The walls of the Deerfield Academy athletic department’s Oval Office are adorned with photos showing the very best Big Green sports has to offer. One features a sprinter on the boys track team, depicting the speed of the sport. Another picture, that of girls crew, exhibits both teamwork and strength, as the rowers are seen powering their boat by pulling their oars through the water in perfect unison.

The qualities displayed in those pictures often result in what can be seen in others elsewhere on the walls: the thrill of victory. Among Athletic Director Chip Davis’s photographic selections is a picture of boys lacrosse, showing a jubilant Deerfield player being hoisted high off the ground via a teammate’s bear hug. Another celebratory shot features boys hockey, as three Deerfield skaters are seen with sticks raised high to commemorate a goal scored against Avon.

There is one picture, however, that appears to lack any clear-cut message. It’s a picture of a football player, standing by himself in the end zone with his back to the field, using both hands to clasp the football close to his chest. There’s no indication of the speed, strength or teamwork that are seen in the other photos. Nor, with the exception of a referee in the background signaling a touchdown and a single teammate, arms extended in front of him with clinched fists and walking toward the player with the football, is there even the slightest sign of celebration. 

If this picture were to have a title, however, it would have to incorporate all the positives the other pictures attest to–and more. It would have to be titled nothing less than “The Best!”

For this is indeed a picture of Deerfield Academy at its best. It’s a picture of Dan Shribman ’03, moments after he scored a touchdown in overtime to give the Big Green a 21-14 victory over Hotchkiss School in the 2002 New England Prep School Athletic Council Division I Super Bowl. Deerfield’s gridiron victory that November day would begin one of the truly storied athletic school years any New England prep school has ever enjoyed. Less than four months later, Deerfield would capture the 2003 NEPSAC Division I Boys Hockey Tournament, while it would successfully complete its bid for the triple crown that spring when the Big Green boys lacrosse team–which doesn’t have a New England tournament to participate in–finished in a three-way tie for the Division I Western New England League title.

Many of those seniors who helped the school reach such heights and who went on to enjoy athletic successes on the collegiate level as well, are scheduled to “Rally To The Valley,” this weekend for their 10th reunion. They’ll spend there time here punching the rewind button and together, reminisce about a year most could only dream of.

It seems fitting, no, symbolic would probably be a better word to describe the way this picture will forever make Shribman the poster boy for Deerfield’s runs for the roses a decade ago. Although dozens of players helped Deerfield earn those championship pennants and many of them played on at least two of those title teams that year, Shribman, who was named the Boston Globe’s 2002-2003 NEPSAC Athlete of the Year, was one of just three players who participated on all three championship teams, and “was the glue,” according to Jim Lindsay, the former Deerfield hockey coach, who guided the Big Green to the New England crown in 2003.

“Dan was just an outstanding competitor,” added Lindsay, who also frequented the Deerfield sidelines in the fall where he served as a long-time assistant coach in football. “He was one of those rare athletes who made everyone around him better.”

“It was the greatest single year any individual has ever had that I’ve been associated with,” was the way Deerfield football coach Mike Silipo explained Shribman’s escapades. Silipo got to orchestrate the “tuneup,” as Shribman and company led the Big Green to an 8-1 record and a New England championship. “Danny was the ultimate competitor … in my 17 years here at Deerfield, nobody comes close. If there was any way to get the job done so that we could win the game … he’d find the way to put us on top.”

The Super Bowl victory not only marked the perfect ending to a nearly perfect season, but put an exclamation mark on a career as well. Shribman’s seven-yard scoring jaunt off tackle in OT that day marked the last time he would ever step foot into the end zone as a player. That Super Bowl win would bring his storied days on the gridiron to a close. Shribman would take his athletic talents to the collegiate level, but his sport of choice would be hockey, where he played for four years at Dartmouth College.

