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03/14/2023 11:11 AMFrom a young age, James Mascari found a fire from the ice when it came to his passion for the sport of hockey. It is that love of the game, combined with his unrelenting work ethic to be at his best in the classroom and on the rink, that has carried both himself and the Notre Dame-West Haven (ND-WH) ice hockey team to great heights.
The junior left winger and North Branford resident started in the sport after seeing his older brother and cousin play the game, before later playing both basketball and baseball, the latter of which he still plays for the Green Knights as a second baseman and shortstop.
After being part of a ND-WH squad as a sophomore that captured the Division I state crown last winter, James is part of another club that is primed to repeat after a 16-3-1 regular season record. Yet for James personally, he was selected First Team All-SWC/SCC Division I after a campaign of 23 goals and 15 assists.
“I fell in love with hockey because of the connections between my family playing it, and it gives us something to bond over. I have made my closest friends through hockey,” says James. “Making the First Team is a huge accomplishment. It was a goal of mine since I started high school, so I am proud to see it happen. The award is a reflection of not only myself but also the team producing this year.”
James mans a wing slot on the Green Knights’ top scoring line this winter. He explains that being part of that tier of the team can yield some really exhilarating moments when it is riding high, but it can additionally weigh on an individual during low moments and defeats.
“The line I am on is a positive for my position; we click a lot. We have been playing together the whole year and have been producing a lot of goals,” James says. “The downside is when we are losing, because it shows what we need to do as a line, because as the first line, what we do reflects how we do as a team. We produce as a line so the rest of the team can.”
As one of the preeminent hockey programs in Connecticut, James knows ND-WH has a huge target on its collective back when it enters each arena, especially as a reigning title holder. He adds that it makes it that much sweeter to enjoy spoiling an adversary’s student section when traveling with his comrades on the road.
“It is a big deal to play hockey here for Notre Dame,” James says. “We had a big chip on our shoulders this year as defending state champions entering this season. We know everyone is looking to beat us, so we have to always be on our game. It is challenging playing against an opposing crowd, but it gives me extra motivation to silence it. I also love the long bus rides and getting to bond with the team. And the long rides home are a lot more fun after a big road win.”
On Feb. 22, James helped propel the Green Knights past another Division I rival and state crown contender in Darien. He earned a hat trick while assisting on another score as ND-WH crashed the Blue Wave by a 7-4 final for a big home victory.
“The preparation for that game was high. We played them in states last year,” says James. “When you play Darien, you must be prepared for everything. I just played my game, and I made sure to not concern myself with any outside factors I could not control.”
If James’s feats on the ice weren’t impressive enough, away from it on campus, he is a high honor student who takes some of the most rigorous courses ND-WH has to offer. He remarks that it is all in a day’s work and getting the homework done whenever he can.
“I am in a few AP classes, and then I take honors classes as well, which is challenging,” James says. “Learning to balance it all was hard at first, but our teachers understand, and they help you out with making up assignments. I try to get work done in school before practices and games, or at home.”
Green Knights’ Head Coach Larry Vieira states that James has arguably the sharpest snipe with a stick in the state, while additionally having a knack to come up clutch.
“James is a gifted young man that has one of the quickest and most accurate shots I have ever come across on the high school level in 40 years,” says Vieira. “His speed is explosive, and his work ethic is solid. James has scored a ton of game-winning goals this year for us.”
When it comes to further feats James wants to reach, he would love to add to his solo trophy case with an even loftier level of recognition by his peers. Yet when it all boils down to it, he is a consummate teammate first and is solely concerned with bringing home gold and history to the Green and Gold.
“My goal is that I want to see us win states for the second year in a row,” says James. “We would be the first team here to win back-to-back state championships. For myself, I want to make First Team All-State, but if I do not make that this year, then the two state titles would be perfect.”