University of New Hampshire Athletics
18 Years and Counting
4/17/2019 4:01:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey, #WildcatsCare
By Leah Wyner
Special to UNHWildcats.com
Walking into one of the Woodman Park School's classrooms in Dover this past Monday, there was more buzz and excitement than one would expect, even from a room filled with six-year-olds. This was for a good reason, as two of the students there were not kindergarteners, but University of New Hampshire men's hockey players.
Sophomore Benton Maass (Elk River, Minn.) and freshman Drew Hickey (New Canaan, Conn.) continued a now 18-year tradition going of UNH men's hockey student-athletes reading to the kindergarten class of the Woodman Park School, and showing them the potential they have to be successful after high school.
Maass and Hickey read from two books that used the alphabet and numbers to help explain the game of hockey and its history. Open the front cover of these books, and one will see the signatures of past UNH players who have read those very books, and after Monday, now have both Maass and Hickey's names added to the collection.
Lisa Simko, the Woodman Park teacher who has helped coordinate this event since 2002, knows how important of a message this day sends, which is why she looks forward to it every year.
"We just think it's a great opportunity to talk about college and what opportunities are after high school. There's a lot of things that kids can do and we think it's a nice opportunity for them to see young people being successful and continuing to play sports while they are going to school."
After reading the stories, Maass and Hickey had the opportunity to answer some questions from the eager students, which included "Why do you play ice hockey?", "Why do you have that animal on your shirt?", and "When did you start playing hockey?"
This last question got some excited responses when Hickey recalled learning at age six, to which much of the room exclaimed how they were, in fact, six years old too. Overall, the answers the two gave included loving what they do, and the importance of team work and dedication.
"Just seeing the reactions on the kids' faces and seeing how they enjoyed it was great," Maass said as he recalled fun moments from the afternoon. "It was cool to hear some of the questions they had and their enthusiasm about seeing us there."
Hickey added, "It's important to do things like this. To see their reactions and their excitement, it means the world to them, so it's cool to be able to do this."
As the UNH men's hockey team upholds this tradition each year, they help show young students in the community that they have the potential to do what they love and to be successful academically as they grow older.
To learn more about Wildcats in the Community, go to the Wildcats in the Community page presented by Kennebunk Savings.
Special to UNHWildcats.com
Walking into one of the Woodman Park School's classrooms in Dover this past Monday, there was more buzz and excitement than one would expect, even from a room filled with six-year-olds. This was for a good reason, as two of the students there were not kindergarteners, but University of New Hampshire men's hockey players.
Sophomore Benton Maass (Elk River, Minn.) and freshman Drew Hickey (New Canaan, Conn.) continued a now 18-year tradition going of UNH men's hockey student-athletes reading to the kindergarten class of the Woodman Park School, and showing them the potential they have to be successful after high school.
Maass and Hickey read from two books that used the alphabet and numbers to help explain the game of hockey and its history. Open the front cover of these books, and one will see the signatures of past UNH players who have read those very books, and after Monday, now have both Maass and Hickey's names added to the collection.
Lisa Simko, the Woodman Park teacher who has helped coordinate this event since 2002, knows how important of a message this day sends, which is why she looks forward to it every year.
"We just think it's a great opportunity to talk about college and what opportunities are after high school. There's a lot of things that kids can do and we think it's a nice opportunity for them to see young people being successful and continuing to play sports while they are going to school."
After reading the stories, Maass and Hickey had the opportunity to answer some questions from the eager students, which included "Why do you play ice hockey?", "Why do you have that animal on your shirt?", and "When did you start playing hockey?"
This last question got some excited responses when Hickey recalled learning at age six, to which much of the room exclaimed how they were, in fact, six years old too. Overall, the answers the two gave included loving what they do, and the importance of team work and dedication.
"Just seeing the reactions on the kids' faces and seeing how they enjoyed it was great," Maass said as he recalled fun moments from the afternoon. "It was cool to hear some of the questions they had and their enthusiasm about seeing us there."
Hickey added, "It's important to do things like this. To see their reactions and their excitement, it means the world to them, so it's cool to be able to do this."
As the UNH men's hockey team upholds this tradition each year, they help show young students in the community that they have the potential to do what they love and to be successful academically as they grow older.
To learn more about Wildcats in the Community, go to the Wildcats in the Community page presented by Kennebunk Savings.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Ice Hockey
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