 In addition to helping the Big Green earn three championships during his senior year, Shribman, who spent just two years at Deerfield, “probably owns the highest winning percentage of any athlete who’s ever played here,” said Davis, who also serves as the school’s head lacrosse coach as well as its defensive coordinator in football. And his calculator would probably be right. From the fall of 2001 through the spring of 2003 Deerfield teams with the name of Dan Shribman on the roster owned an incredible winning percentage of .912.

The football team won 14 of 17 games during that two-year span, while the hockey team enjoyed back-to-back 20-win seasons, finishing with a 40-4-4 showing. Lacrosse, meanwhile, was nearly untouchable as well. The Big Green laxmen were undefeated during Shribman’s junior season and lost just once his senior year. That stretch would close lacrosse out with a 29-1 record. Combined, those three sports finished two years of competition with an overall record of 83-8-4.

“I think a big key to our success back then was that, like Shribman, so many of those athletes played multiple sports,” said Lindsay. “At least 10 of the players on those championship teams played three varsity sports and there were others who played two. They were out there every day competing, whether it be in a game or during practice. I just don’t think the kids who concentrate on a single sport and play just that one sport can attain and maintain the same competitive edge the multi-sport athletes have because they simply aren’t out there competing as much.

“As far as I’m concerned, that competitive edge that the other sports such as football, soccer, lacrosse and baseball contributed to certainly helped us when it came to hockey,” added Lindsay. “The season we won the New England tournament, I think we were either tied or trailing going into the third period of nine of our games and we battled back to win all but one of them.”

And, as Lindsay can attest, that never-say-die attitude never went poof once the regular season ended, either. In fact, the Big Green found itself relying on its intestinal fortitude even more than ever come tournament time, as two of its three victories that season–including the title game–were chalked up in overtime.

Back in the days of Deerfield’s Triple Crown, names, such as Shribman, were a fixture on the Big Green athletic roster. The only thing that changed was the season and the sport. As Lindsay noted, however, Shribman wasn’t the only name that became a mainstay. There were others, such as Bob Burns, Nick Fersen, Brendan McKee and Steve Williams, who likewise, proved to be men for all seasons.

The list didn’t stop there, however, it only snowballed as one season would end and another began, adding the names of Dan Travis, Darwin Hunt, John Sales, Chris Kelley, Joey Norman and Blair Mackasey, as well as Chris Kempner and Greg Schwarda.

The Big Green’s prowess had an impressive pipeline of talent, too, as a number of undergraduates were frequenting Deerfield’s various athletic venues. They included names such as Josh Lesko, who was a second contributor to all three title teams that year, as was Mike Walsh, while Brooks Scholl, Will Boardman, Alex Berg, Peter Striebel, Paul Bayer and James Guay were also three-sport standouts.

“Looking back, I had a feeling we’d have a pretty decent football team that year,” said Silipo. “We had a lot of kids coming back from a team that went 6-2 the year before, so I was optimistic about our chances of being successful.”

Despite the fact that the Big Green skipper had Shribman–who had galloped for more that 1,000 yards in just eight games the year before–returning to the stable, he might have still opted for that phrase all too frequently used by coaches: “cautiously optimistic.”

After all, Silipo may have had Shribman, but he didn’t have anyone to hand the ball off to him … or to throw it, for that matter. What the graduation line takes away, however, the admissions department has the power to replenish–and it did. In this case, Silipo turned the page with a postgraduate by the name of Bob Burns.

Burns, as it turned out, was just what the coach had ordered. He had spent the past four years playing quarterback at Belmont Hill and guess what, he wrapped up his junior year there by knocking off Hotchkiss in the very same NEPSAC Division I Super Bowl.

“Bob proved to be the final piece of the puzzle,” said Silipo. “He proved to be an outstanding two-way player for us … he did a great job not only as a quarterback, but as a safety in our secondary as well.”

“I always say that going to Deerfield Academy was the best decision I ever made,” said Shribman, who proved to be “the glue” for the Big Green of Dartmouth as well. Following his senior year in fact, he was named the recipient of the inaugural Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award in 2007 by the Hockey Commissioners Association. The award is named after former Army hockey captain Derek Hines, who died in Afghanistan in September 2005. This award, which is voted on by the sports information directors of the six Division I college hockey conferences throughout the country, recognizes “a fearless leader and beloved fan favorite who places his team first.”

