Sophomore Averi Westerman was the tournament MVP, and seniors Liza Bragg, Lizzie Jeffrey, and Maddie McGraw were named to the All-Tournment team.

For the season, the team finished 16-0 in the league and 16-4 overall.

Congratulations all!

The Greer Family Distinguished Teaching Chair has been established by the generous support of Mr. and Mrs. Philip Greer ’53 and their daughter, Elizabeth ’94. The chair is awarded to that member of the faculty whose tireless efforts, both in and out of the classroom, in the past year have enriched immeasurably the minds and hearts of students at Deerfield Academy. This teacher has not only exhibited exemplary enthusiasm and understanding in his or her academic and co-curricular work with students, but has also served as a role model for students to emulate in their daily lives. The trustees salute and congratulate the recipient of this citation for upholding the legacy of great teaching for which Deerfield is rightly acclaimed.

No offense to composer Cole Porter, but that famous refrain of “Bulldog, bulldog, bow, wow, wow,” which is the heart and soul of the school fight song he wrote while attending Yale University during the early 1900s, needs a little tweaking.

After watching Yale feast on the competition to capture its first ever NCAA Men’s Division I Hockey Championship Saturday night, Handsome Dan (XVII), Yale’s bulldog mascot, showed his bite is definitely worse than his bark. So, Mr. Porter, here’s the deal: Less “bow,” more “wow.”

In fact, “Wow” would be a great place to start in describing Yale’s climb up the tournament ladder from nearly worst to first … its ascension from the 15^th seed in a 16-team field to the last team standing … to being the first team in tourney history to defeat three number-one regional seeds … Minnesota, UMass Lowell and Quinnipiac, has “wow” written all over it. Then, it all culminated Monday night, back home in Ingalls Rink, where, in front of more than 1,000 adoring fans, the Bulldogs took a bow. Among the players making a curtain call were two former Big Green standouts: Antoine Laganiere ’09 and Alex Ward ’11.

For Laganiere, however, this college stuff was just the tip of the iceberg. He no sooner had turned one dream into reality then saw a second come to fruition. On Tuesday night, the native of Ile Cadieux, Quebec, signed a free agent contract with the National Hockey League’s Anaheim Ducks. Laganiere’s signing now gives Anaheim two former Deerfield Academy players, as defenseman Ben Lovejoy ’02 is also on the Ducks’ roster.

“It’s exciting,” said Laganiere, of his signing an NHL contract. “I think it’s something every kid who’s ever laced up a pair of skates has dreamed about. I’ve got my chance to do something I’ve wanted to since I was a kid. Now, I just have to go out and make the most of that chance.”

“I’m really excited to be a part of the Anaheim organization,” added Laganiere, who chipped in an assist during Yale’s 4-0 win over Quinnipiac in the championship game and scored a goal during a 3-2 semifinal-round overtime win over UMass Lowell. “In the end, it was really a difficult decision, as many teams offered good opportunities and were very respectful and kind in every way.

“But, I saw a great potential in Anaheim for me, both to develop as a player and as a person,” continued Laganiere, who finished the season as Yale’s third leading scorer with 29 points on 15 goals and 14 assists and finished his four-year career there with 46 goals and 39 assists for 85 points. “I love the organization and the people there, and I know I will have the opportunity to work hard and hopefully one day play for them.”

One guy who can see that scenario happening is Brendan Creagh, who was Laganiere’s coach at Deerfield.

“Antoine’s an extremely talented and motivated athlete,” said Creagh, who watched his former charge ring up 68 points in 58 games while playing for the Big Green, “and those are two assets you have to have to be successful at the level of hockey he is about to be playing at. He showed he was a very talented and motivated athlete when he was here and during his collegiate career, so I’m quite confident he will do the same on the professional level.”

Although Ward, a sophomore, hasn’t logged the skating time, nor the statistics that Laganiere has accumulated, his attitude is a well-known commodity by the Yale coaching staff, “and that’s why they really love Alex down there,” said Creagh, who is well aware this Bulldog pup is able to put points on the board after posting 54 of them in 68 games at Deerfield. “Like Antoine, he’s a very determined and driven athlete and he’s one of those team-first guys as well … he’ll do anything to help the team and they love him for that at Yale.”

That attitude, drive, and determination would probably go a long way in explaining why Ward is the only Yale walk-on to make the varsity roster during the seven years Keith Allain has been coaching the Bulldogs.

“It’s been a blast playing hockey here at Yale the last two years,” said Ward, who was the recipient of the Deerfield Hockey Cup–the team’s MVP award–in 2011, “but the last couple of weeks, that’s been awesome.

“It was surreal being a part of all the celebration,” added Ward. “You grow up watching these championship games on TV, but never figure you’ll be a part of one of them … until this. I remember thinking that I never wanted to leave the ice … that I wanted this celebration to last forever.”

And it nearly did.

“After a locker room celebration, we got on the bus and headed back to the hotel, where … I’ll never forget it, … there were about 300 Yale fans waiting to greet us … it was just an awesome night,” remembers Laganiere. “I don’t think any of us got any sleep.”

