40 "Dubs"
This year's hockey season reunites two individuals crucial to the record-setting 2006 hockey squad, the first to record forty wins. One of that squad's tri-captains, Steve Mallaro '06, has come back as assistant to Head Coach Mark Morris '77, now beginning his second stint here after a storied career as the only coach to win 300 games at both the college and professional levels. I asked each to record their memories of that season. Perhaps the current squad, off to a good start with four wins, one regulation loss, and one OT loss, can find some suggestions of "the right stuff" in these short essays that are necessary for extraordinary achievement. Those of us that were here for that season can happily look back at a tightly-knit, resilient, committed team who did us proud on and off the ice. - Stephen "Reno" Reed
"40 Dubs" - Mark Morris
In 2006 the Northwood Boy's Hockey team experienced an incredible run together, winning a school-record (at the time) of 40 wins and only eight losses. "40 Dubs" was the rallying cry for a proud bunch of teammates and their families.
It's impossible to do justice to the various positive contributions of all the people who supported us throughout the year. Pleasures like Patch Alber's mom baking cookies for the bus rides and the boys playing pond hockey out in front of the Cottage restaurant on their day off helped bring this team together. The entire group bought into the team-first concept, and those individuals still talk about that season and the collective successes we enjoyed. The relationships and bonds players and coaches built were and continue to be heartfelt; we all have many great memories of facing challenges and navigating our way through the most precarious situations.
We stayed the course during those defining moments, and more times than not, we came out on top. The few times we faltered, no one panicked. Everyone seemed to step it up and deliver all they had in key situations. As a coach, I enjoyed being part of that group's growth and development in the game and watching these young men enjoy their Northwood experience the same way I did as a PG back in 1977.
The 40 Dub teammates and their parents are still close to this day. I am proud to know we all understood how important it was to share commitment. These players accepted their roles, and embraced teamwork, and learned how critical it is to play hard for each other. That '06 team had exceptional leadership (Brett Hextall, Kelly Stokely, and Steve Mallaro were great tri-captains), outstanding goaltending, timely scoring, and synergy among the players kept everyone on task. Their work ethic and belief in our staff made it the easiest team to coach I ever had.
That bunch was special. There was so much character on that team. We weren't a big team; we weren't the fastest or the toughest; we certainly weren't the strongest, but there was total buy-in because of their willingness to trust in our decision-making. The players listened intently; they adjusted; they cared about one another deeply. You could see it at the school lunchroom, in the hallways, on the ice, and the bus. You could see it in their eyes and on their faces. I recall how the players rose and delivered the effort when we needed them to find a higher gear. Whatever "it" is, this bunch had it. Those memories will last a lifetime.
"40 Dubs" – Steve Mallaro
At seventeen, I arrived on the Northwood School campus with no expectations of Northwood's impact on my life. I was a reserved kid from Syracuse, NY, who grew up playing AA hockey locally with the Camillus Youth Hockey Organization and my local high hockey team in West Genesee. In the summer of 2004, Mark Morris had just been hired to replace legendary Northwood coach Tom Fleming. Mark approached my family while I was competing at The Empire State Games in Binghamton, NY. I will never forget coming to visit Northwood in late August with my parents, and the next week moving into second floor West.
My two years at Northwood were certainly memorable. Most significantly, during my second year, we became the first team in school history to reach 40 wins in a single season. It was a tremendous accomplishment. It would not have been possible without my teammates' quick development of a strong bond and the leadership of our Coach (and my current boss), Mark Morris.
I particularly remember the drive out to Indiana for the season-ending tournament at Culver. I have never seen a more focused group heading into that weekend. We ended up winning all four games that weekend to finish the season 40-8, winning the semifinal game in double overtime vs. Shattuck St Mary's and the final in double overtime vs. Culver. It was a moment I will never forget. In the locker room, it felt like the famous Man in the Arena speech from Theodore Roosevelt. I don't think I could ever replay the ending to that season, the raw emotion we needed to win those games, and the support we gave to each other. We were a team of teenage boys who became men.
Mark treated us all like sons, so we all became brothers. He taught us life lessons that I still utilize today: Responsibility, Respect, Integrity, Compassion, and Courage. Northwood's core values. He showed us how to face adversity head-on and be leaders and how to listen to each other. He empowered us, and he believed in every one of us.
It was the ultimate compliment. To this day, we still talk amongst our team from 2006 about the times we had running around the halls of Northwood, doing dish crew, forming an intramural baseball league, and eating grilled cheesers late nights at Reno's cabin. Northwood was a place I called home, and I am so happy to be back here. I still carry the same emotions driving up to Northwood I felt when I was 17, visiting for the first time in late August 2004. Go Huskies!