Sports
December 19, 2006
Second Thoughts at UNH
In any sport, it is players like Johnson who make teams go. Johnson is a pass-first visionary of sorts who can see plays develop one or two passes before they happen. Then she makes those plays happen.
A 12-time letter winner at The Governor's Academy, playing field hockey in the fall, ice hockey in the winter and lacrosse in the spring, Johnson earned Independent School League all-star honors three times in hockey, twice in lacrosse and once in field hockey and could have played any of the three at nearly any college.
Ironically, Johnson didn't think she'd ever play hockey in college after accepting a partial scholarship in the fall of her senior year to the University of New Hampshire to play lacrosse.
"A huge mistake," Johnson laments. Having been wooed by the likes of the University of Connecticut, Boston University, Colby and Mercyhurst, she wanted to avoid distraction heading into her senior year, hence the early signing.
"A lot of hockey coaches were shocked when she went to UNH to play lacrosse," Flint said.
It was not long into her freshman year at UNH that Johnson knew it wasn't the place for her.
"It wasn't my best decision," Johnson said. "UNH was too big for me. In some of my classes there were 500 people."
Johnson also missed playing hockey, the sport, she said, of which she is most passionate. She longed for a smaller school which would allow her to play hockey and lacrosse. With the summer months approaching, Johnson turned her attention to Saint Anselm and contacted Flint, who knew all about her.
"I was thrilled when she contacted me about playing for us because I knew the type of hockey player she was," Flint said. "She was a kid who was very high on my recruiting list her senior year."
Johnson remembers her earliest years of playing hockey and her parents always telling her an assist was just as good as a goal. She laughs about that, but has never forgotten.
Big games seem to bring out the best in Johnson, who has more assists (nine) than goals (seven) and has scored or set up a goal in eight of the Hawks' 10 games. She has scored three game-winning goals and two on the power play.
In perhaps the Hawks' most notable triumph - a 5-1 thrashing at Manhattanville, the NCAA Tournament runner-up in 2002 and 2003 - Johnson assisted on two goals. In the previous two seasons, Manhattanville cruised past the Hawks 5-0 and 4-1.
In a 3-2 win at UMass Boston, Johnson gave the Hawks a 2-1 lead and set up the game-winner. She also set up two goals in a 4-3 victory over New England College, including the game winner.
"Kelsey is the total package," Flint said. "Her skating, puck handling skills and vision are excellent. She can score goals, but she can also find her linemates. She is one of the best skaters in the league and she understands the game."
Johnson, who earned a 3.3 grade point average in business, also likes Saint Anselm's student-professor ratio, about 20-1.
To Goffstown via Philadelphia
Saint Anselm was actually DeSantis' first choice, but she chose Neumann College in Philadelphia to play hockey for head coach Matt Kennedy. By the time DeSantis arrived at Neumann in the fall of 2005, Kennedy had accepted the assistant coach position at Quinnipiac (he has since returned to Neumann).
"It was tough being 10 hours away from home," DeSantis said. "The only person I knew was (Kennedy). But (coach Phil Bateman) ended up being a great coach."
Neumann enjoyed a solid year, posting a 12-10-2 overall record - tying the single season mark for wins - as well as a 6-5-1 clip in the ECAC West. DeSantis had an immediate impact, scoring six goals and assisting on 12 others.
Despite a solid freshman season, DeSantis set her sights on transferring. There was no doubt where she would go.
"I absolutely loved Saint Anselm when I first went to visit," DeSantis recalled. "It reminded me of Lawrence Academy. It is the perfect place for me."
DeSantis has found her niche in the classroom, majoring in criminal justice with the hope of pursuing forensic science. Currently skating on the third line, she has also added plenty of spark in the Hawks' offense.
After not scoring in Saint Anselm's first three games, she has found the net in five of its last seven, including the first goal in a 2-0 win over Holy Cross and an empty net goal in a 2-0 win over Colby.
DeSantis is pretty good at stopping them too. A regular on Saint Anselm's penalty kill unit, the Hawks have allowed four power play goals in 169 minutes.