“Maybe the most vivid memory of Deerfield is that Super Bowl game,” added Shribman. “We actually weren’t that talented that year, but the way we played as a team is something I will never forget.

“Coach Silipo had a great explanation for why he loves high school football … it’s because anyone can play it. It’s simple, but true and it can’t be said about most sports and it certainly can’t be said about football post high school. You just have to work hard, trust your teammates, believe in something greater than yourself and be tough. We followed that formula all year … across three sports … and not only did we win everything, we didn’t even conceptualize losing.

“I think that what I loved most about Deerfield,” continued Shribman, “was that not only does the talent run across all facets of life there, but everyone is striving to be the absolute best at what they do. The importance of athletics in setting the tone across the entire campus cannot possibly be overstated. It carries over into real life and I hope the current administration and admissions truly understand that concept.”

There was one particular group of teammates whom Shribman was very happy to know were constantly striving to be the absolute best at what they did, and that was his offensive line. “I was certainly blessed,” said the former Big Green tailback of the players who formed his personal Secret Service and helped him on his way to back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. “I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Those offensive linemen included tackles Brendan McKee ‘03, Jimmy Berry ‘03 and Zack Gazzanega ‘03, guards Kevin Beling ‘03 and Bobby Guterma ‘03 while Nick Fersen ‘03, at fullback, served as the final push. “In fact,” pointed out Shribman, “McKee was the lead blocker on that overtime touchdown that won the Super Bowl … he was a beast all season.”

Another offensive lineman who consistently put himself between Shribman and would-be tacklers during that championship run was guard Gordie Bailey ‘04 … the player in the picture who is walking toward Shribman.

“The sad truth about that picture is I now only see Gordie,” said Shribman. “He died in a senseless hazing accident (at Colorado State University at Boulder) two years later. “He was one of the key blockers on that play, so, I wouldn’t have been there had it not been for him” added Shribman, who would remembered his teammate by placing his initials on his Dartmouth hockey helmet.

“I don’t think there was a team we came close to matching up with that year as far as weight was concerned,” said Nick Albertson, the Big Green offensive line coach. “But what we always seemed to lack in size, we more than made up for with speed, quickness and guts. And with a guy like Shribman in your backfield, he made your blocking assignments a lot easier … you didn’t have to stay with them long to ensure we was off and running.”

Albertson also credits his linemen being so dependable that in one game, they not only helped break Shribman loose, they also had to help him back to the huddle.

“We were playing Exeter, Dan’s junior year,” recalled Albertson. “We were nursing a slim lead late in the game and Mike (Silipo) just wanted to run the clock out.” That would normally be no problem with a guy like Shribman in the backfield, “but he had a hip pointer and could hardly move,” added Albertson. “Well, Shribman had shown us long before that he was a good football player … on this day though, he showed us just how tough a football player he was.

“That kid would run the football and he was in so much pain, a couple of our linemen, or our fullback, Fersen, or a combination of both, would have to literally pick him up, turn him around and help him back to the huddle,” said Albertson. “And then he’d carry the ball again.

“I can remember the Exeter sideline becoming so frustrated. There they were, with a chance to still win the game. All they had to do was get the ball back, but they couldn’t … because, as they were saying, they couldn’t stop a guy who couldn’t even walk.”

Although Deerfield sported an 8-1 record during that championship run, the Big Green didn’t exactly run away from everyone, as five of its games that season were decided by the margin of a single touchdown.

“I can still remember Bob Burns’s long touchdown run to beat Exeter, 14-8,” said Shribman. “I remember knocking off Andover in the poring rain when they had future NFLer Zak DeOssie playing for them. I remember our Sunday win over Avon in the next-to-last game of the season … and I remember losing to Choate in the last game of the season, 6-0. That one was a tough one to swallow … I’m just glad we were able to bounce back the next week and win the title.”

