WESTFIELD, Mass. - Westfield State University, coached by Woburn native Bob Miele, and Southern New Hampshire University, coached by Woburn resident Sean Walsh, will meet at the O'Brien Rink on Tuesday, November 21 in a regular season college-hockey game with a 5:35 p.m. start.
Revenue from the game will be donated the St. Vincent De Paul and Woburn Council of Social Concern food banks, a cause near and dear to the heart of Westfield State coach Bob Miele.
"My father was always passionate about helping to support people in the community through the St. Vincent De Paul food pantry," said Miele.
"As long as I have been at Westfield State, we have held one game a year that supports a charitable cause. In the past we have games that supported Breast Cancer Awareness, You Can Play, and recognized First Responders, but after my father Bob, Sr. passed away in 2018, we have supported the Common Goods food pantry on campus at Westfield State."
"With Thanksgiving coming up as a time of such great abundance, it's natural to pair up the game with the cause of beating hunger in my hometown," said Miele, who has been the head coach at Westfield since the 2009-10 season.
"Our team has really embraced the charitable game each year, and it's a great way to have our players get more involved in the community," said Miele. "Bringing the game to Woburn will be a different environment for our players, I think it will feel more like a playoff game. I hope that we will bring out a good crowd to the game, between the folks that Sean and I know, and the support of all of the programs that regularly skate at the O'Brien Rink, which has long been at the heart of the community in Woburn."
Westfield State's NCAA Division III is off to a 2-1 start this season after winning the Western Mass Invitational on home ice, while Southern New Hampshire's NCAA Division II program is 1-0 to start the season. The Owls return all-conference goaltender Valtteri Valtonen (Helsinki, Finland), as well as their leading scorer from 2022-23 in sophomore forward Cooper Board (Salem, Mass./Seacoast Spartans) who netted 15 goals and seven assists.
"It's a good level of hockey, and the two Divisions really compete on an equal footing," said Miele. "We play 3 or 4 division II opponents each year. If you haven't seen a college hockey game, I think you will be impressed with the level of play, and the speed and athleticism of the players."
Miele grew up in Woburn and skated on three national championship teams – one with the Pee Wee team and two with the Midget teams that were based out of the O'Brien Rink. His mom Lori still resides in the city.
Fans are invited to join a short "Skate With the Team" session after the game, where players will join young fans on the ice to skate, pose for photos and sign autographs.
Fans are also encouraged to please bring a non-perishable food item (or 2!) to the game for the food banks.
Tickets to the game are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 18 and include the option to join the public skate period after the game. Advance tickets are available through Woburn Youth Hockey's website or will be available at the door.
There will be a 50/50 raffle to benefit Woburn Youth Hockey.
The O'Brien Ice Rink in Woburn is the home of the Woburn Tanners and Mass Bay Warriors. Woburn High School boys and girls hockey also calls the facility home. The rink hosts a variety of events year round including Learn to Skate, the City League in-house hockey program, Woburn Youth Hockey, Mass Bay Warriors (our girls-only town program), and several figure skating and hockey skill development programs.
Westfield State University was founded in 1839 by Horace Mann as the first public co-educational campus without barrier to race, gender, or economic class, and currently offers more than 50 majors and concentrations. The 256-acre campus sits 10 miles west of Springfield, Mass. and enrolls approximately 4,000 undergraduates. Among Westfield's most notable graduates is current New York Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette '86, who skated for the Owls hockey program before moving on to the professional and Olympic ranks, where he won a Stanley Cup as the head coach of Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, and coached Philadelphia and Nashville to the NHL Stanley Cup finals.