By John Orrell, Contributing Writer
Northborough – When senior co-captain Alex DiPadua stepped off TD Garden ice following his team’s pursuit of a Division 3 state championship on March 20, it was both an ending and a beginning for his promising hockey career.
Algonquin Regional’s 5-1 loss to Eastern Mass. champion Hanover High was DiPadua’s final appearance in a Tomahawk uniform and saying good-bye to his high school playing days after such an incredible 2015-2016 season was one of the hardest moments he has endured, he admits. But while his ARHS playing days are now behind him, his continuation of the sport he has loved since infancy still proceeds. Just how far his skills and passion will take him will unfold in the months to come.
DiPadua is dedicating at least his near future to developing his ice hockey prowess and is exploring various opportunities in Junior Hockey at a higher level than he has played heretofore. Junior Hockey is the next step up from high school for aspiring players ages 16-21 and is strictly amateur. In Canada, the highest level is major junior, and is governed by the Canadian Hockey League which itself has three leagues. In the United States, the top level is Tier I, which consists of the United States Hockey League. Tier II is represented by the North American Hockey League, so there are numerous directions, including Europe possibly, that DiPadua may take when all is said and done.
His next opportunity to showcase his skills comes with Team Massachusetts in April when he and others considered all-stars from Massachusetts compete in Minnesota against teams from other states across the country.
At 5’5”, DiPadua is not your quintessential hockey player that has towering and intimidating presence on the ice. But, make no mistake, what he may lack in height, he more than makes up for in toughness, skill and grit.
“Most people under-estimate me and say that I’m tiny but I sometimes knock down some of the bigger guys out there,” said DiPadua, brushing off any suggestion that his diminutive stature hampers his ice hockey performance. “I have my style of play out there kind of like (Boston Bruin) Brad Marchand, like a low-centered guy who gets goals and can make plays happen and get under people’s skin and throw them off their game.”
The results of his performance speak for themselves. DiPadua led all Roy Conference scorers this season with 35 points (19 goals, 16 assists) and alongside co-captains Joe Sullivan, Justin O’Connell and Mike Tascione, led the Tomahawks to a playoff win-streak that will not soon be forgotten, rattling off successive victories over Hudson (2-1), Shrewsbury (3-2), Groton-Dunstable (2-1) and Westfield (6-2), the middle two of which were OT shootouts that tested the mettle of this T-Hawk squad. The results were a Division 3 Central Mass. crown, a victory in state semifinal play (the school’s first ever appearance) and a berth in the state championship game hosted by Boston’s TD Garden.
“It was like a dream come true,” explained DiPadua, of his team’s 2015-2016 incredible ride. “I never thought in my four years at Algonquin that we’d make it to the TD Garden. I don’t think anybody did. To have my last game as a senior at the TD Garden was incredible and like a dream come true. We stepped in there and there were nothing but nice things. The locker rooms were unreal. The atmosphere was amazing and the support of our crowd was unreal.
“It was a disappointment (5-1 loss to Eastern Mass. champion Hanover) but at the same time it was our last game and we knew that it was going to end that day and to be one of the last two teams playing was unreal. It feels amazing to know that I and our captains led our team this far. It’s surreal to think that we accomplished that.”
“Alex is a hard worker with a great shot and great stick-handling skills,” said ARHS head coach Andy McGowan of his senior co-captain. “He is a player we can put out there in just about any situation because he has a sense for moving the puck up ice. On and off the ice he makes a positive impact on the players around him and is a great team player.”
DiPadua’s love for ice hockey came very early on and led to a number of youth hockey programs including the highly-recognized North Star Selects. He credits his dad, Peter, as his biggest supporter and appreciates the sacrifices made to make him a better player.
“He’s always getting me going and setting me up for hockey and paying for everything and helping all the way,” DiPadua said. “He’d drive me everywhere and for that I’m hugely grateful.”
There is much to look forward to and anticipate for this likeable senior in the days and weeks to come but for now he’s enjoying the memories of his team’s success and how it all came together as far back as before Christmas.
“I saw a lot of possibility in the team,” DiPadua said. “I wanted to see how we could work together as a team and the Borough’s Cup (first victory since 1997) really proved ourselves. That was definitely a starting point for us and we just kept rolling from there.
“It was an unreal experience with my team. My team is my family and I love being with them.”