Burns and Shribman were the offensive heroes in the title tilt, as Burns, who would move on to play hockey at Yale the following year, figured in both scores during regulation. He combined with Jake Stewart on a 25-yard touchdown toss for Deerfield’s first score and snuck in from 1 yard out fro the second TD. Shribman, meanwhile, tallied the overtime score and finished the day by rushing for 98 yards on 15 carries to close his season out with 1,087 yards.

Had it not been for some last-minute heroics by the Deerfield defense, however, Burns would have been the game’s goat rather than one of its saviors.

The chaotic ending began when Hotchkiss capped a 79-yard drive to tie the game at 14-14 with just 1:19 remaining in the game.

Deerfield took the ensuing kick off, “and before I headed back out onto the field, coach Silipo called me over and said, ‘go for it,’” said Burns.

“I remember feeling like a kid who had just been handed the keys to the car,” added Burns. “I was pumped and I felt grateful to coach Silipo for showing that kind of confidence in me and not asking me to take a knee and run the clock out.”

Three plays later, however, Burns felt like that kid with the keys had just totaled his father’s car.

“On third down, I rolled right and ended up throwing an interception,” admitted Burns. “I remember heading back to the sidelines and finding a place to kneel down as far away from the bench as I could get. I knew if we lost the game that day it would be on me and I really felt the weight of the world on my shoulders.”

Burns could only watch as Hotchkiss took over on the Deerfield 42 with 42 seconds remaining. And the Bearcats made the most of the turnover, as they drove to the Deerfield 2 with 30 seconds still showing. Two plays later, Hotchkiss appeared to have clinched the title with a 2-yard TD toss with now just 17 seconds left in the game. What would end up being a highly controversial offensive pass interference penalty on Hotchkiss negated the score, however, and sent the game into overtime–and no one was happier about that than Burns.

“I played it safe from there on,” quipped the former DA QB. “Once we got to overtime, I just kept handing the ball of to Shribby,” who chalked up gains of 10 and eight yards before slipping into the end zone from seven yards out.

“I think what you see in the photo of Shribman was a picture of relief rather than of elation,” said Davis. “He was relieved that he scored, but don’t forget, Hotchkiss had yet to get the ball in overtime and therefore, still had a shot of at least tying the score. For us to win, we had to keep them out of the end zone.”

And the Bearcats came within nine feet of evening the score. With a fourth-and three, however, Deerfield’s Matt Collin batted down the pass and the title was Deerfield’s.

“Normally, Matt wouldn’t have even been playing that day,” remembered Silipo, “but we inserted a new defensive scheme for that game and he was our monster back, and he sure came up big for us on that play … he was right where he was suppose to be.”

“We were just a bunch of brothers who truly enjoyed going into battle together … because you knew everyone had your back,” said Josh Lesko ‘05, who played on all three pennant-winning teams. Lesko, who would go on to play lacrosse at Princeton, turned out to be one of Burns’s leading receivers that fall, as he hauled in 20 catches for 370 yards and eight touchdowns. “It was really something to be a part of all three of those team,” he said. To me though, that football team was really special. We had a quarterback in Bob Burns who was a tremendous leader and was cool under fire and we had a running back in Dan Shribman who simply showed you, day in and day out, that anything’s possible.”

If at first you don’t succeed …

During the winters of 1997-98 through 2001-02, Albany Road was the home address of arguably the most consistent prep school hockey program throughout the New England region. Those five seasons saw the Big Green ring up a record of 98-19-4 and earn an accompanying tournament invitation each and every time. And, almost every time Deerfield would be among the last teams standing. Unfortunately, silver medals appeared to be the only color the Big Green could come away with.

Beginning in 1997-98, Deerfield earned five consecutive trips to the NEPSAC tournament, including three treks to the finals. That first run saw Cushing prevail, 1-0, followed by back-to-back overtime losses to Exeter (3-2) and Avon (3-2), and in 2000-01, St. Sebastian’s claimed a semifinal-round win with a 3-0 decision.

