Archive for January, 2009

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

   Walpole High boys’ hockey Coach Bill Meehan, who played professional and pick-up as well as high school and intercollegiate hockey, thought he had seen it all.
   Until Saturday night, that is.
   That’s when he saw something he couldn’t believe, and still has no idea what exactly happened, or why.
   The red-hot Rebels were up on host Newton North at the Fessenden Rink 3-1, with 1.7 seconds left in the second stanza.
   There was one more face-off to be taken before the end of the period and players on both sides were standing about, talking to teammates, getting ready for the referee to drop the puck.
   Then he did, without warning, and the only one who was ready when he dropped it was the Newton North center, immediately one-timing a shot on net while the Rebels were out of position.
   Check that. There were two people ready, or maybe one not ready who had lightning reflexes as Walpole goalie Billy Sweeney somehow made a great save on a shot that no one knew was coming.
   Bewildered, Meehan started calling to the ref, trying to get him to come over to Walpole’s bench and explain what happened. When the ref wouldn’t budge Meehan went over to meet him. Meehan then started back to the bench after being ordered to do so, figuring that at least they still had the 3-1 lead. But en route he was hit with a bench minor that handed the Tigers a power play to start the pivotal third period.
   “It was obvious that he alerted the center that he was going to do it,” offered Meehan. “Everyone else was standing upright, including Newton North. Thank goodness Billy was ready.”
   Thank goodness is right, because a goal at the end of the second and a power play score to start the third would have meant a tie game. Instead, the Rebels prevailed, 4-1, and coupled with a hard-fought, 4-3 win over Merrimack Valley foe Methuen last Tuesday, the Rebels were able to extend their winning streak to five straight games and raise their record to 5-1.
   Still the strange occurrence begs for answers, such as how would someone not knowing a puck would be dropped early be even thinking of one-timing a shot from the face-off circle, and why was Meehan still hit with a bench minor after leaving when told to?
   “It’s an unfortunate event,” declared Meehan. “We’ve never been later before, and we weren’t late for this one. It was an important face-off, which would have made it 3-2. Basically I’m walking to the ref because he wouldn’t even come up to me and explain what happened. He refused to do it.
   “I walked down and asked, and I wasn’t rude. That was absolutely uncalled for. I said to him ‘you gave him a prime position to get back into the game.’ He said ‘turn around and walk back’ and I did, and I still got hit with the tech.”
   Meehan decided his course of action was to write a letter to the person who oversees the officials and demand an explanation for what happened.
   “If the refs are going to make moves like that, they should be prepared to come over and explain themselves,” continued Meehan. “Three minutes before that, they waited for Newton North to get a fifth player. They could have dropped the puck in that one.”
   The Rebels weren’t sure what happened until they got into the locker room. Then they decided their course of action.
   Another Walpole team another year may have gone out and started a brouhaha, out of frustration. These guys, who only had a couple of penalties all game, went out and dominated the third period, including the opening power play.
   “I told the kids that we can’t afford to let the refs take over the game,” said Meehan.
The Rebels built their lead on a first-period goal and two in the second. The icebreaker came at 1:14 of the first just after the first shift ended. Just before the shift change Mike Rockwell dumped the puck into the zone and headed to the bench. Linemates Tom Tempesta and Ty Golden were in the zone working the puck and newcomer Ryan O’Coin came flying in to the front, collected a pass and buried a shot past sophomore goalie Alex Biederman.
   Biederman and Sweeney then traded great saves in the first and the teams played even until North tied 1-1 with 3:10 left on an unassisted Sean Yule blast from the point. Just before, Biederman gloved a Golden shot.
   Shortly after the first goal Tempesta had a wide open shot with Biederman apparently down and out, but somehow he snagged a shot in the air meant to pop over.
   Then North sustained a penalty, and Walpole worked on the power play. But when their skater came back on it was when North threw the puck toward Walpole’s end and he picked it up like it was a pass. Coming in full tilt he took a breakaway shot on Sweeney, who dove to his side for the stop.
   Walpole surged ahead again with 6:24 left in the second when Tempesta slid a pass to Rockwell, who one-timed it. They got a break on a Newton call with 2:41 to go and with 1:58 left, Tempesta took a Rockwell pass from the corner and tapped in a back-door score.
   Everything was going well until play stopped at 1.7, then the one-man face-off.
   The third started with Tempesta, Golden, Tim Bailey and Brendan Corcoran shorthanded, and they did a great job, with Corcoran even getting a shot in after a steal.
   A frustrated Newton picked up another penalty with 1:32 left and Walpole iced the game with a power play goal. This time the puck went to Corey Menno on the point and he ripped a slap shot.
   North sustained four more penalties in the third, and Walpole took over, keeping them pinned in their own end.
   The game came on the heels of a duel between the Rebels and Methuen’s exciting Dan Loughlin.
   The locals took a 3-0 lead into the second and 4-0 lead into the third. Defenseman Mike Semler started the scoring at 2:33 of the first with his first varsity goal, a wrist shot set up by Bailey.
   Five minutes later, at 7:44, they were on the power play. Tempesta kicked a pass out to Menno at the point, and when he slapped a low one on net, Golden tipped it. Walpole made it 3-0 with 47 seconds left when Christian Miller set up Dave Conroy, who put one over Jon Borden’s blocker.
   Walpole scored another power play goal with 6:03 left in the second, Golden tipping another singeing Menno slapper.
   Everything looked good until seconds into the third when Loughlin picked up a loose puck and walked in alone with it.
   At 9:26 Loughlin struck again, intercepting a pass between two defensemen and scoring a second unassisted goal on a breakaway. With 2:53 left things got really dicey when Loughlin took the puck into the corner and kicked it back out to Mike Lussier to close the gap to 4-3.
   The Rangers then hung on until they could pull Borden for a sixth skater, but were not able to complete the comeback.
 

