Freshman and Sophomore hockey players are moving into their new living quarters at Campus West on Burrstone Road. Most of these players are from out of state, and some have come here from Canada. They’ll be playing hockey for the all-new Notre Dame Hockey Academy. It’s a traveling team made up of 21 players that will play games up and down the east coast. It’s an exciting time for these young adults, and an emotional one for the parents. Christina Henes is a hockey mom from Philadelphia, PA.
“The people he’s going to meet, the opportunities that he won’t get. I mean living at home is great for me, but what does he want? He’ll get to see new things and experience different perspectives and just really get to see the world at a young age.”
The players will be attending in-person classes at Notre Dame. It’s a condensed schedule so the students will need to rely on each other to excel academically. Luisa Morganti and her son are from Montreal Quebec, Canada.
“I think it’s going to make him become more independent. He was used to getting very used to being at home with mommy doing everything, so I think now it’s going to push him to clean up after himself, respect others in the room too.”
The players will have breakfast provided in their dorm rooms, head next door to school, then it’s off to hockey practice at the Adirondack Bank Center and the Utica University Nexus Center. Shawn Powell from Mount Joy, PA enrolled his son at the academy because he’s convinced it’s a well rounded program.Â
“The schooling…in person school as opposed to online schooling. The development model that they have that they’re pushing out and everything that they have to offer as far as the weight training and nutrition stuff. It just seems like a total package.”
This is the first hockey prep school in the area, but Academy Co-Owner Keith Veronesi is confident about moving forward with future plans that will draw players from all over the world.
“Our plan is to grow this thing big. We have one team now. We’d like to grow this to what other teams are doing. So, you know this is a 15 only level. We’d like to have a 14, a 15, a 16, an 18, we’d like to have a girl’s program. You know our philosophy was before we grow let’s do it right. If you do things the right way you never really have to worry about things down the road.” Â
The area’s first hockey prep school has been formed and is affiliating with Notre Dame High School.