Prep School Hockey

Destined for Durham

Shane Eiserman has always been a man of many hockey teams, and now he can add another to the list. 

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Newburyport native accepted a full athletic scholarship offer from University of New Hampshire hockey coach Dick Umile last week. Still three years away from his expected 2014 graduation from high school, Eiserman is the third of three brothers to accept a full scholarship offer at a Division 1 college.

Brothers Billy and Chris accepted scholarships at their father's alma mater, UMass Lowell; Billy just reported to campus for his freshman year, Chris has another year of high school.

"I've wanted to go to UNH since I was a little kid," said Eiserman, who transferred from St. John's Prep to Cushing Academy in Ashburnham for his sophomore year. "I went for a visit last week, and they offered a full scholarship. I couldn't turn that down."

Eiserman, who now resides in West Newbury, had one of the top seasons of any freshman in North Shore hockey history last winter, helping to lift St. John's Prep to the Super 8 state championship game. The Eagles lost to Malden Catholic at the TD Garden in a game in which the freshman standout collected two assists. On the season, he ranked second among all North Shore players in goals (24) and points (52).

"When we saw Shane for the first time, we knew he was a special talent," said St. John's Prep Kristian Hanson. "He's not only a talented player, but a hard worker and a great kid. Generally, when you see a package like that, you can start to foresee his future."

Eiserman also surfaced on the radar of college coaches and scouts as a member of the US Under-17 Select Team at the 2011 U-17 Five Nations tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich., earlier this month.

"UNH saw me for the first time when I was with Team USA," Eiserman said. "They called me in for a visit. I met all the coaches — Coach Umile, Coach (Scott Borek). It felt like a college atmosphere, and I really wanted to play there. The rink is unreal.

Considering A Prep School Hockey Experience?

If you’re a hockey player or hockey family considering a prep/school experience, I wholeheartedly recommend Mike Zhe’s recent article, “ Prep Route Offers the Complete Package ” at hockeyjournal.com.

Zhe’s voice is knowledgable, finely detailed, and he’s spoken with some great coaches and members of the New England Hockey community.

He does a great job of speaking ‘hockey’ and connecting the opportunities and benefits of a combining boarding school experience with athletic pursuit.

My only quibbles with the piece are that it’s male centric; there’s great girls’ hockey too. And, that he’s a bit low on taking about tuition. Other, than these, he’s spot on.

Hockey runs wide and deep in New England with kids playing long schedules at all levels and families doing lots of driving to distant rinks throughout the winter and a storied past of great players moving on to collegiate and professional ranks.

Of considering a prep school experience:

“’It’s a benefit to anyone who’s going to play college athletics,’ said Pat Norton (Concord, N.H.), the boys’ hockey coach at the Tilton School in New Hampshire. ‘You’ve got to balance the academics, athletics and social life. And you have to do the exact same thing in prep school. You have to find that balance.’

Div, 1 and 3 college rosters are filled with players who opted to follow the prep school route. Some entered as ninth-graders and spent four full years there; others arrived as sophomores and juniors and spent a couple years at their school; still others opted just for a post-graduate year.

But all took something valuable away from their stays, through a unique combination of academics, athletics and living away from home for the first time that’s not offered anywhere else.

‘That’s one of the biggest things that prep schools offer, that time management and structure,’ said Derek Cunha (New Bedford, Mass.), the boys’ hockey coach and assistant director of admissions at Williston-Northampton School in Easthampton, Mass. ‘When players go on to college they know to get up on their own, go to practice, go to classes, lift (weights) in the evening, get their work done, and then repeat the whole cycle the next day.

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