By Nick Curcuru
One year removed from helping the Malden Catholic boys hockey team reach the Final Four of the Super 8 tournament, Gloucester's Brett Biondo will be moving on to the next level.
The recently graduated Biondo will be playing this upcoming hockey season on the New England Huskies Junior A team of the Eastern Junior Hockey League.
"I'm really excited," Biondo said. "It's the best thing I could do right now, the hockey is good and they play in a good league."
The 17-year-old Biondo helped Gloucester High School to the 2006 Division 2 state championship as a freshman and led the 2008 Northeastern Conference championship team in goals as a junior. The speedy left winger finished with 80 points in three years at Gloucester High before transferring to Malden Catholic as a senior, where his team won the Catholic Conference and made it to the Final Four of the Super 8 tournament.
The former Gloucester High School standout was drawn to the Huskies by his cousin, Jeremy Fanning, who was a 2008 graduate and another Northeastern Conference All-Star while at Gloucester High School. From Fanning's recommendation, Biondo tried out for the team and made it.
"The tryouts went great," Biondo said. "It was a typical tryout but with a lot more scrimmaging."
What hooked Biondo to the team is the league, as the Eastern Junior Hockey League is one of the most highly-touted junior leagues in the area. This season Biondo will be facing off against teams such as the Junior Bruins, the Jersey Hitmen, the Syracuse Stars and the New Hampshire Monarchs.
Biondo will also have to make a few adjustments to playing for the Huskies, who start practice in mid-August and end their season in April.
For starters he will have to make the adjustment from playing 20 games in High School to 45 games this junior hockey season. Biondo will also have to travel, while a lot of junior hockey players live with a host family, Biondo will make the one hour trek to Fitchburg every day for practice and games. Junior hockey is also a full-time gig, as Biondo will not have to juggle a class schedule and homework. Lastly the talent level is much higher, but if anybody can handle it a super fast winger with a knack for finishing can do it.
"It's going to be a tough transition," Biondo said. "It's all hockey all the time. I'm going to have to work as hard as I can. The ride might be a little tough everyday but it's well worth it."
Biondo is hoping that a stint with the Huskies will lead him into college. While he doesn't have any schools in mind yet, Biondo is hoping a strong season in juniors will eventually lead to a good college.
"I'm hoping this year will get me some more college options," Biondo said. "I'm only 17 and I think a year at this level of hockey will be great for me."