And is often the case, morning came early for the weary Bulldogs. The bus departed the hotel at 7 am sharp for an 8:30 am charter flight home. “We got a police escort from Bradley (airport) to the campus,” said Ward. Then, it was suddenly back to reality–the books never close on an Ivy League campus. Ward had to prepare for a French class at 9:20 Monday morning, while Laganiere had an economics seminar at 10–and don’t bother blaming the mascot for eating your homework.

“It was really kind of cool,” said Laganiere of his seminar. “The professor, whom I never thought of as a sports enthusiast, gave me a shout out and all the kids started clapping.”

That night, the love fest culminated with a rally at Ingalls Rink. More than 1,000 fans attended. They had pictures taken with the championship trophy and their favorite players.

“Then,” said Laganiere, “all the players sat down at a long table and signed autographs for the fans as they filed past … it was a lot of fun.”

It better be–where he’s headed, he’ll be doing a lot more of it. 

We’ve all heard about dreams coming true, so do yourself a favor: turn on ESPN 2 Thursday, April 11, at 4:30 pm and actually watch one come true for a change.

If you bleed Green, you can’t lose. Thursday’s opening semifinal round game of the NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey Tournament, aka the Frozen Four, will feature three–yes, that’s right, three–Deerfield Academy alums.

The tournament’s first game will feature former Big Green standouts Malcolm Lyles (08), Antoine Laganiere (09) and Alex Ward (11), but they’re not all on the same side anymore. Lyles (08) plays for UMass Lowell, while Antoine Laganiere (09) and Alex Ward (11) suit up for Yale. 

The matchup will guarantee that the Big Green will have at least one grad in Saturday night’s title game, as the winner of the Yale-Lowell game will take on the winner of Thursday night’s other semifinal round game between Quinnipiac and St. Cloud St. That game will also be televised on ESPN 2, beginning at 8 pm Saturday night’s title tilt will be televised on ESPN, beginning at 7 pm.

So, between 4:30 and 7 on Thursday afternoon and again on Saturday evening between 7 and 9:30 you can bet the phone will be off the hook and the “Do Not Disturb” sign will be on the doorknob of the Brendan Creagh residence. He has a vested interest in the proceedings. He’s the Deerfield Academy boys hockey coach and tutored all three players.

“Having coached and having gotten to know these three young men so well will certainly make this a fun game to watch,” said Creagh, who, pledged neutrality as a fan. That promise will go out the window come Saturday night, however, as one or two of his former charges will have a chance to capture a national championship.

“I just couldn’t be happier for these guys,” added their former mentor. “All three were outstanding athletes but more than that, all three were real hard workers and this indeed is a great example of just where hard work can take you.”

“Making it to the Frozen Four is certainly something every college hockey player dreams about,” said Laganiere, who ranks third on the Bulldog scoring charts this season with 27 points on 14 goals and 13 assists. He finished fourth in scoring last season with 33 points and was the team’s second leading goal scorer as a junior with 19. “And making it even sweeter is the fact that being a senior, you certainly can’t wrap up your college career in a better way than this.”

For the former Deerfield standout, who chalked up 68 points in 58 games through two seasons with the Big Green, Laganiere knows first hand just how difficult it is to be among these last teams standing.

“We had some pretty good teams here at Yale during my freshman and sophomore seasons,” reflected Laganiere. “In fact, we made it to the Elite Eight level of the NCAA tournament both those year. Ironically, that’s as far as we would go though, as we lost both years to the eventual champions … Boston College then Minnesota Duluth.”

The Bulldogs, who enter Thursday’s encounter with a 20-12-3 record, “had some real ups and downs this season,” said Ward, who is the only walk-on to earn a spot on the Yale varsity roster during the seven years Keith Allain has spent as the Bulldogs head coach.

“In fact,” added Ward, who tallied 54 points in 68 games for the Big Green and was the recipient of the Deerfield Hockey Cup (MVP) in 2011 “our worst stretch of the entire season came during the ECAC playoffs … after beating St. Lawrence in the quarterfinals, we lost to Union (5-0) in the semifinals … then lost to Quinnipiac (3-0) in the consolation game.

The next 12 hours proved to be the longest 12-hour stretch of the entire season for Ward and Laganiere and their teammates. “We lost to Quinnipiac on a Saturday night,” recounted Ward. “The next morning, we had practice, then we all went over to a nearby restaurant to watch the Notre Dame-Michigan game.”

The outcome was crucial to any remaining hope that Yale could advance onto the NCAA tourney. It was pretty simple: A Notre Dame win and Yale’s in … a Michigan win and Yale’s out.

“When we got to the restaurant, Michigan was up 1-0,” said Laganiere. Fortunately, Notre Dame cane back to tie it, then went up 2-1 and won it 3-1 on an open-net goal.”

So, Yale was in, but it was forced to take a long and winding road to Pittsburgh’s Consol Energy Center, where this year’s Frozen Four is being held. The Bulldogs, who by now were seeded 15th out of 16 teams, were shipped out to the West Regional in Grand Rapids, Mich., and forced to stun such hockey powerhouses as Minnesota (3-2 in overtime) and North Dakota (4-1).

