If you’re in the St. John Paul II hockey locker room and you suddenly hear classical music wafting through the air, it’s likely coming from the earbuds of Lions hockey captain Charlie Baroni.
And, no, we’re not talking classic rock in the vein of Zeppelin, Tull and Sabbath.
“I found this app that has a lot of Bach and Brahms and Beethoven,” he said. “So, instead of hearing pump-up music, I like to listen to (classical) stuff. Believe it or not, it gets my adrenaline going. By the time the game comes, I’ll take out my earbuds and get ready to play.”
Baroni is one of the leaders of this season’s Lions team along with fellow captains Antonio Pucillo and Jack Sherwood. Baroni, who plays right wing, is a four-year varsity player on the front line for coach Josh Delman’s squad.
“We have a pretty young team and had a few injuries in the early going,” Baroni said, “but we’re hoping to get stronger and better as the season moves on.”
Sophomore goalie Eddie Leary has returned, while some of the offensive firepower is expected from junior forwards Jamie Erikson and Jack Homa. In addition, junior Ryan Moriarty and freshman Liam Monaghan can contribute to the scoring attack.
Leading the blueliners on defense will be senior Pat Leary, sophomores Brady Meyer and Joe McManus, and freshmen Jonathan Hendricks and Gabe Fitzpatrick.
Other players hoping to be heard from this season are Andrew Fox, Brian Mancinelli, Jon Valiga, Braden Shortt, Grady O’Dea and Matt Desruisseaux, while eighth grader Kelin MacAleese and seventh grader Jake Smith are back-up goaltenders.
Baroni has spent the better part of his life on the ice, beginning at the tender age of 2 in the Learn to Skate program at the Tony Kent Arena in Dennis. From there, he made his way up through the ranks with the Y-D Dolphins program and later the Lower Cape Cod Coyotes in Orleans, prior to playing for the Lions.
In the summer months when he can’t be on the ice, you’ll find Baroni on the water pursuing his other passion – fishing.
Last summer, he was first mate on a boat where he did commercial tuna fishing in tournaments, and worked on another boat in Harwich.
“I worked this summer getting everything ready and rigged up for the boat before it went out each day,” he said, adding, “I also have a little Boston Whaler that my friends and I go out to fish in.”
In addition to hockey, he plays for the St. John Paul II golf team in the fall and this spring will play for the varsity lacrosse team.
20 Questions with Charlie Baroni, JPII Hockey
1. Favorite subject: Calculus
2. Favorite book: “Can’t Hurt Me” by David Goggins
3. Favorite food: Meat lasagna
4. Favorite movie: “22 Jump Street”
5. Favorite TV show: “Dog the Bounty Hunter”
6. Favorite Cape restaurant: Grumpy’s in Dennis
7. Favorite Cape hangout: Sesuit Harbor to fish the docks with my friends
8. Favorite sports team: Boston Bruins
9. Favorite athlete: Brad Marchand
10. Favorite ‘pump-up” music: Any song by 50 Cent; my favorite is “P.I.M.P”
11. Best advice I’ve received: Always work hard even when you’re tired or don’t feel like doing something because there is always someone out there that is one step ahead of you.
12. Person I’d most like to meet: Kevin Hart
13. Hobbies and interests: I love to go fishing and also love to go to the gym. My friends also play a big role in my life and I like to create everlasting memories with them to tell my kids about one day.
14. Own greatest sports moment: Scoring my first high school hockey goal
15. Most inspirational person: David Goggins, American ultramarathon runner
16. Pregame rituals/superstitions: I like to listen to classical music before games and get in a good stretch. I also like to talk with my coaches about how I can improve from the last game.
17. Bucket list place to visit: Going skydiving in Dubai
18. Biggest sports setback or obstacle: Breaking my femur skiing when I was younger
19. College plans/major: I will be attending Providence College as a business management major.
20. Advice to young athletes: Watch and learn from people who inspire you and are better than you at your sport. For myself, I like to learn from older athletes so I tend to watch a lot of college hockey. Sometimes it doesn’t have to be full games but just searching on YouTube for “College hockey highlights” tends to help me out.
Contact Mike Richard by email at mikerichard0725@gmail.com. Linked here.
