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02/27/2024 11:22 AMOn the ice, it takes a leader to be cool, calm, and composed, while moving swiftly and smartly with each maneuver. Michael Savo toes that fine line of balance with great grace, in helping push East Haven to one of its best campaigns in recent memory.
The senior captain and forward grew up playing Little League, but then dropped the bat for a stick around the age of 6. While he notes at one point he almost chose the Boy Scouts over the rink, he stuck with hockey, and has helped pilot the Yellowjackets to a tremendous 20-1 regular season mark this winter.
“I think I was the best at hockey versus the other sports I have played. I found a lot of support for it, and I love the game's fast pace and the friends I have made from it,” says Michael. “I have been told I have a good head for the game. I just like to keep getting better, whether it is through working with trainers, or playing pick-up games with friends. I just get more relaxed, do what I can do, do my best, and have fun out there. Over the last few years, I have grown in positional awareness. I try to put myself in the best spot to help the guys succeed–like deciding where I need to be to help guys come into the zone, or be open for a shot.”
This campaign, Michael explains he may have put upon himself some self-inflicted mental wounds by pressuring himself to attain point thresholds. Physically between the blue lines, he is a constant locomotive, and uses that momentum to confuse opposing defenses.
“Hockey is a mental sport, and I struggled with the mental aspect of it in the first half of this year. I was in a chase to get 100 points, and I just thought about it too much. I went back to my old routine to help me enjoy the game again,” Michael says. “Playing forward is a lot about keeping your feet moving. Getting open can be tough, because if the defense knows where you are, they will watch you. You have to be moving at all times to keep the other defensemen guessing.”
When it comes to speaking to the source of East Haven’s tremendous list of triumphs in the standings this year, Michael says it goes beyond the players’ execution on the ice. It is the precise planning and film study by the mentors along the bench with proficient practice exercises.
“Both the coaches and the players are doing their parts this season,” says Michael. “Our coaches will scout the teams we are playing next, and come up with drills based on what they see, to help us prepare and get better from our mistakes. Everyone’s goal is to win a state title at the start of the year, but we have taken that and ran with it. We have all the tools to get it done, but it will come down to how bad we really want it.”
In such a lengthy grind of a campaign trail that includes days of practices and contests, a lapse in focus can arise at times. Though Michael and his captain colleagues are quick to put up a message of resetting the collective sentiments, while he champions himself on being an exemplary emulator of discipline.
“Being a captain is fun; sometimes the team can lose focus, but then myself and the captains have to bring everyone back in,” Michael says. “When you lose focus, you have other teams getting better than us, which we cannot have. I know I have to be a role model, which is some pressure, but not too much pressure for me. I just have to work hard and be a good leader.”
East Haven Head Coach Lou Pane praises Michael for his fiery spirit as a competitor and leader, both on and away from the rink.
“Michael is a pure goal scorer with great shooting ability. He has always been a great personality in the locker room, while being very feisty on the ice,” says Pane. “He is certainly a pleasure to have on our team, as well as a leader.”
Persistence through hurdles and building character through adversity are hallmarks of Michael’s life education through athletics. He notes that you never lose, you either prevail or bolster knowledge, especially when you leave it all on the ice.
“I learned that you cannot be afraid to make mistakes. Things will not go your way sometimes, and you have to embrace the mistakes and learn from them,” says Michael. “You just have to be the best you can be and work the hardest every day. There is nothing more you can ask for than giving 100% effort. Whatever you put into something is exactly what you get out of it.”