Good morning!
Whenever Avon Old Farms hockey coach John Gardner brought his team to the Northfield Mount Hermon School to play at McCollum Arena, he'd send his backup goalie to the bathroom to stay warm in case he needed him.

At a semi-enclosed rink like McCollum, the ice is hard and the parents freeze from the toes up watching their kids skate, but at long last NMH will have a new rink by the start of the 2026 school year.

“I’d gladly play at McCollum if we could have ice from September to March,” said second year coach Jake Bennett. “Most places have their ice in year-round now. Our ice isn’t down until two weeks into the prep school season and we’re using basically the same equipment we’ve had since 1967, not a lot of change.”

Bennett grew up in Norwell and played prep hockey at Nobles and Greenough in Dedham. At Trinity College in Hartford, he tried out for the perennial NESCAC champion Bantams until the day the coach told him, “The game looks pretty fast for you out there.”

“And he cut me,” said Bennett. “It felt weird without hockey in my life so my younger brother Drew and I started a development camp called All American Prospects with Boston area kids, and it blossomed to the rest of the country.”

Bennett scouted in the USHL and was an assistant coach at the Kent (Ct.) School when NMH athletic director Rick Hendrickson called and offered him the hockey job. “After Kevin Czepiel left (NMH) they hired my friend Matt Harlow, and when Matt decided to take a job with the New York Rangers he gave Rick Hendickson my number.”

Asked how the season’s going Bennett said, “We’re struggling.” It’s easy to see why, given the state of the rink and the dirth of parking and other amenities. “If I’m a recruit, do I want to spend 40 minutes on a bus practicing in Greenfield for two months?”

Indeed, private schools in the northeast today are as expected to have a skating rink as they are a gymnasium and athletic fields.

“The thing I’ve pushed is the impact it could have on the girls’ program. They want to get on the ice too. We had 30-something girls come out for JV hockey. Kids love the sport and want to play it and they love having access to ice. One of our most popular weekend activities is hot chocolate and free skates.”

Bennett doubles as the associate director of advancement and development, and has the support of the NMH board of trustees. “[We’re] thrilled to support these exciting projects which will give all our students access to the kinds of high-quality facilities they need to thrive,” Board Chair Mariah Calagione said after last year’s winter meeting.

Ms. Calagione, her husband Sam Calagione and their two children all went to NMH. Sam’s a Greenfield native who took midnight skates at McCollum Arena and subsequently founded Dogfish Head Brewery which merged with the Boston Beer Company for a reported $300 million.

“Sam and Mariah have been instrumental, but the driving force is functionality,” said Bennett. “I’d be ecstatic with a rink like Cardigan Mountain’s with its wood ceiling and framed photos honoring the tradition and history. I love rinks like that. We don’t need an ice palace like Berkshire or Taft. Those rinks are insane. We just want functionality.”

McCollum will be converted into a field house for tennis and basketball, and the combined price tag for the two projects is approximately $20 million.

Studio Troika, which designed the Skating Club of Boston, is in charge of the project. “We got a major kickstarter gift from a person who wants to remain anonymous,” said Bennett. “Our hockey alumni are involved. They’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this, and we’ll break ground before the kids are out for summer.”

UMass football coach Joe Harasymiak wants former UMass players to be at McGuirk Alumni Stadium for the spring game on Saturday, April 19. The reunion started two years ago under Don Brown when 110 gridiron alumni returned to Amherst, and grew to 232 last year.

“We want to get over 300 this year,” said Jim Reid, who’s in charge of the effort. Former players, fans and alumni who’d like to help should contact Reid at jtreid@umass.edu.

SQUIBBERS: Leading rebounder Daniel Rivera on UMass coach Frank Martin’s rants: “Other coaches yell just to hear themselves shout but he’s trying to keep us together. He’s a good dude.” …  Anyone else bored and bothered by The Comeback on Netflix? Talk about redundant, Dan Shaughnessy should light a daily candle to Harry Frazee. … Flyers fans gave it to Cutter Gauthier during his first trip to Philly with the Anaheim Ducks. The Flyers took Gauthier in the first round and then traded him after he refused to sign. “We don’t want you,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said. When Torts was asked if the two had a falling out he said, “I don’t know Cutter Gauthier from a hole in the wall.”  … Up for a day on the slopes? Lift tickets for a family of four at Okemo last Saturday cost $828. …The Patriots’ dearly departed quarterback Mac Jones threw eight touchdowns in 10 games for Jacksonville,but also had eight interceptions and was sacked 14 times. … Quarterback Ahmad “The Problem” Haston has transferred from UMass to Tennessee Tech. Haston decided to transfer after he learned that A.J. Hairston will be the starting quarterback. … Kay’ron Lynch-Adams transferred from UMass to Michigan State for $150,000 last season and rushed for 649 yards and two touchdowns. … TRIVIA: Who said, “Second place is really the first loser.” … Greenfield’s Kevin Hassett entered the U.S. Capitol rotunda side-by-side with Vivek Ramaswamy for the Trump inauguration on Monday. … Ohio State’s 33-yard field goal with 26 seconds left against Notre Dame covered the 8½-point spread, and you’d better believe it mattered to Buckeyes fans. Unlike here in the Bay State, in Ohio bettors aren’t restricted from betting in-state college games. … Where are the two goalies who backstopped UMass to the 2020-21 NCAA hockey championship? Filip Lindberg is playing in Finland’s top professional league, and Matt Murray is playing for the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals. … While we’re on it, John Leonard is tearing it up in Charlotte where he has 16 goals and 17 assists for the Checkers.   … Trivia answer: George Steinbrenner, who added: “Winning is what made this country great. I believe in the American way, and that way is to strive to succeed. I’m not the kind of guy people are going to love, but neither was George Patton. Heroes are not necessarily nice guys.” … “Now Caitlyn Clark’s a Chiefs fan?” asked Sirius-XM’s Chris Russo. “We’ve been following her for all these years and now she’s a big Chiefs fan sitting there with Taylor Swift? That’s a little rough.” Darn right it is, let’s go Buffalo.

Chip Ainsworth is an award-winning columnist who has penned his observations about sports for decades in the Pioneer Valley. He can be reached at chipjet715@icloud.com