Alumni Winter Games

On Jan. 9 approximately 60 alumni returned to Westminster for spirited competition in squash, basketball and hockey at the 2011 Alumni Winter Games Day.

Squash

After the initial best of three matchups, players mixed and matched. Members of the alumni team included Ned Reeves ’05, Matt Leach ’11, John Eder ’11, Mark de Kanter ’91, Eddie Gentle ’10 and faculty members Peter Doucette and Michael Cervas. Members of the squash team who played included Ahmed Abdel Khalek ’12, Michael LeBlanc ’12, Jacob Lee ’11, Harry Ganek ’14, Kevin Hope ’11, Beau Orchard ’13, Gavin McGovern ’11, Charlie Geitz ’11, Ben Shively ’14 and Chris Conzelmann ’13.

Highlights included Ned Reeves showing real prowess beating Michael LeBlanc and others; Eddie Gentle taking on Jacob Lee and using alumni scoring (more than five points per game) to secure a victory; and Mark de Kanter wearing down his opponents.

Basketball

As one basketball alumnus put it, "This was just about the perfect alumni game. Lots of guys showed, everyone played, the game was competitive and the first team won, as it should, since we're old."

Fifteen Westminster basketball alumni returned for a competitive, albeit defensive, game ending in a Westminster first team victory of 44-42. From Paul Warburg ’85 to Sean Kelly, Joe Kos, Alex Martin, and Rafi Rojas, all class of 2010, the alumni were more gritty than graceful but spirited, nonetheless.

So that Michael Dudley ’09 did not bear the entire scoring burden alone, David Pringle ’05 led the alumni in that department, followed closely by Michael Reddy ’04 (eight rebounds) and Demond Simmons ’93. Kevan "Dime Store" Quinn ’05 dished out six assists while Fred Linton ’03, as always, was "Big Baby Glenn Davis," leading the team in charges taken as he, Alex Martin, Calvin Brownridge ’09 and Stephen Buskey ’09 were nothing short of awesome on defense. Jeff Fransen ’99 and Aaron Halfon ’09 each tallied five defensive plus, disrupting any offensive flow by the young Martlets, in a game that came down to the wire. Coach Pringle had a look from 30 feet at the buzzer for the win, but a hack on the arm went uncalled, and the ball rattled around and out to secure the first team victory.

Westminster girls' basketball also enjoyed a wonderful reunion on alumni day, welcoming back nine of its most talented players from the past. Two alumnae, Corinne Werner ’10 and Kingsley Schroeder ’10, actually suited up for the first team to make the game more competitive. The alumnae were led by post players Rebecca Brooks ’96 and Lindsey Zavisza ’08, two formidable inside players. Emily Hoffman Vincent ’98 proved a rugged power forward as usual. Guard Ashley Jeffress ’09 slashed her way to the basket, and Michele Ribaudo ’08 rained threes as usual. Whitney Jackson ’96, complaining that she was out of shape, actually led all scorers in the contest. The final score was 50-32, alumnae.

Hockey

More than 20 alumni hockey players came back to campus for the annual alumni hockey game. Although the alumni usually play against the first team, because there was such a good turnout, alumni were able to play alumni, giving the first team a much-needed rest. Players included Ryan McQuillan ’10, Alex Pascal ’10, Ryan Tyson ’10, Mack Lauzon ’10, Jesse LaRusso ’00, Jack Kennedy ’98, Christian Dahmke ’07, Michael Hallisey ’09, Greg Carey ’07, Tim Quinn ’96, Dave Hovey ’78, Jordan So ’08, Peter Briggs ’71, Pavel Navrat ’93, Tim Joncas’ 00, Lou Shipley ’81, Steve Theall ’83, Attila Koperecz ’90, Paul Spagnoletti ’90, Carl Nasto ’78, Derek Sandburg ’07 and faculty members Scott Duddy, Jamie Waters and Shawn Desjardins.

The older alumni among the group had no complaints about this change, and welcomed the slower pace of play. The play was still very strong as a number of young alumni are currently playing college hockey. Former first team coaches Scott Stevens, Tom Earl and Peter Briggs ’71 took the reins behind the bench, and alumni enjoyed the experience of, once again, playing for their past coaches. Although the score was quite lopsided, with the black team defeating the gold team by double digits, it was a great day for all involved.

In the first ever alumae hockey game, six brave souls and a team of excited first team players readied to take the ice. The teams were split by graduation year, odds versus evens. Recent graduates Paige Decker ’10, Tori Pizzuto ’10 and Avi Greene ’09 led the charge as they are all in game shape. Sara Davis Johnson ’90 and Juliana Bontecou Pecchia’95 did a great job showing the younger girls that girls of the past could get it done as well. Lauren Bontecou Reichart ’97 also cheered on her sister. All-in-all, it was a great deal of fun to have alumnae who had played at Westminster in a fledgling program come back to school to see firsthand how truly awesome the current players are. It was also great for members of the first team to see that the passion for hockey never leaves and that they can still play and have fun years into the future.