Scardella, Denise taking different paths

Locals at Hockey Night in Boston

By: Bob Nuse
   This summer, David Scardella and John Garrett Denise have taken quite different paths in their preparation for the upcoming high school ice hockey season.
   But this week, those paths will cross as the two players compete for the Mid-Atlantic team in the Hockey Night in Boston all-star showcase, which is taking place at Merrimack College in Andover, Mass., as well as the new Icenter in Salem, N.H.
   Scardella, a West Windsor resident who now attends Milton Academy in Massachusetts, is a goaltender. He’s spent most of his summer heading from one hockey related activity to another.
   Denise, a Princeton resident who plays for Princeton Day School, has spent very little time on the ice. Instead, he’s opted for a rigorous conditioning program that helps build up speed and strength.
   In the end, both players hope the path they’ve taken leads to a college hockey career. The latest stop on the journey will be Hockey Night in Boston, where the two will play at least nine games over the course of a week. There are also playoffs and all-star games as well.
   The week began with a pair of games Saturday and two more on Sunday. The team will play throughout the week, with the final round-robin game set for this Saturday. The teams are selected from among the many juniors and seniors who try out from around the country. There are two, 10-team divisions, with one made up of New England teams and the other of teams from around the country.
   "It’s one of the more well-known showcase tournaments, so it will be exciting to be a part of it," said Scardella, who attended The Hun School for two years before he transferred to Milton. "I think it will help get some exposure to some college coaches.
   "I didn’t really think I’d get picked for it. I went more for the experience and a chance to see what it was like to play against that kind of competition."
   Denise participated in the sophomore version of the event two years ago. He enjoyed that experience and is looking forward to an opportunity to play again this year with an older, more experienced group of players.
   "That was a good experience," Denise said. "You get to skate with and against some of the best players in the country. It’s a real intense week where all you really do is think about hockey."
   This summer Scardella has spent quite a bit of time on the ice. In addition to the Hockey Night in Boston tryout in Connecticut, he’s also been to a showcase tournament in Montreal and a goalie camp in Toronto. He also served as a counselor at a goalie camp at Ice Land in Hamilton last week.
   "It’s all I’ve been doing this summer," said Scardella, who along with Denise had helped the team win three of its first four games over the weekend. "I haven’t been home much more than 10 days all summer. I’ve been playing a lot this summer. I was at the tryout for the showcase, and I’ve been to Toronto for a goalie camp. Then I was in Montreal for eight days for another showcase type of event. I’m home for four or five days, then I’m going to Boston.
   "It’s a lot of hockey, but it’s worth it."
   Denise has taken a different approach this summer. Instead of attending a lot of hockey camps, he’s been working on his conditioning with an intense training program.
   "I’ve been doing a lot of training workouts with Duane Carlisle, who was a trainer with the Philadelphia Eagles," Denise said. "I’ve gained 16 or 17 pounds of muscle and knocked two-tenths of a second off of my 40 (yard dash) time. I’ve been trying to get into the best condition possible.
   "I’ve played a tremendous amount of hockey. At some point, you have to do the other stuff. My weaknesses have been weight and strength and that’s what I’ve focused on this year. I’ll skate with a couple other guys in the morning. But mostly for me this summer it’s been off-ice conditioning."
   That conditioning has paid off for Denise, who can already tell he’s made progress.
   "I feel the best I’ve felt in a long time," he said. "All those little nagging injuries are gone. Hopefully that will continue as the weight and strength improve. I noticed it at tryouts. Usually by the end of a weekend your body is all beat up and sore. But I felt like I could keep going.
   "It was a different experience for me because I felt like I was giving out more punishment than I was taking. I felt like I could play a couple more games."
   Both Scardella and Denise hope that no matter which path they take to improving their play, it will eventually lead to chance to play hockey at the college level.
   "I’m very interested in playing college hockey," Denise said. "I’ve written to a number of coaches at different levels and some of them have gotten in touch with me.
   "This is a great opportunity being right there in Boston with so many schools in the area. There is so much talent there, so a lot of coaches travel to Boston to take in the tournament."
   "That’s what all of this is for, to play in college," Scardella added. "I’ve sent some letters to some coaches and gotten back some questionnaires. Hopefully it will all work out in the end."