Probably the most demoralizing tournament loss for the proud program came the following year, “when we couldn’t even get out of our own barn,” said Dan Travis, who was a junior on that team. “We just ran into a hot goalie,” said Travis, of Jeff Petraziak, who would later end up as one of Travis’ teammates at the University of New Hampshire. “The guy just stood on his head that day and they (Berkshire School) beat us 3-2 in our building to eliminate us in the quarterfinals.”

It wasn’t just the early exit that was tough to swallow, “it was the fact that of all the teams we had back during that stretch, I’d have to say that one was the most talented,” said coach Jim Lindsay, who took his Big Green to nine tournaments during his 10-year stint as head coach. “We all had envisioned something a lot better than one-and-done and I think that loss to Berkshire left a bad taste in our mouths and supplied a big spark for the next season.”

“We were good, but not great talent wise my senior year,” said Shribman, “but we were a close-knit team and were motivated by the wasted opportunity from the year before. The team my junior year was insanely talented, but we choked against Berkshire in the playoffs.”

There was no choking the following winter, however. The Big Green rattled off a 21-1-3 record, losing only to Taft late in the season. “I think in a way though, that loss might have been a good thing,” said Travis. “It gave us a little taste of what losing was like … and we didn’t like it.”

Despite a campaign that ended with a championship, Lindsay had to admit that “we didn’t always do things the easy way,” as his charges found themselves either tied or trailing as they headed into the third period of nearly half–nine–of their games.

This was a team that was originally driven by its need to make up for its disappointing one-and-done performance in the playoffs the year before. Early on in the season, however, it would learn of yet another factor it could–and did–use as a motivator.

“I told the kids just before the finals of the Flood-Marr Tournament that I would be retiring as coach at the end of the season,” said Lindsay. “I had made the decision the year before, but hadn’t shared it with anyone until then.

“It’s funny,” added Lindsay, “but after my announcement, the kids went out and played a tremendous game against a very good Hotchkiss team. We won the game, 2-1, but the score was no indication of how the game went. We dominated the entire game … from start to finish. And I couldn’t help but wondering if the underclassmen trying to show me that they were happy to know they were getting rid of me,” quipped the coach.

“We were a very motivated team that year,” said Shribman, “and when coach Lindsay told us that would be his last year coaching Deerfield hockey, I think each and every one of us wanted to make sure we sure we sent him out on top.”

“Although I’ll admit that the team we had my junior year was unbelievably talented … I think at least a dozen kids on that team ended up going Division I, the team we put together my senior year was a really talented bunch, too,” said Travis, who would take that route as well, opting to play at the University of New Hampshire, before transferring to Quinnipiac College.

Perhaps the face of Deerfield hockey during these days was defenseman Ben Lovejoy, who is now playing in the National Hockey League with the Anaheim Ducks. He would miss out on the championship run, however, as he opted to graduate a year early to begin a Division I career that took him to Boston College and then to Dartmouth College.

Through it all, however, Lindsay still managed to field a team “that had great depth and our ability to score that year was so evenly spread out that it made it impossible for our opponents to key on any one or two players.”

The Big Green’s first line that winter consisted of Travis, who posted 43 points on the season with 16 goals and 27 assists, while Shribman followed with 13 goals and 27 assists for 40 points. Burns, meanwhile, finished with 28 points on 13 goals and 15 assists.

There was no drop off in offensive production when the second line hit the ice, as John Sales ‘03, who led the team in goals with 18, chalked up 38 points that winter, while Darwin Hunt ‘03 had 27 points on 10 goals and 17 assists. And this would only prove to be just the beginning of postseason celebrations for those two, as both went on to Middlebury College, where they helped the Panthers win three consecutive NCAA Division III national championships. Brian Ciborowski ‘03, who played at Bowdoin College, collected 13 goals and 16 assists for 29 points.