"I think Bianca is one of the best penalty killers in the league," Flint noted. "She has unbelievable work ethic, and that is what makes her go. She plays both ends of the ice. She is not a pure scorer, but she gets her goals by her hard work and speed."
The Beast of the East
Saint Anselm's only drawback is that it is one of two Division II women's ice hockey teams in the country (along with Saint Michael's). Due to that disparity, the NCAA put the kibosh on the men's and women's Division II tournament back in 1999.
"I think if we could be ranked in the Division III schools in the country, we would be in the top five," Flint said.
That's not to say Saint Anselm has little or nothing to play for. Sitting on top of the ECAC East, the Hawks are eyeing the regular season championship.
Additionally, the Hawks will compete for the ECAC Open Championship at the end of the year, in which they will face Saint Michael's along with Division 1 Sacred Heart and Holy Cross, who play an independent Division 1 schedule.
"I hope we can go all the way," DeSantis said. "We're pretty determined. There are not too many teams that can say they have four solid lines. If we work as hard as we did this semester, we can do it."
Free Agent Finds
Already a powerhouse, this year's St. Anselm's women's hockey team became that much more stronger with the addition of transfers Kelsey Johnson of Byfield and Georgetown's Bianca DeSantis. Here's a closer look at the two acquisitions.
Name: Kelsey Johnson, sophomore
Hometown: Byfield
High School: Governor's Academy
Position/stats: Forward - second on team with 15 points (7 goals, 9 assists)
Transferred from: UNH
Name: Bianca DeSantis, sophomore
Hometown: Georgetown
High School: Lawrence Academy
Position/stats: Forward, 6 points (5 goals, 1 assist)
Transferred from: Neumann College (Pa.)
Dynamic Duo: Transfers Johnson, DeSantis lead St. Anselm's to 10-0 start
They were once opponents representing two prestigious prep schools in New England; gifted three-sport athletes who made rash college choices.
Now teammates, Byfield's Kelsey Johnson and Georgetown's Bianca DeSantis have found a home at Saint Anselm College, where they have helped guide the women's ice hockey team to a 10-0 start.
Currently in its third season as a full-fledged NCAA sport, Saint Anselm immediately became one of the most feared teams in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Women's League, posting a 21-3 record in 2004-05 and a 20-7 finish last year.
The Hawks were very good before Johnson and DeSantis arrived. With them they are exceptional, and the ECAC Eastern Division title may just run through Goffstown, N.H. this season.
It's safe to say that Christmas came a little early for Saint Anselm head coach David Flint when Johnson and DeSantis came calling this past summer. Flint had recruited DeSantis hard, but he backed off going after Johnson, who initially decided early on to pursue lacrosse in college.
"We've had a good team the last two years, but we have lacked the one or two players up front who were really dangerous with the puck," Flint said. "Kelsey and Bianca are both very good with the puck on their sticks. The two of them have been a great addition."
Now teammates, Byfield's Kelsey Johnson and Georgetown's Bianca DeSantis have found a home at Saint Anselm College, where they have helped guide the women's ice hockey team to a 10-0 start.
Currently in its third season as a full-fledged NCAA sport, Saint Anselm immediately became one of the most feared teams in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Women's League, posting a 21-3 record in 2004-05 and a 20-7 finish last year.
The Hawks were very good before Johnson and DeSantis arrived. With them they are exceptional, and the ECAC Eastern Division title may just run through Goffstown, N.H. this season.
It's safe to say that Christmas came a little early for Saint Anselm head coach David Flint when Johnson and DeSantis came calling this past summer. Flint had recruited DeSantis hard, but he backed off going after Johnson, who initially decided early on to pursue lacrosse in college.
"We've had a good team the last two years, but we have lacked the one or two players up front who were really dangerous with the puck," Flint said. "Kelsey and Bianca are both very good with the puck on their sticks. The two of them have been a great addition."
