~ Malden Musings ~ Mike Powers’ Beanpot Heroics Revisited

By Peter Levine

Breaking news…Mikey Powers was recently spotted rocking what might have been the sweetest Columbus Owls sweatshirt ever stitched together — and if you know hockey and Mikey Powers, you know that sweatshirt (and that man) could tell some seriously entertaining stories. Yeah, I’ve heard one or two in my life. LOL.

Mikey laced up for the Owls in the IHL, along with stops in Dayton (Gems), Flint (Generals), and Muskegon (Mohawks). Before he ever made noise in the pros, on Chestnut Hill he was already lighting up scoreboards as a Boston College Eagle. In fact, Mikey still owns a piece of Beanpot history, holding the record for five goals in a single game (1973 win vs. Northeastern). Those in attendance said he would have had six but hit the post on a backhander! Only two others have ever joined that club: Billy Cleary (Harvard, 1955) and (fellow Maldonian) Ed Sullivan (BC, 1961). That’s elite company, Maldonia!

Just for the record… When you stack up hockey resumes, Mikey Powers is arguably the best iceman ever to lace up skates out of Malden. I’ve been on a bit of a roll lately writing about Malden’s hockey greats, and I’m still putting together a comprehensive, all-time list (thanks, Buck) so stay tuned, because there’s plenty more coming. Eventually.

And here’s more “POW”-related facts worth mentioning: Mikey grew up in Edgeworth. Just stop and think for a second about the hockey talent that poured out of that neighborhood alone. Mikey Powers led the way; Johnny Taglieri, Matty Marden, Dave & Stephen Surette, Steve Harris, Mike & Frankie Hanley, Ed Sullivan (no, not the Ed Sullivan from “The Ed Sullivan Show”!), Ray Porter, Dennis Murphy, Bobby Gallagher, Bob McCarthy, Buddy Lawlor. That’s not just a list of hockey players — that’s a legacy and it ain’t even nearly complete!

Malden hockey runs deep… and Edgeworth? Edgeworth was stacked. Seems everybody in Edgeworth played hockey…except for the Levines! Insert smiley face.

Speaking of Maldonia hockey of yesteryear, I bring this piece of Maldonia history straight out of the dusty Malden Musings nostalgia-driven past. Take it away, Malden High School Class of ’73’s Joey Dimeco, whose backyard garage on Highland Avenue was the gathering place for all in Edgeworth who enjoyed homemade wine, card games and late nights, some of which turned into day: “We had a lot of great hockey players in Malden. In 1986 my father (Joe also) sponsored a team ‘Dimeco Auto Repair’ that won the ‘Cup.’ We played in a league at Hockey Town in Saugus. Our roster consisted of Matty Marden, Frank Hanley, Mike Hooper, Jimmy Varzakis, Scott Tamagna, my brother Bobby, myself, Bobby Gallagher, Kevin Killion, Ray Porter, Buddy Lawlor, Richie Marcucella and John Taglieri in net. I’m probably missing a few names since it was a long time ago, but we had a great team. Tags was unbelievable in net during the playoffs! We played on Monday nights and in the playoffs, we had to win our night to play against winners from the other nights. The Braves from Medford were our biggest rivals with Dave Norton in net and the Harvey brothers and Bates brothers from Medford. We had many battles and fights on ice and then beers together after the game at the 621 pub. Good times!” Thanks for sharing, Joe! Have you renewed your membership at the Club yet?!

