thePULSENESHL gives hockey lovers a chance to play all year long
By Kim Dunbar
While some are hitting the beach and making the most of the last few days of summer, others are lacing up their skates to play some hockey.
Those who prefer gliding across ice over building sandcastles are headed to the New England Senior Hockey League (NESHL), an adult hockey league offering year-round action for adult skaters of all abilities and ages (18 and over), male or female. 
“Just because the hockey season is over in the winter, doesn’t mean we don’t want to play anymore,” said 26-year-old Tony Troiano, who has played at the NESHL’s league at the New England Sports Center in Marlboro for four years. “I think it is great that we play in the summer, makes it go by much quicker until the next NHL season comes around.”
Troiano is one of more than 5,000 skaters gearing up for the new NESHL fall season, the organization’s 30th. NESHL, founded by Paul Laubenstein in 1982, helped fill a void in hockey-crazed New England.
“There was a need for an adult hockey league in the area,” said Laubenstein, who serves as NESHL’s president and runs the league with the help of his wife, Lisa. Laubenstein, who used to play hockey with his friends on Saturday afternoons in Hyde Park, formed the league so that they could play teams of similar skill level.
“We started with four teams and have had growth every year since,” he added.
NESHL now boasts 330 teams playing in rinks all over Massachusetts.?According to Laubenstein, the Marlboro league, which has been around since 1998, is one of NESHL’s largest with 80 teams and 1,200 players.
“Hockey is a very popular sport in this area and a lot of people play it, and still want to play it,” said Troiano, who played hockey his whole life and joined NESHL after college. “This league gives us an opportunity to get out of the house, be active and play the game that we love.”
This fall, NESHL, which recently launched a brand new website, will offer a rookie league geared toward those who have been away from the game for a while or new to hockey, and have added Pointstreak (check out pointstreak.com/players/players-leagues.html?leagueid=1219), an online payment and statistics website.
“I think it will enhance the product,” said Laubenstein, who believes what separates the NESHL from other hockey leagues is what it offers players. “We make sure the league is well-run and well-maintained. People have certain expectations, not just to go out and play around on a sheet of ice.”
NESHL includes a league director, certified game officials, trained scorekeepers, game pucks, player jerseys and championship trophies for each division winner.
“I play in the league because I love hockey and will always have a passion for it,” said Troiano. “But being able to continue to play at a pretty high level, hanging out with the guys after the game, being around the rink and still living the dream will always make you feel young and wanting to keep playing.”
Added Troiano: “Funny thing about us hockey players, we are a rare breed … once we start to skate we won’t stop playing until we are physically unable to. And sometimes that won’t even stop us.”
Sun or snow, summer or winter ~ if you have it, hockey players will come.
Visit www.neshl.com for more information.
Pictured: 2010 Champions.
