Sarah: Let’s talk about where you grew up, where you came from.
Mark: I am from Dorchester, Massachusetts. It’s actually a town right beside Boston. I went to school in my hometown at Boston College High School. I played hockey for BC High for four years and then came out here.
Sarah: How did you start playing hockey?
Mark: When I was about five or six, my father took me down to the rink and signed up for some learn how to skate program and that is how I got started.
Sarah: Did anyone else in your family play hockey?
Mark: No, my cousins that were older than me had played hockey, so I just got into it.
Sarah: Why don’t you talk about your family.
Mark: My mother’s name is Kathleen; my father’s name is Brian. I have a brother, Tim, who is 21. That is my family.
Sarah: You already told me who you played for. How did you become a Buc? What brought you here?
Mark: Well, I guess Nick Krueger saw me play. I got a phone call from him and he told me a little bit about the Bucs. It kind of went from there. He came out to Massachusetts. I sat down and talked to him for awhile, and I just ended up coming out here.
Sarah: What are your future plans and goals?
Mark: Well, I would love to play Division I college hockey. That is pretty much my goal. Get a good education while playing hockey. Hopefully that works out.
Sarah: Anything else besides hockey?
Mark: I don’t know yet. I am kind of undecided on what I want to do as a career or whatever, so I’m not sure.
Sarah: Can you tell me about an embarrassing moment?
Mark: Well, the one I wrote for the program. When I was younger, this team that I played on was going to a tournament. We had to raise money. We got to play in between periods at the Boston Garden between the Bruins games. On the opening face off I kind of fell right on my face and kind of got stuck there for a couple seconds. That was pretty embarrassing.
Sarah: What is your greatest achievement?
Mark: I don’t know if there is one greatest achievement. When I graduated from high school, that is pretty good. Coming to play for the Bucs, that was a pretty big achievement. Making the Select15, 16, and 17 teams from Massachusetts was pretty good. I don’t know, those are a couple.
Sarah: Do you have any hobbies?
Mark: I like to play roller hockey, baseball. I don’t know, just about every sport I like to play. That’s pretty much it. I don’t collect cards or anything like that.
Sarah: Nothing else besides sports, huh?
Mark: Not really.
Sarah: What would you like the fans to know about you?
Mark: I don’t know. They know a lot about us.
Sarah: Do they?
Mark: Yeah, they know a lot about us. I don’t really have anything they don't already know. I don’t know.
Sarah: That’s probably a good thing!
Mark: Yeah. I don’t know. There is nothing shocking about me. I guess I am just a regular guy.
Sarah: What do you think about the Buc fans?
Mark: Oh, yeah. The fans here are unbelievable. They are the best fans in the league. It really helps motivate us when we come out and we see a packed house and everybody is going crazy. It really gets us going. I would just like to thank the fans for that.
Sarah: Does it really motivate you guys when the fans cheer more as opposed to an away game? During the Omaha game they are loud. They are very, very loud. Then you go to another game and it is quiet.
Mark: Yeah, it definitely helps. It helps when they are really loud. It gets the adrenaline going. It gets us to play well. It is great.
Sarah: What about when they announce during the game that a rival is losing?
Mark: Yeah, that is kind of funny because, you know, you know the crowd is listening and then when you hear them cheer, it kind of gets us going.
Sarah: Cause I have noticed when they say Omaha is losing, it gives you guys a boost.
Mark: It’s a little bit of a boost, yeah.
Sarah: I think that is it. Do you have anything else you want to say?
Mark: That is it.
