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05/19/2016 12:00 AMMike Pantera is a three-sport athlete at North Branford who’s been actively involved with the high school’s soccer, ice hockey, and lacrosse teams. Mike played the midfield in soccer and now he patrols that same position on the lacrosse field. Mike was also a winger on the ice and, although he enjoys all three sports he’s played, Mike considers hockey his main one.
“I’ve been skating since I was three. To me, ever since I was young, I’d watch on TV and I loved the intensity,” says Mike. “I wanted to win a championship. That’s what motivated me and what I loved about it.”
Mike did win a championship this past winter, when North Branford defeated Cheshire to claim the SCC/SWC Division II crown, and he also helped the Thunderbirds make the DII state final in each of the last two seasons. The big-game experience that Mike and some of his hockey teammates bring to lacrosse is one of the reasons why Head Coach Dave Carpenter thinks that team is having such a great year.
“They know how to be successful and know what to do to win games. They’ve been in that state championship two times in hockey. They are winners,” says Carpenter. “They’ve brought that to the lacrosse field and that’s translated to a lot of our success. They know how much more work you need to put in, doing individual stuff on your own. That’s what makes you successful.”
Mike started playing lacrosse in middle school when he got a little push from one of his hockey buddies. Since then, he’s helped the high school team grow from being a club to a JV squad to a varsity program. In only its second year at the varsity level, North Branford is 10-3 this spring with Mike contributing 15 goals, 12 assists, and 52 ground balls.
“A lot of the hockey guys play [lacrosse], so the chemistry has carried over, as well. We’re familiar with each other, which helps translate from sport to sport. To go from one to another, the chemistry doesn’t die down,” says Mike. “In our first year as a varsity team, we got a wakeup call [after going 5-12]. We realized we needed to put in more work and practice. When this year came, we had the same team, so we knew what we have to do. You can see the difference from last year to this because we know what it takes to be a top team.”
Mike saw an increased role with North Branford’s hockey squad the two last years. He scored 14 goals and handed out 10 assists, while helping the Thunderbirds continue their reputation as a postseason force.
“My junior year, I started to realize I had to take on a role where I’d see more ice time and it put me in position to step up my game. At the start, I felt like I had a lot of pressure on me to produce, but it started to fade away. We didn’t let the pressure get the most of us and it paid off with goals, assists, and wins,” says Mike. “After losing the championship last year, I knew we had to come back and finish business. Although we didn’t win this year, to make it in back-to-back years shows how strong we were as a team. We left our mark on the organization, bringing the team to back-to-back championships.”
Mike was a captain with his soccer and lacrosse teams, as well as an assistant captain for hockey. Mike feels that gaining leadership experience in soccer has allowed him to be a better captain in the two subsequent seasons.
“In my soccer season, it was my first time being a captain for a team, so it was a learning experience for me, figuring out what I had to do being a captain. I learned that you need to always have your head up while facing adversity. Being able to figure that out in soccer transferred to hockey and lacrosse and made us more successful,” says Mike, who is exploring the idea of a postgraduate year at a prep school. “I feel really honored to be a captain for these teams. I don’t want to disappoint. I’m not going to let them down. I can be someone to go to. Having that connection with everyone translates to confidence on the field. I’m just trying to help my guys perform on the field. It’s definitely an honor.”
Aside from all of his athletic accomplishments, Mike was also recently chosen as North Branford’s male recipient of the CIAC Scholar Athlete Award for his commitment to academic excellence.
“My whole life, I’ve been working hard in classroom. I’m not one to slack off and my parents drilled that in,” says Mike, who was joined by Rachel Sauro in receiving that distinction. “Working hard through my senior year and getting recognition is nice. There are kids on my team and in my school working just as hard, but to get that recognition is incredible. It’s an honor to [represent] my school like that.”