Ryan the new man for North hockey

He has captained the Boston University men's hockey team. He has been drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has coached at Babson College. And most recently, he has been the radio voice of the Terrier men.

He is none other than Tom Ryan, the newly-anointed head coach of the Newton North boys hockey team.

Longtime North boys hockey coach Jay Ferraro leaves after spending eight years behind the Tigers' bench. His successor, Ryan, brings with him this litany of hockey experiences, and just the right intangibles. It may just be the right combination to continue Ferraro's efforts of rebuilding a once storied program.

``I'm extremely upbeat and excited,'' said Ryan, who once skated for the Tigers.

It took a little encouragement from his father to go after another coaching stint since Ryan was settled in as the color analyst at his alma mater. He had also coached at the collegiate level at Babson and at the high school level, guiding perennial juggernaut Hingham. But, he figured, why not give coaching another go round?

Now, Ryan's got no regrets. He will be coaching his other alma mater, for which his son currently skates.

``The opportunity came up, I had no intentions of applying for the job. I found that I missed it (coaching),'' recalled Ryan.

Ryan wants to keep his predecessor proud by continuing the tradition of athletic prominence at North when he starts calling line shifts this upcoming winter.

``I think Ferraro did a nice job of stabilizing the program,'' acknowledged the new Tigers head coach.
Ryan lives for everything hockey, but he knows that all the knowledge in the world won't do any good unless it is relayed properly.

``We're looking forward to him coaching,'' said North athletic director Tom Giusti. ``He's enthusiastic, passionate, but not a screamer.''

Having coached hockey and been around the game for decades, Ryan knows how important it is to communicate with young adults. Especially in this day and age. The good news: Ryan likes what he sees so far when it comes to his roster.

``I have a lot of faith. I'm going into this with a very positive, upbeat attitude,'' said Ryan.

Ryan's coaching transcends the crease and the red and blue lines. He expects his players to be well-behaved both on and off the ice. When they put on the black and orange, Ryan believes, they are not just representing the North hockey program, but the school, and in a sense, the entire city of Newton.

``I'm going to expect them to play disciplined. We expect them to represent Newton North and the city of Newton,'' added the hockey guru.

And the Tiger athletic community has already begun taking notice of his efforts.

``He is very determined to make sure these kids are successful both on and off the ice,'' added Giusti.

Things are starting to look up for Giusti's department, which has recently filled two other coaching vacancies. Basketball whiz Hank DeSantis took the reins of the girls basketball program, while Bob McDougall, the girls hockey head coach and an boys lacrosse assistant on Bussy Adam's staff, was tabbed to take over for Phil Rousseau as the boys golf coach.

If you're a Newton North sports fan, fall can't come soon enough.