That's my view, right there on the right, for about 30 or so hockey games every winter at the Falmouth Ice Arena. From that perch I've written some of "Season On the Brink," and was editing the second draft from right there when I snapped that photo on December 5 while watching the Falmouth High boys play a scrimmage against Hanover High School.
The high school hockey season in Massachusetts officially began on December 6. There were two games that night, and three more on Friday. Today, Saturday, December 8, there are 68 games in the state. By next weekend there will be well over 100 games played on most Saturday and Wednesday nights until late February.
How do I know how many games are each day, that's easy. On top of covering the Falmouth and Mashpee teams for The Enterprise newspapers, I also -- along with my wife -- serve as the scoreboard master for MyHockeyLive.com, which is a web site dedicated to promoting the game across our commonwealth. Just this morning I was texting with the coaches at Barnstable and Pope Francis High Schools, and by the end of the day I'll have touched base with a couple of dozen.
But back to the picture, I started thinking about the book when I grabbed that photo. As you probably know, a lot of my story is inspired by the season that the Falmouth High team had in 2016. However, the book is fiction and I drew upon my 20 -- man am I old -- seasons that I've covered the team for some of the details and color that make up the color and little details that, I think, give the book a realistic feel.
Without spoiling anything, I used one story in particular that readers will laugh at to describe a poor game that a former Eastport High School goaltender had against their rivals from Hyannis High School. When you read it you will probably laugh, and might think that Rich was digging deep into his imagination to make up the reason that the goalie got lit up that night.
I do have a pretty good imagination, but the story is based on a true story. Obviously I changed the name and year and those types of details, but the foundation of the anecdote is based on my recollection of that evening, and a couple of other people that either played or attended that night's festivities at the old Kennedy Ice Arena.
Thanks for checking in to take a look at the blog. The book continues to make progress towards completion. I'm hoping within the next few weeks that I will have a release date to start promoting for everyone. Until then, if you're looking for me, there's a good chance I'm sitting in that spot in the picture.
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