With the momentum building each year, the Green Dot hockey game has become a staple event for both winter sports fanatics and sexual violence prevention advocates alike. What was started by a group of good friends on the hockey team has now turned into a larger event, incorporating many other sports teams and creating a formative change in how our campus as a whole views violence prevention.
In the fall of 2011 a group of seniors on the Men’s Hockey Team began talking with a Think S.A.F.E intern about the program and decided it was time to do something. The Green Dot Hockey Game premiered in Feb. 2012 when the team approached Darcie Folsom, the director of Sexual Violence Prevention and Advocacy, with the idea of playing a game dedicated to issues of domestic violence and bystander intervention.
The first game involved “green laces in their skates, the logos under the ice in the rink and the chuck-a-puck contest using green pucks,” Folsom explains. After the first successful game their commitment grew and they were ready to show it. The following year the team had custom jerseys made and Folsom remembers “getting a call from Coach Ward to come to the rink, and then they all came out of the locker room wearing them. It was amazing.” Ever since, the annual game has continued to grow, not only due to the work of Folsom’s office and motivated interns, but also due to the team’s dedication.
Sophomore forward Joe Giordano ’17 explains, that “Green Dot means something different to everyone on the team, but as a group it is just a commitment to do the right thing and make sure others around us are also practicing good habits.”
This commitment to a leadership role has clearly been taken seriously by the team as a whole. The academic liaison to the men’s hockey team, Professor of History and American Studies Program Director Catherine Stock, sees all athletes as student leaders, but feels it’s important to ask “what kind of leaders?” The men’s team has taken to be leaders against violence, a bit ironic but perhaps making their message even more powerful as hockey itself is a violent sport.
During her work with the team in the past eight years, Stock has been able to witness a fluid transition within the team. She views Coach Ward’s dedication to build a team that “doesn’t sacrifice character for skills” as instrumental to what the team has become. The men’s hockey team contains the “students-athletes a college hopes to have,” she explains.
While the awareness for Green Dot through the game was a huge success, the hockey itself was even better, with the Camels coming away with a 4-1 triumph over Tufts. Green Dot Captain Will Leedy ’15 describes the game as one that the team “can easily get excited about because not only are we playing this game for a great cause, but the support we receive during the game is second to none.”
The support was clear, with Dayton Arena absolutely packed and the energy high. The men started off strong and a little over two minutes into the game Brian Belisle ’17 made it clear they were feeding off the energy with a beautiful top shelf goal. The energy continued even after Tufts responded with a goal of their own shortly after.
Marc Roper ’15 later executed on the Camel’s power play with a slap shot goal which sent a roar of applause through Dayton Arena. After a quiet second period with neither team scoring, the men were again inspired by the sea of green cheering them on. The Camels came away with two more goals in the third period with Tim DiPretoro ’16 getting a handle of a rebound from Leedy’s shot. Captain Zach Jones ’15 then sealed the 4-1 victory with a shorthand empty net goal.
It has not been uncommon for the team to walk away with such huge victories this season. The men’s team is facing their most successful season in some time. Goalie and Green Dot Captain Tom Conlin ’16 feels that “everyone on the team has committed to buying into our system, on and off the ice. We all have the same goals in mind giving us a great chance to be successful.”
Giordano ‘17 also feels as though the team’s confidence has contributed to their success. “We expect to win going into every game and we all have confidence that everyone on the team will do what is expected of them,” he said. With everyone contributing, it’s truly been a team effort.
With about a third of the team Green Dot trained, perhaps this confidence has many sources. The Green Dot game and their involvement with the program gives them the confidence to lead a movement throughout campus and realize that their voices and actions have an impact.
For Folsom, “the best part has been to see their excitement for the program grow each year and watch them pass along their dedication to Green Dot to the incoming first years.” Giordano ’17 says Coach Ward’s “commitment to Green Dot starts on the first day we arrive on campus. He cares about the team as if they were his children, and he wants us to succeed in all areas of our life. He stresses the importance of making good decisions and he expects a lot from us. We try to bring the same level of passion to all we do, too.”
With this coaching support, team confidence and overall involvement in the campus community, it’s clear that the relationship between hockey and Green Dot is one that is greatly valued. The players, coaches and members of Folsom’s office have taken on the role of leading the Green Dot movement. With many schools catching on, it’s comforting to know that what started as a conversation in 2011 has brought Conn to the forefront of handling sexual assault prevention through bystander intervention. •
