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McAleer is making impact at Nichols

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W-H alum Mel McAleer has found smooth skating as a Nichols Colege Bison. / Courtesy photo: Jill Souza

Mel McAleer, a Hanson native, is impressing on the ice at Nichols College.

Mel McAleer is no stranger to success.

At Whitman-Hanson, as a member of Pembroke/Whitman-Hanson (2013-14) and then Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake (2014-17), her teams boasted a 53-26-7 record and cracked the Division 2 tournament each season. During that span, McAleer registered 114 goals and 73 assists. Now, she is carrying over that success at Nichols College.

It took McAleer, a Hanson native, all but 6:55 into her first collegiate contest to find twine. At the 13:05 mark of Nichols College women’s ice hockey’s season opener against SUNY Canton on Nov. 3, Kelly Ferreira passed to Jordyn McGuire who fed the puck to McAleer and she skated a few strides and buried a shot far side for a power-play goal, pushing the Bison up 2-0.

“After realizing that we scored, it was the best feeling.” McAleer said. “My coach did let me keep the puck and I gave it to my mom and she put it in her room as display.”

The tally, which turned out to be the game-winner, came 49 seconds after McAleer dished out her first collegiate assist on a goal scored by McKenna Gernander.

Since that first tilt, McAleer has nine goals and 11 assists and had been tabbed Colonial Hockey Conference Rookie of the Week twice.

McAleer’s most recent honor came Feb. 4 after she tallied four points (two goals, two assists) in 5-2 win over Neumann the day prior. Not only was it a career day for the freshman, but it was a record-setting contest for Nichols, as it set a regular-season wins mark with nine.

“I think that was absolutely my fondest moment because we all dialed in,” McAleer said of the game. “We all worked as hard as possible and together we made [women’s ice hockey] history. This year’s team is a team of firsts and it feels good to be a part of something so successful.”

McAleer’s path to the Bison is a unique one. She was actually recruited by former head coach Wil Brown, who stepped down, and was succeeded by former University of Maine women’s ice hockey assistant Mike O’Grady.

“I touched base with Mel when I got the job and she was in and said she was coming, so we kind of just went from there,” O’Grady said.

McAleer said the biggest adjustment from the high school to college level has been the speed of the game.

“Passes are much crisper and come much faster,” she said.

Building on speed

While at Whitman-Hanson, WHSL head coach Kevin Marani always raved about McAleer’s speed, but O’Grady said he’s seen her develop in other facets of the game as well.

“I think the other part that has come along is her ability to see some lanes, [and] not only put the puck in the net, but also give the puck,” O’Grady said. “She’s gotten better with some patience and the speed of the game and just the way things happen and reading lanes and more of some of the intricacies that come into the college level, playing within a system and understanding how to play within a system and how it can continue to help her be successful in putting the puck in the net.

“She’s grown in that way in terms of her hockey IQ has grown a ton, she’s not just playing at the Mass. high school level, where she was able to be really successful but at the same time, she was so skilled that she stood out a lot more where at the college level, you have to buy into the system, which she’s done very well to be successful.”

McAleer said the key to success at the collegiate rank is simply just competing for your teammates.

“Success on the ice at the college level is playing for the girl sitting next to me,” McAleer said. “I work as hard as possible from the minute I lace up my skates.”

McAleer, whose pregame ritual consists of putting on her headphones and imagining herself making plays from a fan’s perspective, said fully intends to finish out the campaign strong.

“A personal goal I have for myself is my first collegiate hat trick, but my main goal is my team’s success at all costs,” McAleer said. “I hope to get far in playoffs because we are absolutely capable of that.”

All-Star skaters: McAleer, Tracy named to Shriners team

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Hanson’s Mel McAleer and Hannah Tracy have been selected to skate in the Shriners All-Star Classic on Sunday, April 2 at 2 p.m.

Two members of the Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake high school girls’ hockey team have been tabbed to skate in the Shriners All-Star Classic.

Hanson residents and WHSL captains Mel McAleer and Hannah Tracy will be representing the co-op as members of the South roster in this year’s event on Sunday, April 2 at 2 p.m. at the Canton Ice House.

The Shriners All-Star Classic features the best players in the state and squares off the North against the South. After the rosters are finalized, each player is tasked with raising money for Shriners Hospitals for Children, a health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals.

WHSL head coach Kevin Marani said he couldn’t be more proud to have two of his players in this prestigious contest.

“It means a lot to our program because of the game and what the game represents,” Marani said. “I’m very happy.”

MCALEER

For McAleer, this will mark her second straight trip to the event. “I would say being nominated for the Shriners [All-Star Classic] twice was absolutely my biggest achievement on the ice,” McAleer said.

McAleer, who has scored a lot of goals — 110 to be exact — in almost four seasons competing for Whitman-Hanson/Pembroke and then WHSL said it’s a great honor to be known as one of the best hockey players in Massachusetts but that says little about her as a person.

“Being able to be use my ability to create [an] opportunity to give back to those who really need it as much as I do is a greater accomplishment that any number of times I can put a puck in a net,” McAleer said.

With the Division 2 state title game slated to take place in mid to late March, this will be the final time McAleer skates as a member of the Panthers.

“I am most excited for the game because it will be a great completion and it will ultimately be the last time I represent WHSL on the ice,” McAleer said.

TRACY

For Tracy, who was on the bubble of cracking the roster last season, this will be her first time in the Shriners All-Star Classic. The Whitman-Hanson senior said she received word of her nomination while skimming through her email and almost accidently deleted it.

“I was excited that I’m going to be playing up against the best in the state in a game that has such a strong meaning behind it,” Tracy said. “Playing next to some of the best and some of the girls I’ve played with over the years is exciting, so it will be a fun time.”

Tracy has racked up 21 goals and dished out 22 assists thus far this season and has been an integral part of WHSL’s success since its inaugural campaign in 2014— helping the co-op reach the postseason for its third straight year. In this contest, she said she isn’t worried about the fi- nal score.

“The most exciting part about playing in this game is even if my team wins or loses we still win by helping out the Shriners Hospital,” Tracy said.

The 1-2 duo of McAleer and Tracy is split up most of the year due to their instant impact on whoever they play with, and Tracy said she is hopeful the two can skate on the same line in this event.

“It’s a good feeling knowing you can play with a teammate,” Tracy said. “We don’t play together much during the season, but when we do we areunstoppable.”

FUNDRAISING

In preperation for the game, the two participants have set up GoFundMe campaigns to raise money for the Aleppo Shriners Children’s Transportation Fund.

McAleer’s page can be found at: https://www.gofundme. com/shriners-all-starclassic- hockey

Tracy’s page can be found at: https://www.gofundme. com/3c9qoa8?lang=en-US