Read “Guys thwart referee’s call” on the Wicked Local Walpole website

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

   Accused child rapist and former Walpole High School football coach Danny Villa was released from police custody today following the activation of a Global Positioning System that will monitor his whereabouts.
    At Villa’s hearing this morning, a Wrentham District Court judge agreed to allow Villa to live in a location outside of Walpole.   
    Villa, 44, who was being held at the Norfolk County Correctional Facility in Dedham, pleaded not guilty to charges of statutory rape and enticement of a minor at his arraignment on Dec. 30.
    According to the District Attorney’s office, Villa posted $7,500 bail early this morning, was fitted with a GPS bracelet and surrendered his passport.
    Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Rowe, however, was concerned that Villa may have an-other passport because the one he surrendered has been expired for 10 years.
    A sullen-looking and handcuffed Villa, wearing the same blazer and oxford shirt in which he was arrested and arraigned, said he did not possess another passport.
    “There’s no risk of flight,” said his attorney, Heather Baer.
    District Court Judge Warren A. Powers said Villa is not permitted to obtain or apply for a passport; prior bail terms also stipulate he must stay away from all Walpole schools as well as the alleged victim, her family, and children under the age of 16 (with the exception of his own kids).
    The disgraced former New England Patriot and Walpole High Athletic Director and teacher faces a lifetime behind bars for allegedly raping a 15-year-old Walpole High School student.
    Rowe expressed apprehension that Villa would be living seven-tenths of a mile away from another town’s high school, where there would be a large community of students who are under 16.
    Villa’s bail terms do not specify a distance he must stay away from minors or state that he must stay away from schools that are not in Walpole, argued Baer.
    “(Villa) has agreed to abide by the court’s order to stay away from Walpole public schools,” she said.
    Baer also said that a “very high percentage” of residences in the state are close to a school, adding, “seven-tenths of a mile is a considerable distance.”
    Rowe told the court she didn’t think the living situation would be appropriate, calling the fact that specifics weren’t set at the Superior Court bail hearing a “wrinkle.”
    It is not known at this time where exactly Villa will be living or who has taken him in. Villa’s wife reportedly filed for divorce and sole custody of their four children when the rape charges came forth.
    Stating concerns that he would be harassed by the press, Baer asked the court to impound Villa’s new address – meaning it would not be available to anyone besides essential court personnel.
    “This case has already become something of a media circus,” she said.
    Powers agreed to not release the information himself, but refused to impound it.
    “The protection (of privacy) should go to the victim, not the defendant,” he said. “What are you protecting the defendant from?”
    Although Villa’s movements will be monitored by the GPS, he is not under house arrest and is free to move as he pleases – as long as the bail terms are not violated.
    Villa’s pretrial hearing is set for Wednesday, Jan. 28 in Wrentham District Court.
    Keith Ferguson can be reached at keith@walpoletimes.com or 508-668-0243 ext. 14.