It is said in “Malden Musings”…

• Best of luck to one of the hardest-working gals in Maldonia showbiz, Malden Recreation Department’s own Laura Perez. Much to Director Levine’s chagrin (and to be honest, everyone else’s, too), Laura is moving on from the Rec Department, leaving it far better than when she first arrived. Her dedication, energy and commitment didn’t just improve a department, it made a real difference in the lives of countless Malden kids and families along the way. That kind of impact doesn’t show up on a job description, but it certainly showed up in the community. Thank you, Laura, for all the hard work, heart and hustle you brought to Malden Rec. A job very well done, and you’ll be missed more than you know.
• Happy 65 spins around the sun going out to one of Edgeworth’s best and brightest, Johnny “Tags” Taglieri. When the Mount Rushmore of Malden goalies is finally erected somewhere in Malden, Tags along with Kevin Morrison and Dave Norton will be the first three prominently displayed.
• In the “they don’t fill rosters like this any longer” department I bring to you the Malden Post 69 American Legion Baseball team straight outta 1972. The Legion played all home games at Devir Park in the shadow of the Bandstand, were coached by Tom Coleman, Chet Castinetti and Henry Crocker and were partially sponsored by Anthony’s of Malden (“formerly Gennetti’s) on Canal Street. A virtual who’s who of baseball studs who all had stellar careers in Malden (except maybe for Mark Cannon, who was a Meffa guy) from Little League through Babe Ruth through Legion ball, with some even making the big show like Dave Cai. Feast your eyes on these hardball heroes of yesteryear: the late great Billy “The Pride of Presley Street” Murphy, Matt “Anthony’s Older Brother” Chiccuarelli, Jackie Walsh, (my teammate on the Stars) Billy Doyle, future Malden Recreation Director Joe Levine, future 621 Tavern & Grill restaurateur Paul “Paul D” De Vincentis, Joe “The Pride of Beebe” Pugliese, Pete Connolly, Carl Byron at backstop, Russ “Handsome Russ” Hall, (another teammate of mine on the Stars from the famous Peavy family) Danny Peavey, Buddy “The Hardest Thrower in Show Biz” DeMontier, John “CJ” Lopresti, Richie “Hard Rock” Hannon, the ace of the team Dave “Davey Cai from Malden High” Caiazzo, Malden Catholic All-American running back Mark Cannon, Ronny Frauton and Sandro Campea. Conspicuously missing from the team was arguably the best 17-year-old ball player in the city, Dennis Damiano — a five-tool kid who shared BRL MVP honors as a 15-year-old in 1970 with Dave Cai (he had over 50 hits as a 15-year-old!). Dennis was in the service at the time serving overseas.
• The Bandstand at Devir Park in 1972 was the place to be in Malden. All the cool kids hung there, short hairs as well as long hairs. Rock bands replaced the Roma Band under that tiring old roof. John Monte from the DPW cared lovingly for the park all by himself. Schlitz in the can was the drink of choice, and the Italian with everything on it, including hots, at the Big A was the sub most often consumed by Bandstand denizens. Many “illegal smiles” were acquired on those steps 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Or so I am told. Insert blazed smiley face.
• Speaking of legendary Malden goalies… Kevin Morrison was a 1967 MHS graduate who went on to play for NSCC, where he was named MVP for two straight years before becoming assistant coach the following two years. After college he played a couple of years semi-pro with the Lynn Blades, but American players like K Mo and Mikey Powers were sent to the back of line in those days. After his playing days, he spent the next 50 years coaching goalies from NHL types to mighty mites and loving every minute of it! But Mo went on to fame (if not fortune) as one of the very best softball umpires in the region with a flair for the dramatic that brought him a legion of fans and admirers. It also earned him a spot in the USA Softball of Massachusetts Hall of Fame! Not bad for an Amerige Park guy! The retired Malden Retirement Director is now a man of leisure who can be caught from time to time regaling his many friends with tales tall and otherwise at a local Citizen’s Club near you. His recent appearance on WCVB’s Chronicle “Hockey dad credits ‘end-of-life care’ with saving his life” was downright inspirational. I’ll bring that to MM at another time.
• My deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the Rogers family on the passing of the forever-beautiful Barbara. Though I did not have the privilege of knowing Barbara well, I have long known the Rogers family as one of Malden’s most respected, cherished and genuinely good Malden families. May the love and admiration so many hold for your family bring you comfort during this difficult time and may Barbara’s memory always be a blessing.
• Welcome to this big, beautiful world of ours one Alina Jane Brickman. Your presence could not have come at a better time. Great things await you, little Alina Jane, especially with a special mom like Molly and an extra special Papa like Shawn! Looking forward to meeting you some day. Word around town is that Papa has his hands full with grandchild number eight, Alina Jane, but if you know anything about Papa, you know the man can handle anything (right, Meats?!)!

And now here’s something we hope you’ll really like… He’s the much-respected Marine who served during the Vietnam War. He’s the guy every man wants to be like and every girl wants to be with. He’s the man of impeccable sartorial taste. He’s also been called by many simply as “The Catch.” And these days? He’s also the guy with a perfectly timed, razor-sharp quip always locked and loaded.

The latest Butch Russell zing came at the expense of one Diego Barricelli — proud Malden Public Works Commission committee member. As Diego strolled into the I.A.C.C., Butch paused, took a long look and announced that an “eerie separated-at-birth moment” had just hit him. The pair in question? Diego Barricelli and Kurt “Harry Doll” Schneider aka (one of the) Lollipop Guild Kids from “The Wizard of Oz” (that’s a cultural reference for all you youngsters keeping score).

