Marco Di Meo
SPORTS REPORTER
PHOTO BY MARCO DI MEO // Humberview Huskies player Michael Chemello during a game.
Humber Hawk Michael Chemello was scouted by an NCAA Division-1 hockey team, but declined the scholarship to Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa., to remain with his minor hockey team and play for Humber’s extramural team.
“I decided to stay here and play on a team I was having fun on,” said Chemello, a first-year fitness and health promotion student who hopes to become a gym teacher.
“Being offered a partial scholarship meant that I still had to pay a lot of money and I wasn’t too sure if I was trained well enough to play at that level.”
Chemello, 19, plays for the juvenile-AAA Humberview Huskies, of the Greater Toronto Hockey League, where he’s now assistant captain.
An offensive specialist who last year helped lead his Huskies to the Ontario Hockey Federation tournament, Chemello said Humber’s tournament team is something he’s been waiting for.
“This has been a personal goal since high school and knowing that I had accomplished that, is something that I can remember forever.”
Chemello said luckily, the school team does not conflict with the Huskies.
“It’s actually better because it keeps you on the ice more,” he said. “The more you’re on the ice the better you’re getting.”
He’s a quiet guy in the dressing room, according to Huskie Vincent Baldassara, who said Chemello’s “definitely not shy out on the ice and brings a lot of energy.”
“It’s great to be on his team because he sees the ice well and he makes the right play,” said Baldassara. “He doesn’t make many mistakes.”
Sebastien Meldazy, 18, a first-year business administration student, is teammates with Chemello on both teams and said he sees a difference in Chemello’s play.
“He has a bit more pressure with the school team, because these coaches don’t know his style of game and what he likes to do,” he said, adding Chemello’s helped him develop as a player.
“Being able to play with him for both teams has made my game that much better and given me confidence,” he said. “He is one of those players that can make his teammates better.”
Chemello said instead of the Mercyhurst scholarship, he plans on one day travelling to Europe to play hockey.
“I think playing in Europe would be a realistic goal to set for myself,” he said. “My future will involve hockey however that may be through coaching and not necessarily playing.”