   Check back here for frequent updates.
 

Read “Villa released with GPS bracelet” on the Wicked Local Walpole website

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

    The Braintree High boys’ hockey team must have felt like it was on the wrong end of a before-and-after commercial featuring its Walpole counterparts in the championship game of the Fourth Annual Milbury Cup on the night of Dec. 27.
   Only a few days before, they had beaten the Rebels rather easily, 4-1.
   The Wamps were flying high on the goaltending of Robby Campbell and shooting of senior Captain Justin Quinn, and were recently ranked as high as fourth in Eastern Massachusetts by the polls. They had reached he final by ousting defending champion King Philip, 3-1, on Tuesday.
   Of course that was before junior Mike Rockwell got hot and used a Gretzky-ish performance in the tourney to help beat Medfield, 5-3 Tuesday and then help deliver a 4-2 win over the Wamps and return the Milbury Cup to its origination in Walpole.
   The Cup’s first stop this winter was a worthy one, the hands of captains Tom Tempesta, Pat MacLellan and Tyler Golden. Its second destination was just as worthy: the Tempesta household as Tom showed it to his dad, Tom, still recovering from a heart attack he suffered back in May.
   Before they could keep it from the Wamps, however, they had to deal with Medfield. With the Walpole High boys’ hockey team fighting off penalties and trying to keep its composure against vastly improved Medfield, the Rebels needed a rock solid performance to pull out a win.
   Walpole got exactly what it needed as Mike Rockwell scored four goals. The junior forward’s output was certainly necessary as the Warriors kept knocking the Rebels off their rhythm, especially in the first period when they let a couple of calls get to them.
   It seemed every time the Warriors had an answer for Walpole Rockwell came back with a reply of his own. He scored his first to tie at 1-all, and then scored two more for the hat trick, putting Walpole ahead, 3-1. Then, after Medfield tied again at 3-all and senior captain Tyler Golden scored the eventual game-winner, Rock added an insurance goal.
   Naturally the prolific scorer couldn’t win the game all by himself and he didn’t. A crew of penalty killers came up big throughout and kept Medfield from grabbing the lead and momentum in a choppy game. Senior goalie Jack Eckart did well as he tried to do everything in his power to keep the puck from going in his net.
   Eckart, who finished with 25 saves, wasn’t afraid to roam away from the crease for loose pucks, and once in the third, he did a belly flop across the crease to cover up another loose puck.
   It was a great effort in light of all the Medfield power plays. The game practically started out on a power play as the Rebels were called for boarding within the first couple of minutes.
They not only fought that off, but also got a quality shot on net by Golden set up by defenseman A. J. Rossi. Rossi sent a blistering nine shots on net the first period alone.
   Despite outshooting the visitors 14-8 during the span, the Rebels found themselves down 1-0 with 6:36 left in the first.
   Medfield defenseman Brendan Cioto set up at the blue line with the puck and passed to Devin Murray, who tried to stuff it past Eckart. He stopped the initial bid but Tom Graham, alone at the left post, slammed the rebound home.
   Walpole was peppering goalie Al Ricciardelli right away, but didn’t even the score until there was just a minute to go during a 5-on-3 power play. Ricciadelli had stopped consecutive Rossi slappers from left point before Golden passed to Rockwell in front. Rocky finished the play off with a wrister past Ricciardelli’s left side.
   The tie carried into the middle stanza, but by this time the Rebels were agitated, once by a 3-on-1 break called back and again when Captain Tom Tempesta took a punch to the helmet.
The Rebels seemed constantly a man down and were out of sync. But in the middle of the second they started gelling again.
   At the of a power play gained by Medfield with 4:15 left in the second Eckart was literally under siege, but a couple of good stops plus an excellent penalty killing job by Ryan Gulla killed the threat.
