the Yale Rink in 2009 ended the hockey careers of John Doherty and Anthony Chiaramonte.

Even though it was a hot day as the sun shined bright outside the arena, it was a dark day inside for the Trinity Catholic hockey team. Not only was it the last game of the season, but maybe the last game in the hockey careers for Doherty and Chiaramonte.

The Crusaders lost for the second straight year in the state semifinals but both those players had played major roles in making the Crusaders a power once again. They deserved a chance to keep playing after all they meant to the transformation of Trinity and how they'd proven to be two of the better players in the FCIAC the last three years.

Hockey is a sport that gets into a player's bloodstream and usually never leaks out, especially for players like Doherty and Chiaramonte. The local rinks are filled with late night pick-up games where former high school and college players still try to get a good sweat going and show off their skills.

This is an option most players will use later on when they follow whatever career path they choose. It may be a little too soon for players like Doherty and Chiaramonte to be relegated to late-night skates.

Following a dream to NCAA hockey is a tougher path than most sports because it usually requires years of prep school and trips to the USHL in the Midwest before a player lands on whatever campus they may choose. Luckily, club hockey has become a viable option for players like Doherty and Chiaramonte.

Club sports as a whole are becoming a popular outlet for former high school players who want to keep on playing. The club team alternative provides great competition and it also gives players time to be full-time students, too.

Doherty is taking regular shifts as a defenseman at Boston College while Chiaramonte is the back -up goalie at the University of Rhode Island and has won his two starts against Navy, by a score of 6-2 and against Rutgers, 7-2.

Doherty has scored a goal and handed out five assists in his first 22 games. He has been a pleasant surprise for his coach Steve Greeley at BC with his play in what seems to be a special year at Chestnut Hill. Boston College won the club hockey Bean Pot Tournament already this season.

"John is having a great year for us and we never expected him to get acclimated to this level of hockey so seamlessly," said Greeley. "We are 20-1-3 and ranked second in the Northeast and John is on one our top defensive pairings."

Doherty was a little more modest and said he went to the campus expecting it to be intimidating after the small-school atmosphere of Trinity Catholic. He added that it really has given him a great opportunity to be a normal student and continue with his passion for the game.

"It's been an adjustment, going to school and it's big, but not that big once you get used to it," said Doherty. "It's been good because they let you be a student as well. The schedule is set up so you can go to football games on Saturdays and concentrate around exam times."

Chiaramonte agreed with the fact that even at the club level, the competition is fierce but he also said the experience of growing up in Fairfield County and playing in the FCIAC had given him a good foundation to build on.

"I love it. It's great. I was a little intimidated because the players up here have a lot of speed but for me, it's a new challenge and I like that," said Chiaramonte. " I knew they were very good and very well-coached and the rosters are filled with elite players."

Doherty is joined on the Eagles roster by sophomore Jon Rather, who played at Westhill and has played against his cousins Billy and Shane McCarthy, who played for Stamford High School and who are now at UConn. He said it adds to his pleasure by playing with familiar players and meeting new players. He added that a couple of players have stepped down from the varsity squad when their playing time was cut.

"There are a lot of players from the area I run into, but you meet a lot of players from all over the country. It's different after playing against (Jon Rather) for all those years to finally be on his side," said Doherty. "Yeah, we had a player that was on the varsity but was not getting much playing time so he went to the coach and told him he wanted to play with us."

Chiaramonte and Doherty are both proud to have been Crusaders and still come back to check in on the hockey program they left behind.

"It was good over Christmas to see a lot of your guys. They will always be like family. It was a good experience and we did some good things together," said Chiaramonte. "We brought the team from Division III to Division I in three short years. Now kids go there because they want to play hockey as well as get a good education."

They did leave behind a program and some memories of on-ice success and it would have been a true shame if it ended there at Yale.

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