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03/28/2023 11:08 AMJohn D’Albero knows that when fortitude meets good fortune in the sport of hockey, a player can reap the benefits of the two traits colliding for himself and his teammates. And that’s exactly what John D’Albero has done in emerging as an offensive force for the East Haven boys’ ice hockey co-op team.
The Yellowjackets’ junior center started playing in a rink at the ripe young age of three after being brought into the sport by his older brother. From there, hockey was the only game in town in John’s mind throughout his childhood and adolescence.
This past winter, John finished as the leading scorer for East Haven, with 21 goals and 19 assists, to help the Yellowjackets qualify for the state tournament for the 36th consecutive postseason, as they also reached the Elite 8 for the Division II State Tournament quarterfinal round.
“I just fell in love with hockey. It is really different from all the other sports, such as baseball and football, and I just stuck with it,” says John. “My scoring success this year came from hard work. [East Haven Head Coach Lou Pane] always tells me that the puck will find scorers’ sticks if they work hard. I worked hard, and it did happen for me.”
Speaking even more in-depth to his cohesion with his linemates, John notes that its prominence comes from being a true trio of musketeers by being all for one and one for all.
“The biggest thing with our line is that we are not selfish,” John says. “We built our chemistry as a line quickly this year. Off the ice, we always sit together and talk together. Hopefully, we will stay together on the same line next season.”
John saved arguably his best showing of the 2022-’23 campaign for the biggest stage, as he had a four-goal outing in the Yellowjackets’ Division II State Tournament first-round 7-3 victory over Guilford. He adds that there was an extra layer of incentive for the squad to extract revenge against its rink rival.
“In that game, my line was big for me with Nicholas Perillo and Griffin McGlinchey. We were grooving together, and they got me the puck in the right place,” John says. “Going into it, we knew it was a huge game because it was states, but they also beat us during the regular season and took pictures saying how it was their rink now, so it motivated us to win, and we wanted it badly.”
When it comes to the open-ended nature of the sport when skating toward an opposing goal and netminder, John strays from taking the finesse route toward lighting the lamp for the Yellowjackets. Rather than any swerves with the skates, he attacks with his swiftness.
“I like to score using my speed, going wide, and just shooting the puck at the net,” says John, who netted four game-winning goals this season. “My brother always told me to never be fancy. It just seems to always go in for me when I use that strategy.”
On the centerman line, John notes that he adores being at the crux of every crucial matter along the lines while carving out a corner niche that does nothing but further showcase John’s toughness and durability as a young man and face-off specialist.
“Being a center, it can be tough to have to play all four corners, battle in them, and take the hits,” John says. “Coach Pane always tells the guys that the corners are where games can be won and lost. But I also love that I am always in the action with the center position. With faceoffs, I have to look at the other guy across from me. I am a lefty, so I can go under the guy’s legs and try to get a breakaway. Yet it is just about reading and reacting to the other guy.”
As the Yellowjackets additionally returned to their home rink this past winter, John notes that the road to nine regular-season triumphs and the postseason was no bed of roses. East Haven certainly blossomed and bloomed through several setbacks.
“We had a really good season,” says John. “We earned a lot of wins, but it was a tough season with a lot of injuries and illnesses, though we pushed through it all. It was big to make the state quarterfinals, but we want to push forward to go even further next year.”
Pane adds that John’s abilities not only helped bring his squad to another level of prosperity toward the postseason but it also earned him a nickname around the club.
“John, or as we call him, ‘Johnny Hockey,’ is a pure goal scorer with exceptional skill,” says Pane. “He elevated us the last month of the season with his amazing talent.
Staying on the subject of his senior season, John details that nothing would make him happier than to leave behind a legacy of a state title to a program that has garnered him several special lessons about respect for his fellow man and determination.
“After high school, I am fairly sure I will play junior hockey and then college, but next year, I want to keep my grades up and have us win a state title,” John says. “Coach Pane is huge on learning about life through hockey and how the team is a family. Through hockey, I have learned that you have to work for everything and treat everyone like family. Nothing is ever given to you.”