LEOMINSTER HIGH SCHOOL ANNOUNCES FRANK MOONEY AS THE NEW VARSITY BOYS’ HOCKEY COACH

 

 

For Immediate Release:  12 November 2020

LEOMINSTER HIGH SCHOOL ANNOUNCES FRANK MOONEY AS THE NEW VARSITY BOYS’ HOCKEY COACH

The Leominster High School Athletic Department is proud to announce the hiring of Frank Mooney as the head varsity boys’ hockey coach.  Mooney has served as the Blue Devils’ junior varsity coach for the past three years and has been a mathematics teacher at Leominster High School since the fall of 2016.  Mooney is a graduate of Lincoln-Sudbury High School where he was a four-year member of the hockey team there.  Mooney graduated from Stonehill College in 2016.

“We are tremendously excited to have Frank as our new hockey coach here at Leominster High School,” Athletic Director Dave Palazzi said.  “Frank’s passion and knowledge for the game, as well as his strong communication skills and ability to connect with our student-athletes makes Frank an ideal person to lead our program moving forward.”

Mooney takes over for Barry Hudson, who coached the Blue Devils for the past two seasons.  

“I’m very excited to be the head coach,” Mooney said.  “Our team has shown a lot of growth over the last few years and I really like the group of kids that are playing this year.  Should be a fun season!”   

Ice hockey, like other winter sports across the state, is considered a “high-risk” sport and therefore the MIAA Ice Hockey Committee is currently developing sport-specific modifications which ultimately will have to be approved by the MIAA in order to allow for competition to take place.  If and when the hockey gets underway is still under evaluation at the time of this release and the Leominster High School Athletic Department will provide pertinent information and updates as they become available.

Blue Devil Athlete Spotlight: Jevic Perez (Boys' Soccer)

Junior defender Jevic Perez moved to Leomister from Fitchburg three years ago, and was a big part of the Blue Devils’ district title run a year ago as a sophomore.  Jevic said his love of soccer evolved after giving a variety of other sports a try.

“My mom signed me up for different sports and I liked soccer the most, so I stayed playing it,” Jevic said.  

Jevic started playing soccer when he was six-years-old.

“(I love) the competitiveness and being able to bond with my team,” Jevic said.  “I am a very competitive person and I try to win in everything I compete in.”

Another one of Jevic’s strengths is his versatility according to coach Steve McCaughey.

“Jevic is an extremely talented and versatile player,” McCaughey said.  “His understanding of the game allows me to use him all over the field.  This year he has played outside back, center back, center defensive mid and center attacking mid depending on where I have needed him most each game.  He is tough, smart, and skilled and he loves to compete, and this combination has turned him into a leader in our program.”

That leadership evolved into Jevic being named a captain this season.

“This year Jevic was named a captain of the team as a junior because of the effort and experience that he brings to the field, as well as the example he sets for other players in our program,” McCaughey said. 

Jevic plays soccer all year long as he plays club soccer for NEFC, but he said his time spent with his Blue Devil teammates is truly special.

“The bond I have with my teammates and the determination to win is what I like most about being a part of the LHS team,” Jevic said.  

Jevic hopes to one day play college soccer and study sports medicine.  When he’s not playing soccer, he enjoys playing video games.

In school, he said Mrs. Piragis’ Spanish class is his favorite so far.  

 

Blue Devil Athlete Spotlight: Olivia Rodriguez (Girls' Soccer)

  

Freshman forward/midfielder Olivia Rodriguez isn’t just new to the Blue Devil soccer team, she’s also getting familiar to life in the lower 48.  Born and raised in Alaska, Olivia made the 3500 mile journey to Leominster about a year ago to be closer to her grandparents and cousins.  

Olivia said she has enjoyed her time in Leominster so far, particularly as part of the soccer team.

“I like the coaches and my teammates because they are very encouraging,” Olivia said.

Olivia has shown a ton of promise on the field as well.  She scored Leominster’s lone goal on Thursday evening in a 3-1 setback to a powerful Wachusett team.

Despite her early success, Olivia’s teammates are still getting to know the reserved yet driven freshman.  

“Olivia has played well,” Blue Devil soccer coach Scott Houle said.  “(Olivia is) new to our school and system since she transferred this year from Anchorage, Alaska.  She is quiet and shy and her teammates just found out recently.” 

Houle said soccer has been a positive in a lot of ways for Olivia.  

“Her mother was originally from the Leominster area, but with Covid , etc. it has been a hurdle to get to know others and at least there has been soccer for (her),” Houle added.

Houle said despite Olivia being only a freshman, she brings a lot to the team and will only get better with more experience.  

“Fortunately for us, she was a club team player (in Alaska) and understands the game and has some good technical skills,” Houle said.  “We frequently tease her that she needs to become louder and play a bit more with an angry streak, but she is very much a wonderful young lady.”  

Olivia said she enjoys everything about soccer.

“My mother signed me up and I quickly fell in love with it and have been playing ever since the first grade,” Olivia said.  

“I love the team sport and how encouraging the coaches are to each other,” Olivia added.  “It’s a good way to stay active and it’s a get away from studies.”

Olivia really means it when she talks about her studies too.  Olivia wants to head into the medical field someday and eventually become a doctor and hopes to play college soccer.  Those goals are reelected in how she spends her time.

“I focus my time on school and soccer,” Olivia said.  “If I am not studying or playing soccer, I mostly spend time with my family and friends.” 

At LHS, Olivia said her favorite class is Freshman Health Assisting.  

“Health Assisting is probably the most interesting so far,” Olivia said.  “I am very interested in learning how to help people medically.”

 

Blue Devil Athlete Spotlight: Colby Julsonnet (Golf)

Sophomore golfer Colby Julsonnet started playing golf when he was just four-years-old.  The lifelong Leominster resident said he started playing because his dad was a golfer.  Now Colby has established himself as coach Daryl Robichaud’s number one, thanks in large part to a lot of work put in since he arrived on campus just over a year ago.  

"Colby returned this season after putting in much work during the offseason,” Robichaud said.  “He quickly established himself as our number one player and held up admirably against the best competition that Mid-Wach A had to offer.”

“His game has a nice balance of technical specificity interspersed with great imagination,” Robichaud added.  “Provided he continues to make the necessary sacrifices, he should have a career that compares favorably with many of the top golfers during my coaching career." 

Colby plays a lot of golf as part of that continued quest to always improve, including playing in a variety of tournaments throughout New England.  

Colby said the best part of golf is the camaraderie.

“What I like most about golf is getting how to play with my friends and meet new people,” Colby said.  

Colby hopes to one day play golf at Oklahoma State, and perhaps study business, although that’s a long way off as Colby still has two more years of golf as a Blue Devil.  

Colby also plays basketball at LHS and said his favorite teacher is Mr. Riggieri.

“My favorite would have to be Mr. Riggieri,” Colby said.  “He is so funny and outgoing as well as an excellent teacher.”