   The Rebels followed that with an equally solid performance against Braintree. They were without all-star defenseman Corey Menno for the second straight game but it mattered little as MacLellan returned from a concussion and played well. Also shining on D were Mike Semler, Gulla and AJ Rossi, especially shorthanded.
   The Rebels got a spectacular performance from junior goalie Billy Sweeney, and as a unit they were effective in every aspect of the game, including forechecking, backchecking and following shots.
   Where the Rebels really shone, however, was on offense. For the second straight game Rockwell was on fire with a hat trick. His seven goals made him a shoo-in for the tourney’s 2008 MVP trophy.
   The offense wasn’t all Rockwell, however and neither was his line. Center Golden and speedy wing Tempesta were Rocky’s Wayne Cashman and Ken Hodge to his Phil Esposito. While he appeared to be a goal machine scores were actually a result of how well they worked together and were unselfish.
   “I can’t say enough about Tom Tempesta and the kind of sparkplug he’s been for the team,” offered Meehan. He and Tyler Golden have been very consistent. Rockwell got the MVP because he’s the finisher, but they’re working so hard in the corners to set him up.”
It obviously worked as the line scored the final three Walpole goals.
   It was Brendan Corcoran who got them off and running, however.
   Only seconds after Sweeney stemmed a Kevin Earnest breakaway, the Rebels came flying right back, with Ryan Gulla breaking the puck out of the zone and feeding it to Corcoran. The center then took it off to right wing and cut across the front of the net stuffing it behind Campbell. Following Corc was Ryan O’Coin, ready to finish off any rebound.
   The Wamps tried hard for the equalizer right after, but had their pockets picked repeatedly when they tried to get something set up. Two key plays came when Golden pilfered a clear with eight minutes left in the first and a beautiful steal at the blue line in Walpole’s zone by Tempesta with 6:45 left.
   Tempesta carried the puck all the way in and dished to Rockwell, who lifted a shot from right wing. Campbell made the save but the Rebels kept the pressure on, sending the puck out to Semler at the point for another try. Semler blasted a slapper toward the left post, and it was redirected by Rockwell.
   Braintree spoiled the shutout with 5:38 left in the middle stanza as Tim Harrington’s shot sailed low inside the left post.
   A Walpole penalty right after threatened to allow the Wamps to tie, but Sweeney made two excellent saves before Golden cleared. The Rebels fended off the Wamps the rest of the period, and enjoyed a second Rockwell goal with 1:08 left in the second. This time Golden won a face-off and sent it into the right circle. Rockwell scrambled for the puck and sent it in.
   Braintree started the third with 54 seconds left on a power play, and was stymied by two saves. But six seconds after the Rebels were back at full strength, at 1:00, Braintree closed to one again, as Brian Downing tipped a screened shot from the point by Kevin Lydon.
   Again a power play threatened to even the score but A. J. Rossi, Semler, Corcoran and Tim Bailey did a great job of killing it.
   The insurance goal came with 42.9 seconds left. Tempesta stole the puck from a defenseman, and then sped through two defenders into Braintree’s zone. The wrist shot was stopped, but Rockwell was there for the rebound.
   “I wasn’t focused on the MVP today, but just winning the cup,” offered Rockwell. “Once I scored it started coming to me again. It’s just good to get the cup back in Walpole.”
   McClellan was happy he could contribute.
   “I came back at the right time, it couldn’t have been better,” said the senior defenseman. “We got it back because we wanted it more.”
Braintree 0  2  0  -  2
Walpole  2  1  1  -  4
1st pd – W, Brendan Corcoran (Ryan Gulla) 5:30; W, Mike Rockwell (Mike Semler) 11:01. 2nd pd – B, Tim Harrington (Paul Souza) 9:22; W, Rockwell (Ty Golden) 13:52. 3rd pd – B, pp, Brian Downing (Kevin Lydon) 1:00; W, Rockwell (Tom Tempesta) 14:18.
 

