UMass player soldiers on

Five years have passed since Peter Trovato last wore a Catholic Memorial uniform, but the words of his high school coach still echo in the University of Massachusetts forward's ears before every game.

"Don't move a muscle," CM coach Bill Hanson would tell his players before each game. "Don't move anything. You're there to honor those soldiers. That's what they're playing that anthem for."

Lately, Trovato is doing more than standing at attention during national anthems. Trovato, who has recorded 10 assists in 25 games this season, is the founder and director of the Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund (www.mslfund.org), which aims to help pay college tuitions for children of Massachusetts military personnel killed in the war on terrorism. In its first two months, the fund has raised $50,000.

"Hopefully, the people of Massachusetts can do something to honor these soldiers," said Trovato, recently named a finalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award, presented annually to college hockey's finest citizen, according to the Hockey Humanitarian Foundation. "I thought the best way to honor them was to give their children the same privilege I have of going to college."

Service is nothing new to the North Attleborough native. During his sophomore season, Trovato and former Minutemen Greg Mauldin and Jeff Lang helped run a camp for the American Amputee Hockey Association. That same year, Trovato volunteered for Big Brothers Big Sisters and brought several teammates together to raise money for the Rodman Ride for Kids, which raises funds for vital children's programs. This year, the Minutemen have visited the Grove Street Inn, a Northampton homeless shelter, once a month to help staff and meet with residents.

But last summer, while interning for State Representative Michael Rush (D-Boston) and at Granite Telecommunications in Quincy, Trovato dreamed up a service venture that would go beyond one-day hockey clinics and monthly visits. Trovato kept reading stories and hearing reports of Massachusetts soldiers being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, orphaning their children. In many cases, the soldiers were men his age, wielding guns instead of hockey sticks in danger zones Trovato couldn't imagine.

"Being asked to leave your family and parents and being away for Thanksgiving or Christmas? That's a scary thing," said Trovato, who knows of two CM classmates who are serving in Iraq. "I can't even fathom myself being put in that situation. Those guys do it. They deserve to be recognized."

Granite CEO Rob Hale committed to becoming a trustee if Trovato could establish the fund. With the help of Beverly lawyer Dave Fissette, the UMass senior drafted a trust for the fund. On Dec. 1, the fund received a taxpayer identification number from the IRS, which allowed Trovato to begin soliciting donations. Hale donated $22,000 while Tim Pinch, another trustee, contributed $10,000.

Directing the fund has eliminated any free time Trovato had. One morning earlier this week, after completing a class online and e-mailing a professor regarding an upcoming honors project, Trovato hurried to a lunchtime meeting to discuss purchasing stationery for the fund brochures and information he plans to mail out. From there, it was off to the weight room. Ironically, Trovato thinks his extracurricular activities have boosted his performance. "I've been playing pretty good the last few weeks," said Trovato, whose seventh-place team (10-13-2, 4-8-2 Hockey East) faces off tonight against top-ranked Boston College in Amherst. "I went from 3 points to 10 points in the matter of six games. It's something that's helping me focus. When I'm at the rink, I'm dead set on what I need to do here."

The biggest challenge for Trovato has been tracking down names and addresses of Massachusetts soldiers who have died in action. While Trovato has identified six families affected so far (based on his research, he believes 31 soldiers from the state have died in action, leaving behind 19 children), the Department of Defense does not release such information upon request. He has contacted one family, informing the widow about his efforts, but while she thanked him for establishing the fund, she told him college tuition for her 9-year-old child was the last thing on her mind.

Trovato plans to direct fundraising efforts well after his graduation, with the goal of raising $1 million within 15 years. By that time, Trovato hopes that today's toddler can draw upon the fund to pay for college.

"I hope that someday I'll be able to watch one of them graduate from college having helped put them through," said Trovato.

Wily coach
BC coach Jerry York regularly skims sports sections, seeking inspirational quotes from professional counterparts to post in the Eagles' locker room. His favorite source is Bill Belichick. Last week, York read a quote from the Patriots coach that stressed the importance of a four-letter word (team) over a five-letter word (stats).

"It teaches us to put the team in front of our personal goals," said captain Ryan Shannon.

Last March, York invited the Patriots coach to speak to his team. That day, Belichick introduced the Eagles to someone who has devised game plans even more masterful than his own. However, that genius never properly carried out his schemes and as a result, they always failed, underscoring Belichick's lesson that planning is useless without proper execution.

The name of that mastermind? Wile E. Coyote.

Lines of force
On Jan. 12, in New Hampshire's 9-8 loss to Dartmouth, the right thumb of Wildcats top-line center Preston Callander was sliced open by a skate blade, and the gash required five stitches. Late in UNH's 2-2 tie with BC Monday, a puck struck the back of Callander's injured hand, forcing him to give up faceoff duties for the rest of the game.

Callander already had struck for the tying goal in the third period, sneaking a backhander under BC goalie Matti Kaltiainen. It was Callander's 16th goal of the season, giving him 33 points and adding to the impressive point totals he and linemates Sean Collins (10-23--33) and Brett Hemingway (15-15--30) have compiled this season. The three have played together since UNH's 4-3 win over Northeastern Nov. 19.

"Their top line is very difficult to contain," said York.

However, York countered UNH's top line with a white-hot trio of his own in Patrick Eaves (11-19--30), Shannon (8-19--27), and Dave Spina (9-8--17). The three, who have been together since BC's 4-2 win over Cornell Dec. 28, have totaled 25 points in BC's last four games.

"They've been spectacular," said BC's Ned Havern. "The three of them are all excellent players. They really feed off each other well. When they're all going and all flying, I don't know that many guys want to play against them, because I sure don't."

Week warriors
Rensselaer's Vic Pereira and UMass-Lowell's Ben Walter were named Player of the Week in the ECACHL and Hockey East, respectively. In RPI's two wins, Pereira notched 4 points, netting the winning goal against St. Lawrence Friday and setting up the winner against Clarkson Saturday.

Walter, who was selected by the Bruins in the sixth round of the 2004 NHL draft, netted his third hat trick of the season in Lowell's 6-1 win over UMass Saturday. Walter leads the nation with 22 goals in 22 games.

"Ben has a great passion for the game," said Lowell coach Blaise MacDonald. "Top-end players have a low panic threshold, and he certainly has that. There are so many different components to making it at the next level, but I think he has the ability to play there."