“A lot of people look at us as a Cinderella story,” said Laganiere, who went undrafted by the NHL, but who has been receiving a great deal of interest from a dozen or so NHL teams during his senior season. “We don’t look at it like that though … we have a lot of confidence in ourselves and certainly feel as though we deserve to be here.”

The Cinderella role is certainly nothing UMass Lowell (28-10-2) will qualify for, especially after ringing up a 6-0 mark in postseason play (4-0) to win the Hockey East Crown and 2-0 to outlast the Northeast Regional Tournament field to earn a third seed in the overall tourney.

For Lyles, who was converted from defense to forward this past season, extending his final campaign on the collegiate level with a trek to the Frozen Four is sure to be one he will long remember.

“Malcolm was an outstand defenseman for us during his three years here,” said Creagh of Lyles, who collected 18 points on seven goals and 11 assists in 25 games during his senior year with the Big Green.

“He was an outstanding all-around athlete who also participated in football and track while he was here and played a prominent roll in all three sports,” added Creagh. “ From here, he went on to play hockey at Boston College for two years before transferring to UMass Lowell.

“I played with Malcolm for one year at Deerfield,” said Laganiere, “and it will seem nice to cross paths and see him once again. I remember him as an outstanding hockey player as well as an outstanding athlete.

While Lyles was heading up the Deerfield defense during the 2007-08 campaign, Laganiere was one of the big guns up front.

“Antoine is one of the most talented hockey players we’ve ever had here at Deerfield,” said Creagh. “He’s an outstanding skater, he has great vision out there on the ice … he always knows where everyone is. He’s a great stick handler and can shoot or pass equally well.

“Personally, I was very surprised Antione wasn’t drafted by the NHL,” added Creagh. “But I think it could all work out in his favor.  At 6-4 and 215 pounds, he still has room to fill out physically and his hockey talents have continued to improve over his four years at Yale. I know interest in him has been growing and, as a free agent, he now has the opportunity to go where he feels he’ll fit in best.”

As for Ward, Creagh isn’t surprised one bit that he has risen to such heights in hockey.

“Alex could have gone to a Division III college and had an outstanding career in three sports … having made a major impact here at Deerfield in hockey, soccer and tennis,” said Creagh. “But he chose the challenge of Division I hockey, and anyone who knows Alex knew he’d make it. He’s a very determined, a very driven young man and he’s always willing to do what’s asked of him by his coaches.”

“It’s easy to like a guy like Mr. Hale. He is approachable, funny, engaging, and a great speaker. What I love about his presentation was that he grounded it in how his experience at Deerfield and at college shaped him as a person and prepared him for his career. This allowed students to connect and relate to his presentation, because we are currently experiencing many of the things Mr. Hale went through at DA nearly thirty years ago.” – Teddy Romeyn ’13

“Mr. Patton was a speaker I could really relate to. My family has a military background from the past few generations, including my mother who served in Iraq for 18 months during 2009 and 2010, my uncles, and my grandfather who was given the Silver Star during Korea. Like him, I have always felt an obligation to serve my country, and pressure from my family to be a soldier. His presentation about treating soldiers with PTSD was an inspiring one, giving soldiers support and a voice when hope is bleak. I wish him the best and can honestly say that from only 30 minutes with him, he is passionate and worthy of his heritage.” – Jordan Jancze ’13

“I thought Leslie Hotchkiss’s session was very enjoyable and helpful. I found her extremely approachable, very honest about the ups and downs of making your own way after Deerfield, and in some ways more immediately relatable than other speakers because she was so much closer to our own age. I am not personally considering going to medical school, but I was glad to learn of her experiences and appreciated her insight into a career path I know little about. Although most of the presenters were able to help us look forward and consider the possibilities for careers beyond Deerfield, Leslie was particularly helpful in giving us a unique look into the part that the others generally glossed over — namely, the world between college and career, and how some people begin to make that transition.” – Sierra Janik ’13

If you are interested in being a future Pathways presenter, please contact Mimi Morsman (Lmorsman@deerfield.edu). Pathways each year is the Sunday before Martin Luther King Day.

Mr. Merullo has published ten novels and four works of non-fiction, including In Revere, In Those Days; A Little Love Story; and Breakfast with Buddha. He won the Massachusetts Book Award for Non-Fiction in 2000 for his memoir Revere Beach Elegy, and he also been honored with the Maria Thomas Award. Mr. Merullo’s essays have appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek, the Boston Globe, and many other publications.

Mr. Thompson is considered one of America’s best classical actors; his director Arin Arbus told the New Yorker that Mr. Thompson understands “what honor means in Shakespeare. I also think he understands the size of the love, and the kind, in Shakespeare’s plays. Those qualities are essential for Macbeth and Othello, and they’re not something you can explain to an actor.”

This is the third year that Mr. Thompson has visited Deerfield and worked with sophomores.