 The third line consisted of James Guay (12-7-19) and Scott Bartlett (6-7-13), who both went on to play at Middlebury as well, along with Joey Norman (9-13-22), who played lacrosse at Cornell and Mike Collins (6-9-15), another future Middlebury hockey player.

As for Deerfield’s defensive pairings that winter, all four turned out to be of Division I caliber. They were B.J. Mackasey (Princeton), Chris Kelly (Harvard), Paul Baier (Brown), and Will Boardman (Dartmouth). Goalie Dan Smith (Amherst) meanwhile, “was probably the team’s unsung hero that season,” according to Lindsay. “We had our share of close games that season and often found ourselves trailing late in games and he was the guy the kept us in there and gave us a chance to come back and win.”

Which was the exact script the Big Green followed during its tourney opener against Salisbury. “We were down 2-0 with a little over seven minutes remaining in the game,” recounted Lindsay.

With time running short, Deerfield scored to cut the margin in half and three minutes later, “Brian Ciborowski scored on as beautiful an individual effort as you’ll ever see to tie the game,” said Lindsay. “I can still remember him stealing the puck in the Salisbury end, splitting the defense and flipping a backhander over the goalie’s shoulder … it was as pretty as it gets.”

Then Travis, who remembered his former teammate’s effort as “definitely highlight material,” performed some heroics of his own.

“As I remember, we were about halfway through the overtime session and on a power play,” said Travis. “Shribby picked up a loose puck in the corner and, anticipating a pass from him, I broke for the goal and picked up some steam to beat the defenseman. I got a perfect pass from Shribby and just redirected the puck on net. I didn’t get much on it … but I got enough and it squeezed its way between the goalie’s pads.”

“I don’t think I can ever remember it being so loud in that rink … the whole place just went crazy,” said Lindsay, who admitted that he couldn’t have scripted a better ending for what proved to be his final home game as the Big Green mentor.

The semifinal round pitted Deerfield against Cushing Academy, “which was a very talented hockey team … especially on offense,” said Lindsay. “Fortunately, Dan Smith, our goalie, who played solid for us all season long, came up with an outstanding game and we simply stunned them, 6-3,” added the Big Green mentor. “We were up 2-1 after two periods and then blew it open with a four-goal third period,” as Darwin Hunt led the way with a pair of goals.

St. Sebastian’s was the Big Green’s final-round foe and was also one of the premier prep school teams throughout New England that winter. Its roster included Brian Doyle (of the New York Rangers) and goalie Kevin Regan, a Boston Bruin draft pick.

Shribman netted Deerfield’s first goal in the title tilt, while Will Boardman’s first goal of the season helped push the Big Green into overtime.

And once there,” it was short and sweet,” remembers Lindsay. “In fact, I think we won it on our first shift in OT.

The goal that produced the blue ribbon proved to be a near instant replay of the overtime winner against Salisbury, and it featured the same two players–Shribman and Travis.

“Just like he did before, Shribby picked up the puck in the corner,” said Travis, “and fed it out to me in the high slot. I was able to get a quick shot off and managed to get it under the goalie’s arm.”

“I was standing just to the right of the goal,” said Burns, of the game winning play. “I was all alone … the goalie was covering the other post and for some reason, the defense had lost track of me.

“I remember yelling to Dan to feed me the puck,” added Burns, “but I guess he didn’t hear me or see me. The next thing I remember I’m looking through the set and seeing the puck sitting in the back of the goal. It’s a good thing he scored, though … I think I would have killed him if he hadn’t.”

“It was just like those victory celebrations you see on TV,” said Shribman. “I remember Brooks Scholl, Alex Berg and Charlie Denihan jumping onto the ice from the stands and realizing that once they were on the ice, they couldn’t stand up.

“I also remember skating over and giving coach Lindsay a huge hug,” added Shribman. “Both of us were crying. He had come so close for so long and I just felt so happy and so relieved for him and was so glad that I was a part of the team that finally earned him that elusive championship.”