Second Thoughts at UNH
In any sport, it is players like Johnson who make teams go. Johnson is a pass-first visionary of sorts who can see plays develop one or two passes before they happen. Then she makes those plays happen.
A 12-time letter winner at The Governor's Academy, playing field hockey in the fall, ice hockey in the winter and lacrosse in the spring, Johnson earned Independent School League all-star honors three times in hockey, twice in lacrosse and once in field hockey and could have played any of the three at nearly any college.
Ironically, Johnson didn't think she'd ever play hockey in college after accepting a partial scholarship in the fall of her senior year to the University of New Hampshire to play lacrosse.
"A huge mistake," Johnson laments. Having been wooed by the likes of the University of Connecticut, Boston University, Colby and Mercyhurst, she wanted to avoid distraction heading into her senior year, hence the early signing.
"A lot of hockey coaches were shocked when she went to UNH to play lacrosse," Flint said.
It was not long into her freshman year at UNH that Johnson knew it wasn't the place for her.
"It wasn't my best decision," Johnson said. "UNH was too big for me. In some of my classes there were 500 people."
Johnson also missed playing hockey, the sport, she said, of which she is most passionate. She longed for a smaller school which would allow her to play hockey and lacrosse. With the summer months approaching, Johnson turned her attention to Saint Anselm and contacted Flint, who knew all about her.
"I was thrilled when she contacted me about playing for us because I knew the type of hockey player she was," Flint said. "She was a kid who was very high on my recruiting list her senior year."
Johnson remembers her earliest years of playing hockey and her parents always telling her an assist was just as good as a goal. She laughs about that, but has never forgotten.
Big games seem to bring out the best in Johnson, who has more assists (nine) than goals (seven) and has scored or set up a goal in eight of the Hawks' 10 games. She has scored three game-winning goals and two on the power play.
In perhaps the Hawks' most notable triumph - a 5-1 thrashing at Manhattanville, the NCAA Tournament runner-up in 2002 and 2003 - Johnson assisted on two goals. In the previous two seasons, Manhattanville cruised past the Hawks 5-0 and 4-1.
In a 3-2 win at UMass Boston, Johnson gave the Hawks a 2-1 lead and set up the game-winner. She also set up two goals in a 4-3 victory over New England College, including the game winner.
"Kelsey is the total package," Flint said. "Her skating, puck handling skills and vision are excellent. She can score goals, but she can also find her linemates. She is one of the best skaters in the league and she understands the game."
Johnson, who earned a 3.3 grade point average in business, also likes Saint Anselm's student-professor ratio, about 20-1.
To Goffstown via Philadelphia
Saint Anselm was actually DeSantis' first choice, but she chose Neumann College in Philadelphia to play hockey for head coach Matt Kennedy. By the time DeSantis arrived at Neumann in the fall of 2005, Kennedy had accepted the assistant coach position at Quinnipiac (he has since returned to Neumann).
"It was tough being 10 hours away from home," DeSantis said. "The only person I knew was (Kennedy). But (coach Phil Bateman) ended up being a great coach."
Neumann enjoyed a solid year, posting a 12-10-2 overall record - tying the single season mark for wins - as well as a 6-5-1 clip in the ECAC West. DeSantis had an immediate impact, scoring six goals and assisting on 12 others.
Despite a solid freshman season, DeSantis set her sights on transferring. There was no doubt where she would go.
"I absolutely loved Saint Anselm when I first went to visit," DeSantis recalled. "It reminded me of Lawrence Academy. It is the perfect place for me."
DeSantis has found her niche in the classroom, majoring in criminal justice with the hope of pursuing forensic science. Currently skating on the third line, she has also added plenty of spark in the Hawks' offense.
After not scoring in Saint Anselm's first three games, she has found the net in five of its last seven, including the first goal in a 2-0 win over Holy Cross and an empty net goal in a 2-0 win over Colby.
DeSantis is pretty good at stopping them too. A regular on Saint Anselm's penalty kill unit, the Hawks have allowed four power play goals in 169 minutes.
