The Division III National Championship trophy was on prominent display when the Blue Line Club held it's first formal event of the season last Sunday afternoon. Over 100 Norwich players, fans, supporters and Blue Line club members were on hand for a welcome back cookout at the "Fagan farm" on Little Northfield Road. The event gave the returning veterans and the newcomers a chance to meet community members and to see just how important Norwich hockey is to the community. Photo By Bill Croney, The Northfield News It will be a while before the first puck is dropped on Kreitzberg ice but that didn’t stop the Blue Line club from holding their first formal event of the upcoming hockey season.

Last Sunday afternoon over 100 Blue Line Cub members, fans, Norwich players and coaches all gathered at the Fagan farm on Little Northfield Road for an afternoon of camaraderie with this years players and to an enjoy a feast of cjicken and ribs provided by Fred Drown’s “Redneck Bar-B-Cue.” Fans and their children had a chance to play baseball or bocce. Or toss a football with the players (there was even a rumor of some fishing in the pond), or just converse in a relaxed and bucolic Vermont setting before sitting down under the tent to enjoy their meal.

Coach Mike McShane felt that this was a terrific way to reach out to the community and to welcome back the veterans from last year’s Div.III National Champions as well as a great way for his eight incoming freshmen to see just what Norwich hockey means to the community. “We’ve had a welcome party for about the last ten years,” the coach said, “ But this is the second year we have had it here and we hope we’ve found a home.

Jim Fagan is Tony Carbone’s son in law and he agreed to have it here. This is a great way to let all our players but especially the new guys see just what they mean to the community and what the community should mean to them,” coach McShane said. The owner of “Fagan farm”, Jim Fagan, isn’t so sure about the mane for the property. Mr. Fagan, a 1987 Norwich graduate and native of Lynnfield Mass., maintains the “farm” as a second home has a good idea about Vermont place names. “ First, it isn’t a farm. And, we don’t have any animals. We refer to it as the “Politi Lower House”. Mr. Politi was a great guy, the owner before us and as most people know in Vermont your place carries the name of the previous owner until you leave. Then it is named as your place. But whatever you call it we love it and we just can’t get enough of Northfield,” Mr. Fagan said.

He also felt that community relations should be a big part of Norwich hockey. “I think the hockey program has been a great out reach progam to the community. The level of community interest is remarkable. Something like this cookout lets the new kids meet some community members and shows just what impact that they have,” Mr. Fagan said.

The Norwich Hockey team can’t officially hit the ice until the first of November but the players can skate on their own once the Kreitzberg ice is laid down in the middle of October. They even have been keeping their skills sharp by skating in Montpelier on their own now. “This is just a way of team building and keeping sharp but there are no official practice sessions or that sort of thing. They do however have a conditioning program that hey are following to be ready for November 1,” coach McShane said. But on last Sunday afternoon all thoughts of ice time and Div. III competition were far from the minds of the Norwich players as they enjoyed themselves surrounded by some of their fans and their fan’s children in a tranquil, typically Vermont setting.