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THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, April 5, 2024 Page 13 Mike Vecchione knows championships Accomplished Saugus native owns three titles on three different levels, and he’s not done yet By Joe McConnell M ike Vecchione has known nothing but success throughout his hockey career. The Saugus native first led Malden Catholic to its first Division 1 Super 8 state championship as its captain in 2011, when they defeated St. John’s Prep in overtime at the TD Garden. Six years later, he captained Union College to the NCAA Division 1 title, and last year he won his first pro championship with the AHL’s (American Hockey League) Hershey Bears, the Washington Capitals minor league affiliate. The Bears are now on pace to repeat as Calder Cup champs with Mike still in charge as a team captain on the ice. Will the Stanley Cup be in his future? Quite possibly, but let him tell his story. In 59 games, Vecchione, who plays leftwing, has 15 goals and 16 assists. As a team, Hershey has the best overall record by far to date in the entire league at 47-12-5. The Providence Bruins are second to the Bears in the Atlantic Division – fourth in the entire league – with a 38-197 record. The Coachella Valley (Southern California) Firebirds, out of the Pacific Division, has the second-best record in the league at 40-14-9. The Central Division Milwaukee Admirals ranks third in the league with a 42-20-1 mark. The regular season concludes on April 21. Vecchione expects to win another Calder Cup this year after stints in the Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche organizations. He signed on with the Bears several years ago, because of the club’s winning tradition. “One of the things that drove me to sign with the Hershey Bears a few years ago was their will to win every year,” Vecchione said. “There’s never really a rebuild in Hershey. We hold ourselves to a certain standard, and so does the town. It seems like every single season they build a team that can win the Calder Cup, and that’s what you want as a player. “After winning last season, we knew we were going to lose some guys to other teams, as well as the European leagues so the quest to repeat started well before the season,” he added. “Although we lost a handful of key contributors, we were able to replace them with the same caliber of player, and once the season got going, we immediately had chemistry and picked up right where we left off. We tried not to look too far ahead. We stayed pretty level-headed throughout the entire season. We just took it one game at a time, and strived to achieve certain milestones to keep us motivated. We put ourselves in an incredible position to clinch home ice throughout the playoffs, which we didn’t have last season. Our goal right now is to finish the regular season on a high note, playing playoff-style hockey with high intensity to lock-in the top overall seed.” Despite winning a state high school title and a collegiate championship on the highest of levels, Vecchione considers last year’s conquest the hardest of the three. “Winning the Calder Cup was one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through in my career,” the Saugus native said. “When it comes to the Super 8 or the national collegiate championship, it’s a one game, winner-take-all scenario. To put it into perspective, I played more games last year in the Calder Cup playoffs than I did in the Super 8 and NCAA tournament combined. The grind of playing every other night, series after series, with long travel times between sites was very difficult, but the reward in the end was well worth it.” But then came Game 7 of the AHL Finals against the Firebirds, and what led to Vecchione’s most memorable goal ever. “Everyone was so tense. It seemed like we were approaching a second overtime, and then it happened and a wave of adrenaline hit me,” he said. “It’s still hard to describe the feeling of scoring the winning goal in overtime in Game 7 to clinch the Calder Cup. The emotions were so overwhelming, but everyMike Vecchione of Saugus celebrates after scoring a goal for the AHL’s Hershey Bears during a game this year. Vecchione helped lead the Bears to the Calder Cup championship as an assistant captain last year, and he now has his teammates currently on top in the regular season. The playoffs will begin after April 21. (Courtesy photo / Hershey Bears) Mike Vecchione of Saugus has won a state high school hockey championship with Malden Catholic in 2011 and a NCAA Division 1 National Championship title with Union College in 2017, before winning the Calder Cup with the AHL’s Hershey Bears last year. The Saugus native was a captain of each one of these squads. He’s now hoping to win another Calder Cup sometime in June. (Courtesy photo / Hershey Bears) Mike Vecchione of Saugus keeps his head up as he skates up ice for the Hershey Bears during a game this year. (Courtesy photo / Hershey Bears) thing I had gone through in my career helped me get through that moment.” But Mike doesn’t take any of these championships for granted. “It truly is a unique experience, and I’ve been extremely fortunate to have won at each level,” he said. “It really takes a full team to win a championship, and I thank all my teammates over the years for giving it everything they had. I remember being most nervous in the Super 8 game at the TD Garden. It was my last game as a high school hockey player. After three years of coming so close and failing, doubt started to creep in. I felt like there was such a weight on my shoulders being the captain, and not getting it done would be devastating. You just have to bury those doubts and give it everything you have. Playing in that type of situation as a kid prepares you for when the stage gets a little bigger and the lights shine a little brighter. By the time I got to the NCAA Division 1 national championship game, I was well-prepared mentally and physically to go out and play without the weight of a title on the line. You just have to put the distractions aside and focus on the task at hand. “When we got blown out in Games 1 and 2 of last year’s finals, that doubt started to creep in again. But I was given great advice from former Bears legend Chris Bourque. He reached out to me and said: ‘You are never running away with it and you’re never out of it. Take control of the series.’ We did just that to win all three games at home in dramatic fashion. When it got to Game 7 in Coachella, it felt just like another game to me. I remembered being in this situation before as a high school and college player. It was another one game, winner-takeall scenario, and so I was prepared to embrace the moment. You never want to take these moments for granted, because they don’t come around that often, but when you win that moment lasts a lifetime.” But naturally, aside from winning another Calder Cup this year, he’d love to play in the NHL (National Hockey League) someday to have an opportunity to win the Stanley Cup. “My goal has always been to play in the NHL and win a Stanley Cup,” Vecchione said. “It would be quite a remarkable feat to add that to my collection. I’m still hopeful it can be done, even though the door seems to be closing. I can only control what I do on the ice. I can’t control call-ups. The only thing I can do is to continue to play to the best of my ability, and if the time comes, I know I will be ready.” Vecchione, who just turned 31 on Feb. 25, knows he’s one of the oldest players on the Hershey roster. “It really is crazy how fast time flies,” he said. “I’m not quite the oldest on the roster…yet. There are several other players on our team older than me, but I understand I’m 10 years older than our youngest guy, and I’m on the back nine of my career. I’ve been a captain on many teams, and my responsibility as a leader hasn’t changed throughout my career. I’ve always been a leader whose actions speak louder than my words. Whether it’s in a practice or a game, I want to go out and execute at a high level. “When it comes to mentoring, I’m always open to help out younger guys in any way I can. They have scouts, developmental guys and coaches constantly in their ears telling them what they need to do, so it can get stressful for them. Although we are competing for jobs on the NHL Capitals, we are also CHAMPIONSHIPS | SEE PAGE 17

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