| Dennis Hackett
dhackett@thereminder.com
Category:
EAST LONGMEADOW/SPRINGFIELD – After several years playing out of Massachusetts, East Longmeadow native and Springfield resident Peter Crinella made his debut for the Springfield Thunderbirds on Jan. 1.
Crinella said he has been playing hockey since he was a child.
“I got into hockey at a very young age – probably like five or six – my brother and I used to go to learn to skate together at Enfield, Olympia or anywhere there was ice. Getting into competitive hockey I followed in my brother’s footsteps, he played for a youth team in the area, then I followed him and we ended up playing with the Junior Falcons, and the rest is history after that,” he said.
Growing up, Crinella said he has fond memories of playing hockey in the basement with his brother, Frank, at their East Longmeadow home.
“My love for hockey really stems from playing hockey in the basement, we had a little net down there as pretty much every hockey player that has ever played has met with puck marks and dents, we really did not finish our basement until a couple years ago because we always played hockey down there,” he said.
Crinella detailed his hockey career, beginning with his time with the Junior Falcons to playing at Holy Cross in Worcester.
“I started with the New England Junior Falcons which is out of Enfield, CT – that was my youth team – and then once I got to high school I joined Cathedral High School, which had a pretty prolific hockey team so my freshman year I was able to play varsity with my brother,” he said. “We had a bunch of Division 1 commits through my high school career and I did not decide to leave my senior year until my coach from Holy Cross and wanted me to go in right after high school.”
After years following his brother’s footsteps, Crinella said they were finally able to share the ice as linemates at Cathedral.
“He was two years older than me, so I was always watching him play and I was able to get on the ice with him quite a bit. It was awesome when I got to high school and we were finally going to be able to be on the same team and we were actually linemates, which was pretty surreal for me.”
Crinella said playing at Holy Cross was a special experience for him.
“It was awesome, Coach [David] Berard did an excellent job preparing me as a student athlete. Holy Cross is a very rigorous, academic school so coming straight out of high school there was a big learning curve for hockey and academics wise,” he said.
During his Holy Cross playing days, Crinella said he played every position a forward can.
“My freshman year I was able to get into the lineup quite a bit, so I played pretty much every role from a fourth line guy to a first line, first power play type of player. As I grew my body got a little bit stronger and my mind got a little bit stronger so by my senior year, I was kind of rolling and it was an awesome experience,” he said. “Holy Cross was the best decision I made hockey and life-wise so far.”
Before moving jumping up to the American Hockey League with the Thunderbirds, Crinella spent several years playing for the Wichita Thunder in the East Coast Hockey League.
“This is my third year pro, I have been playing out in Wichita, KS, the last two and a half seasons, and I had never been out there so it was pretty cool to be out there at the start and then as a professional hockey player transitioning from college. When I got that call about a week and a half ago, it was surreal I was coming back home,” he said.
Crinella said he could not describe the emotions he felt when he took the ice for the first time at the Mass Mutual Center on Jan. 1.
“I had a little taste of what playing hockey in Springfield and my hometown was when I competed in the preseason game this year and that was an awesome moment. But to make my debut at the Mass Mutual Center, I just cannot really put into words about how awesome it was,” he said.
Through his first four games, Crinella scored two goals, including his first against the Providence Bruins on Jan. 2, which he described as a special moment.
“We were down and once you get into the game the instincts kind of take over and one of my teammates made me a really nice pass and I was able to get it off my stick really quick and it ended up going in. It really did not hit me until I got to the bench that I scored my first American League goal, and my parents, grandparents and brother were in the crowd. The emotions took over for about 30 seconds until I got back on the ice and played the rest of the game, it was a pretty cool moment for me,” he said.
In the near term, Crinella said he wants to make his mark on the AHL and try to make it to the National Hockey League (NHL).
“You just want to make a mark on the game and go as far as you can go. These are obviously my first couple games in the American League, but I want to stick around, produce and try to get to the next level, that is every hockey player’s goal. This level is fast, hard and very competitive but I want to test myself and see what player I am and what player I can be,” he said.
With several players from the Springfield area making it to the NHL, including Frank Vatrano and John Leonard, Crinella said the area is unique for hockey talent and growth.
“Springfield is a pretty unique place, we have a lot of hockey players that recently have broken barriers. My neighbor growing up was Frankie Vatrano and I grew up watching his career take off as a staple in Florida and he played for the Bruins at the start of the career,” he said. “Being a fan and a friend of him it was awesome to see and made me want to work harder, and then I ended up training with him.”
From what he’s learned from professionals who grew up in the area, Crinella said he pays it forward by coaching younger players over the summer through Pope Francis.
“You have to pay it forward, Frankie was a great mentor to me and Johnny Leonard as well, he was a grade below me at Cathedral and seeing those guys play at the highest level it makes you feel good you trained with those guys, walked in their shoes, you know what it takes to get to the next level and hopefully in the Springfield area it will inspire other guys to come up and try to get to the next level,” he said. “That was my main goal, especially playing in Springfield with all the kids I coach over the summer and the younger guys, just to get them to work hard.”