Three-way tie for the top

Pick a year … any year. Chances are you will find the Big Green sitting atop the final standings of the Western New England Division I Boys Lacrosse League. This storied program has either captured sole possession or shared the league crown in ten of the past twelve seasons.

The 2003 rendition of Deerfield lacrosse was no different. It wound up atop the league standings–but it proved to be a photo finish. It would prove to be a little crowded on the top rung of the podium that spring, as the race ended in a three-team tie: Deerfield, Hotchkiss and Taft.

“This is one of the most competitive high-school age lacrosse leagues in the entire country,” said coach Chip Davis, “and that season was certainly one of the tightest races we’ve ever had.”

The trek to the top in 2003 evolved into a vicious cycle: Deerfield’s lone loss on the season came at the hands of Hotchkiss. Taft then handed Hotchkiss its lone blemish of the season, while Deerfield returned the favor, knocking Taft from the ranks of the unbeaten . “So, we all finished with one loss and ended up sharing the championship.”

There are no postseason tournaments in lacrosse, so, as Davis would say, “you lay it all on the line each and every game during the regular season … and I like it that way. It makes the games much more meaningful … you don’t get a second chance later on in a tournament game to prove you’re better than another team. You have to do that the first time … the only time.”

And so, the highlight a decade ago turned out to be a lowlight: that loss to Hotchkiss.

“We were undefeated the year before and really wanted to run the table two years in a row,” said Shribman. “The thing I remember best about that game was how unbelievably well Joe Norman contained their top player, Trip Cowin. He was probably one of the elite attackmen in the league that year and would later go on to play at Princeton.”

The loss to Hotchkiss that season ended a 29-game winning streak for the Big Green as it held a high-powered Deerfield offense to its lowest output of the season: eight goals. In fact, Deerfield was held under double figures just three times that season, registering nine in the other two games.

Overall, the Big Green, which has never been shy about scoring, tallied 177 goals in 16 games that season, for a hefty 11 goals per game clip, while it allowed just 67, a speck over four goals per game.

Three familiar names were situated on attack that spring, as Chris Kelly (Harvard hockey), Brooks Scholl (Harvard lacrosse), and Chris Kempner (Yale lacrosse) led the way. The midfielders were Shribman, “whose specialty was defense,” said Davis, as well as Will Boardman (Dartmouth lacrosse and hockey), Peter Striebel (Princeton lacrosse), Alex Berg (Princeton lacrosse), and Joe Norman (Cornell lacrosse). Nick Fersen (Williams football and lacrosse) and Greg Sowyrda (Bucknell lacrosse). The goalie was K.C. Peterson (Haverford lacrosse).

So, if you’re attending this weekend’s reunion and want to rub elbows with a bunch of guys who really have been there and done that, head on over to the ’03 tent.

A commencement photo gallery is now available online, along with the text from Tom Heise’s Baccalaureate address, and the Commencement addresses of Rory Cowan ’71, and students Emma Witherington ’13 and Adam Philie ’13.

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

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

Congratulations all!

Deerfield Academy spent the past two months compiling the kind of resume the Central New England Baseball League Tournament Committee just couldn’t resist: a 9-1 record against league opponents.

Although a .900 winning percentage is nothing to sneeze at, the CNEBL tourney officials aren’t known for going overboard when it comes time for a shout out to its member schools to “come on down!” These guys, who oversee the seven-team league, hand out just four invitations a year, so think of it as a little like Christmas and Santa Clause — they always know who’s been naughty and nice.  And, as it turns out, Deerfield’s been great. It put up an overall record of 11-5 during its regular-season run and earlier this week, Christmas came early for our boys of spring. They not only earned an invite to this year’s Blackburn Tournament, but were named its number-one seed as well.

