Cougar Captain is Cool under Pressure

By and large, the sport of hockey is widely considered to be the consummate team sport. On any given night, it will generally take a collective team effort, and each and every player effectively doing their job for the team to succeed.

However, like in any team sport, there is usually a player on the team who is counted on to set the path. The go-to-guy. The person that the coaches and other players look to night in and night out to produce and help carry the team to success. For the Cougars, senior Dan Graham is that guy.

“There really is a lot of pressure on Dan, because he knows that if he has a bad game then we’re going to struggle,” said AC’s head coach Dan Shine. “I know that he feels like he needs to make something happen every shift, and that can be tough on a teenager. He’s a mature kid though and handles his role pretty well though.”

The responsibilities placed upon Graham on a nightly basis are pretty easy to see for any outside observer. He is almost always logging the most amount of ice time out of all of the blue and gold clad players each game. Coach Shine uses his star center in a number of different ways, from first line center, the number one penalty kill, running the point on the powerplay – Graham is usually leaving his mark on each AC game in some way.

For all that is expected out of the kid with the large ‘C’ on his chest, and for all that he expects out of himself, Graham inexplicably is able to maintain an even keel and take a level-headed approach to his game.

“I don’t really think about the pressure, I kind of just go out there and play,” Graham says. “I know that I can count on my teammates and that there are plenty of guys that have my back out there, so I just play my game.”

Even though the Cougars came into this season as the defending state champions, they lost 17 players from that championship team and it was unknown what could be expected of such an inexperienced team. Dan is the only player on the current roster that played a significant role a year ago, and the team has leaned on his experience throughout the season. Following his lead, the young Cougar squad has so far surprised a lot of people as they contend for the CCL title and have already clinched a birth in the state tournament this year.

“He’s definitely a key player for us in what we do offensively, and we’ve definitely revolved a lot of our offense around Dan this year,” Shine said. “He’s definitely taken to the position that he’sin though, and knowing that we turned over 17 players from last year’s team, he’s definitely taken pretty naturally to his leadership position.”

Graham realizes the glaring differences in the makeup of this year’s cast of role players and grinders compared to last year’s powerful lineup, and has certainly stepped up to pull his weight. However despite what some might consider a lack of offensive punch and definitely a lack of experience, he believes in his teammates’ ability.

“Last year we had a real veteran team where everyone could chip in,” Graham commented. “This year there are a lot of new faces obviously, and it’s a very different team but we’re all just working really hard and I think we’ve been making it happen so far and are having a pretty good season.”

With the talent that he has, and after already getting that coveted state championship ring, Graham certainly had the opportunity to take his abilities elsewhere with the purpose of honing his skills at a higher level of hockey in either juniors or at a prep school. The Billerica native decided to stay loyal to the blue and gold, however, with the hopes of helping AC defend their title.

A decision that has certainly not gone unnoticed by his coach.

“I give him a lot of credit for his loyalty and his commitment to the program, he definitely had some options to move in different directions after last season but he chose to stay here so he could graduate with his class,” commented coach Shine. “It’s rare today to see a player of his caliber make that decision, but I think it speaks a lot to his character and what kind of person he is. He is very happy at Arlington Catholic, he’s done well here both on and off the ice and I think he’s definitely opened up a lot of doors for himself this year.”

Despite being one of the state’s top players, amassing staggering goal and point totals as he skates through the season, Graham remains a humble person, easy-going and always quick to toss credit to his teammates. If you asked him how many goals he’s scored this year, he probably wouldn’t be able to tell you off the top of his head. He seems to be far more concerned with the success of the team.

“I definitely want to win games, that’s always my main goal, and I’ll do whatever I can to help us win,” Graham said. “As long as the team wins I’m happy.”

Graham seems to deliver the total package as a captain and key player for the Cougars. The talent is obvious, but it’s the character and humble personality that will take him a long way as the prep schools and colleges line up, hoping to convince him to pull on the #24 sweater for them next fall.