Read “Rebels get handle on the Cup” on the Wicked Local Walpole website

From the Wicked Local Walpole website:

     A Wrentham District Court judge this morning reduced bail for Daniel Villa from $100,000 to $7,500.
    But the man who coached Walpole High to its dominant Super Bowl run just three weeks ago will remain in custody pending the installation of a GPS monitoring system. His next court date is Jan. 7. The Boston Herald reports that Villa’s wife has filed for divorce and is seeking custody of their four children.
    Villa, 44, was arraigned Tuesday morning in Wrentham District Court, where he pleaded not guilty to charges of three counts of rape of a child over 14 and three counts of enticing a minor.
   Villa, who has since resigned from his positions as Walpole High athletic director, head football coach and teacher, was ordered him to stay away from his alleged 15-year-old female victim as well as her family, Walpole schools and any children under 16 except his own.
    Prosecutors said Villa was the victim’s basketball coach before she entered high school. The girl told police she had always been good friends with Villa.
    According to a police report, Villa began meeting the girl outside school in October, including near a housing development under construction in the town. Their meetings, which occurred until December, progressed from talking to kissing to touching, the girl told police.
   Villa allegedly raped the student on three occasions, the report said.
    On Dec. 11, the girl’s father found more than 500 text messages allegedly written by Villa during a one-month period. Some of the messages said Villa had made a mistake, was going to lose his wife and children and that he loved the girl, according to the report written by Walpole Police Detective James O’Connell.
   Villa, an Arizona native, turned himself in to police Saturday night in Tucson, a day after Wrentham District Court issued a warrant for his arrest. He had gone to Arizona to spend Christmas with his family.
    Upon arriving at Logan Airport early Tuesday morning, Villa was taken into custody by Walpole and State Police, who were aware of his impending arrival, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office.
    He was transported to the Walpole police station to be booked on warrants for the rape of a child and enticement that had been issued for his arrest, according to the D.A.’s office.
    The allegations came to light when a parent of the student went to School Supt. Lincoln Lynch and Walpole police last week.
    The parents of the girl were alerted to her contact with Villa after discovering "inappropriate" text messages from Villa on her cell phone, according to Walpole Deputy Chief Scott Bushway.
    In a written statement, Lynch said he had received "a credible parent complaint related to the conduct of Mr. Daniel Villa."
    Villa resigned from his positions at Walpole High on Dec. 23, hours after Lynch confronted him over the allegations and placed him on paid administrative leave.
    Shortly thereafter, Villa traveled to Arizona to spend Christmas with his relatives, leaving behind his wife and four children in Walpole, according to several news reports.
    Initially, Villa’s attorney told police her client would be flying back to Massachusetts last Friday to turn himself in. When he failed to arrive on his scheduled flight, Walpole authorities issued a fugitive warrant, Bushway said.
    Upon learning that Arizona police were seeking to arrest him on the Massachusetts charges, Villa turned himself in to local authorities in Tucson, according to his attorney.
    Villa had been the high school’s head football coach for the past eight years, compiling a 72-23 record with four postseason appearances. This year, his team capped an undefeated season with a Division 2 Eastern Massachusetts Super Bowl win over Mansfield on Dec. 6.
    Among the hardest hit were students and former Walpole High School football players, like Tim Pelletier, who graduated in 2005 and played for Villa.
    "He was a great coach, a great guy," Pelletier told WBZ-TV. "He was almost like a second father to all the players."
    As an offensive guard, Villa played in the NFL from 1987 to 1998, spending six years with the Patriots. He also played with the Phoenix Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers.
    He starred at Arizona State from 1984-86 before being drafted by New England.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Read “Judge reduces bail in Villa case” on the Wicked Local Walpole website