"I think Bianca is one of the best penalty killers in the league," Flint noted. "She has unbelievable work ethic, and that is what makes her go. She plays both ends of the ice. She is not a pure scorer, but she gets her goals by her hard work and speed."
The Beast of the East
Saint Anselm's only drawback is that it is one of two Division II women's ice hockey teams in the country (along with Saint Michael's). Due to that disparity, the NCAA put the kibosh on the men's and women's Division II tournament back in 1999.
"I think if we could be ranked in the Division III schools in the country, we would be in the top five," Flint said.
That's not to say Saint Anselm has little or nothing to play for. Sitting on top of the ECAC East, the Hawks are eyeing the regular season championship.
Additionally, the Hawks will compete for the ECAC Open Championship at the end of the year, in which they will face Saint Michael's along with Division 1 Sacred Heart and Holy Cross, who play an independent Division 1 schedule.
"I hope we can go all the way," DeSantis said. "We're pretty determined. There are not too many teams that can say they have four solid lines. If we work as hard as we did this semester, we can do it."
Free Agent Finds
Already a powerhouse, this year's St. Anselm's women's hockey team became that much more stronger with the addition of transfers Kelsey Johnson of Byfield and Georgetown's Bianca DeSantis. Here's a closer look at the two acquisitions.
Name: Kelsey Johnson, sophomore
Hometown: Byfield
High School: Governor's Academy
Position/stats: Forward - second on team with 15 points (7 goals, 9 assists)
Transferred from: UNH
Name: Bianca DeSantis, sophomore
Hometown: Georgetown
High School: Lawrence Academy
Position/stats: Forward, 6 points (5 goals, 1 assist)
Transferred from: Neumann College (Pa.)
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Two heads are better
NEWBURYPORT — The decision to bring in Steve Malenfant as Newburyport's next head golf coach was no sand shot.
In as long as former coach Bill Pettingell was leading the Clipper charge, some eight and a half seasons, Malenfant was alongside him, serving as the team's volunteer assistant coach. -
Local schedule
TUESDAY
CROSS COUNTRY: Pentucket at Amesbury (3:45 p.m.); Wilmington at Georgetown (3:45 p.m.); Masconomet at Newburyport (3:45 p.m.); Lynnfield at Triton (3:45 p.m.)
FIELD HOCKEY: Amesbury at Pentucket (3:45 p.m.); North Reading at Georgetown (3:45 p.m.); Newburyport at North Andover (3:45 p.m.); Triton at Wilmington (6 p.m.) -
Golf capsules
AMESBURY INDIANS
Coach: George Dodier (4th season)
Last year: 7-9
Returning players: Jon Fournier, sr. (captain); Sean Ward, sr. (captain); Peter Merrow, sr.; Tyler Smith, sr.; Eric Eaton, jr.; Troy Eaton, jr.; Mike Zielinski, jr. -
Local briefs
Football
MVP Flag Football in Amesbury is now accepting registrations for the fall season. The league is co-ed and is open to ages 5-10. Registration can be completed on-line at mvpflagfootball.com. Visit mvpflagfootball.com or call Steve Coco at 978-378-0MVP for more information. -
Georgetown's Shores readying for marathon
GEORGETOWN — Georgetown High School senior Dan Shores has never worried about wins and losses throughout his cross country career.
Shortly after joining the team as a seventh-grader in 2005, he learned his enjoyment and the team's winning percentage would have to be mutually exclusive. The Royals have posted a combined record of 3-52 in his five seasons with the team. - A 5K family
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- A name that says it all
- September 2, 2010
- A new martial artist in town
- Living Legend
- September 1, 2010
- The bird's-eye view
- Amesbury lone local school to hike user fees
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- August 31, 2010
- A clean bill of health
- Catching up with Kellen Corkum
- August 30, 2010
- The Way of the Spartan
- August 28, 2010
- Great fishing weekend follows in wake of storm
- Going up river
- August 27, 2010
- The warrior call
- The ultimate misnomer
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Two heads are better