All said, of course, with the utmost respect and affection for an Edgeworth icon, the one and only Mr. Diego “Well Respected Man About Town” Barricelli. Here in Malden, that’s how legends rib legends, with love, laughs and sometimes a perfectly delivered dig. Fuhgeddaboudit!

In “the book of life is brief, and once a page is read” department, I bring to you…. the Malden Evening News — March 15, 1965…

• The Malden High School hoop men trounced Boston College High, 74-62, at Northeastern University’s Cabot Gym for their fourth Bay State Class A Basketball crown. Four players were standouts for the Golden Tornadoes: Tom Fallano had 19 points and was picked for the All-Star team as a forward; Captain Paul Finn was the MVP of the tournament; Marty Rubenstein had 17 points and was also chosen an All-Star; and John Coughlin (no, not Preacher Jack!) chipped in with 14 points, being chosen as an All-Star guard also.
• BC High was led by Terry Driscoll’s 35 points. Terry went on to have a stellar five-year NBA career as a first round, fourth pick by the Detroit Pistons. He also played for the Bullets, Bucks and Spirits of Saint Louis (ABA), before going off to Italy for five years as a player/coach.
• The M.E.N. headline screamed, “Malden Ex-Con Is Gang Victim; 2nd Man Wounded Early Today.”
• President (Lyndon B) Johnson will go before Congress and the nation this evening to outline the voting rights measure, he hopes will correct “a deep and very unjust flaw in American democracy.”
• In Chicago the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. said it is “midnight in the moral order” and vowed to continue civil rights demonstrations in Alabama even if it is necessary to fill the state’s jails.
• With 700 people in attendance at the Malden Armory (the Irish American was four or so years from being built), the Malden Irish-American Association hosted their annual Saint Patrick’s Day Banquet. Mayor Walter Kelliher was there as well as James Lucey, Arthur Bauer, William Madden and Mrs. Lois Mahoney.
• Glick’s Kosher Meat Market at 181 Salem St. has rolled beef at $1.39 a pound, knishes at 98 cents a pound and kishka at 69 cents a pound.
• The Granada at 17 Pleasant St. is showing ‘Kiss Me Stupid’ with Dean Martin and Kim Novak. A short distance away at the Strand, “Young Fury,” with Virginia Mayo and Rory Calhoun, is showing. Direct from the Channel 7 studios, Major Mudd will make a Saturday matinee appearance at the Granada.
• “It is said in Malden…” A reader writes that Spring Street is like the rock road to Dublin and claims that no amount of hole filling will correct the lumps and bumps on the roadway. Sound familiar, Malden? Insert smiley face.

As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” — speaking of MLK and in honor of Black History Month… Rest in peace, “Lynda Blackmon Lowery, 75; injured at Selma at age 14.” As recounted in her obituary, 14-year-old Lynda marched on Bloody Sunday in 1965; “After ignoring orders to disperse, the marchers felt tear gas burning their eyes and lungs. Lynda heard a crude racial epithet shouted at her and remembered being grabbed by a man who struck her twice with a bat, leaving gashes that required 7 stiches over her right eye and 28 on the back of her head. He continued to hit her as she fled.”

Just for the record, that last sentence was very difficult to even write without becoming emotional. The courage that little girl displayed?! Beyond words. Question: What kind of human being chases a 14-year-old girl to continue hitting her with a bat?!

Postscript: Leaving — if at all possible — on a brighter, sweeter note… In what feels like the blink of an eye, my beloved granddaughter Lana turned six this Valentine’s Day. Six! How that happened without me signing off on it, I’ll never know. Cute as a button and smart as a whip (a combination that already has the world on notice), our one and only “Lana Banana” had me wrapped around her tiny little finger from the very first moment I held her in my arms. Game over. Papahood signed, sealed and delivered.

She has that smile, the kind that can light up a room faster than you can say, “where’d the time go?” and a heart every bit as big as the day she was born. Watching her grow has been one of the greatest privileges of my life, a front-row seat to joy itself. Happy sixth birthday, sweetheart. May your Valentine’s Day be filled with love, laughter, cake (and candy!) and all the magic you bring to the rest of us every single day. Love you forever, Papa.

—Peter is a longtime Malden resident and a regular contributor to The Malden Advocate. He can be reached at Pe*****@*ol.com for comments, compliments or criticisms.