So, Deerfield will be heading off to Worcester on Saturday, in search of its second league title in the past five years and its fifth crown since the 2000 campaign.  The tourney, which will be hosted by Assumption College, is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., when Worcester Academy, the tournament’s second seed, takes on third seed Exeter. Deerfield, will then take the field at 12:30 p.m., to face fourth-ranked Andover. The two winners will then square off in the title game, which is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

Irwin’s charges better plan on packing a bag lunch for their trek to Worcester, “because we’re hoping to make a day of it,” quipped Dave Irwin, the Big Green mentor, and with the way Deerfield has been playing this spring, don’t bet against it.

The Big Green shows a 3-1 record this season against would-be opponents come Saturday. It swept a doubleheader from Exeter in April by scores of 2-1 and 12-1, and has split a pair of games with Worcester, winning, 8-3 at home, and losing 4-1 on the road. Deerfield and Andover have yet to cross base paths this spring, however, as their doubleheader, which was scheduled for last Saturday at Deerfield, was cancelled due to rain.

The key to success this spring are those three magical words that never fail to bring a smile to a baseball coach’s face: hitting, pitching and defense, “and we’ve gotten all three from these kids this year,” said Irwin, through that inevitable smile.

“I must say that I felt confident about our chances of being a good team coming into the season,” added the Deerfield coach, “but I never quite expected this amount of success so far.”

That’s probably because he never expected the perfect storm on the statistic sheet: a team batting average of .314, a team earned run average of 3.86 — which takes into account a 24-4 loss to a Springfield College JV team – and a fielding percentage of .920.

Offensively, the Big Green has had at least five of its members consistently lugging some big sticks to the plate this season. The biggest of which belongs to shortstop Conor Quinn (13). He either leads or is tied for the lead in just about every offensive category there is. He’s tops in batting average at .515, having produced 24 hits, which is first on the team, in 24 plate appearances. He’s first in RBI with 17, as well as home runs, with two and doubles, with seven, and runs scored with 19. His three triples tie him with Justin Finan (13) with the lead in that category. Finan’s other offensive stats show him with a .350 batting average, after having collected 14 hits in 40 at bats, while he has also driven in 13 runs.

First baseman Nick Goss (13) has chipped in a .341 batting average with 14 hits on the season, while catcher Colton Dana (13) owns a .341 average as well, with three doubles, a pair of triples and has scored 18 runs to date. He also brag of having produced a pair of Deerfield’s biggest hits this season: a walk-off single that produced a 2-1 victory over Exeter and a game-winning single that finished off Cushing Academy, 9-7, in extra innings.  Centerfielder Billy Smith (13) has also been chipping in at the plate all season long, as he heads into tourney action with a .304 batting average on a 14-for-46 campaign and has scored 11 runs.

Irwin has also been blessed with an outstanding pitching corps this spring — in both the starting and relieving departments. Drawing the starting nods this spring have been Finan, Bill O’Neil (14) and Ben Wood (13). Quinn, meanwhile, has been the guy Irwin has handed the ball to in closing situations.

Finan, who has gotten the starting nod from Irwin to face Andover on Saturday, owns a 3-0 record on the season. That record has been highlighted by a stingy 1.52 earned run average, as he has allowed just five earned runs in 23 innings. During that span he has also fanned a team-high 27 batters and walked just five. O’Neil stands in at 4-1, with a 2.37 ERA, having issued eight earned runs through 23 2/3 innings. He has struck out 14 and walked four in that time. Wood, meanwhile, has a 1-1 record and a 2.80 ERA, having allowed eight earned runs in 20 innings. He has 18 strikeouts and eight walks.

When making his relief appearances, Quinn has a very short walk from shortstop to the mound, and he has been very effective whenever he has climbed the bump. Heading into tourney action, he has posted a 2-0 record with one save. More impressively, he has allowed just one earned run over eight innings for an 0.84 ERA. He has also averaged one strikeout per inning.

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. 

The show will run through May 28th. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9 am – 3 pm, or by appointment (contact Lydia Hemphill at lhemphill@deerfield.edu / 774.1480).

We’ve all heard about dreams coming true, so do yourself a favor: turn on ESPN 2 Thursday, April 11th, 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.”