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University of Massachusets Athletics
The Shot Of A Lifetime - Frank Vatrano
April 02, 2015 | Hockey
As part of his internship with the UMass Media Relations department, former Minuteman Frank Vatrano will be blogging and sharing his experiences and first impressions of professional hockey as a member of the Boston Bruins organization.
This past weekend was for sure one to remember. I played in my first professional game for the Providence Bruins vs. the Hartford Wolfpack and it was really nice for it to be in an arena so close to home. Hartford is only about 30 minutes from my hometown of East Longmeadow, Mass., and it was great to see many friends and family that made the trip down. It shows how much support I have from them and how happy they are for me. The game did not go the way we hoped as we ended up losing 5-0, but it was definitely a great feeling getting my first game out of the way.
My first couple of shifts I was trying my best to get the jitters out. Once I did, I felt more and more comfortable out on the ice. The one thing I noticed, which is different from the college game, is how much stronger guys are out on the ice. There are some big boys out there!
The next night, we bounced back with a 5-2 win over the Portland Pirates. It was a good weekend for us as we got the points we needed to stay in the playoff hunt. This past week in practice we've been gearing up for two games up in St. John's, Newfoundland against the Winnipeg Jets' farm team, the St. John's Ice Caps. This weekend is very important for us, especially if we want to lock down a playoff spot with games to spare. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you all for the rest of the season.
Thanks for reading and Go Bruins!
Previous Entries
Blog #1 - 3/26/15