Men's Ice Hockey Alums DiPietro, Driscoll Join Pro Ranks

BABSON PARK, Massachusetts — Following stellar careers that featured a pair of Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) East Tournament championships and back-to-back trips to the NCAA Division III quarterfinals, former Babson College men's ice hockey standouts Joe DiPietro '15 and Mike Driscoll '15 have joined the professional ranks. DiPietro inked a deal with the Wasquehal Lions in the French second division, while Driscoll signed with the Rapid City (S.D.) Rush of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL).

DiPietro is the second player to continue his career in France over the last two years, as Ryan Heavey
'14 began his second season with the Division I Dunkerque Corsaires earlier this fall. "I talked quite a bit with Ryan about his experience and ended up connecting with his former coach in France, who was able to put me in contact with the coach in Wasquehal."

The organization, which is based in the city of Lille in Northern France, was promoted to the second division for the 2015-16 season and opened its season with a 6-3 loss to Chambery on September 19. Despite the change in scenery and culture, DiPietro is excited about what the season holds. "I'm very grateful to have this opportunity. It's been a goal of mine since I was five, so I'm going to enjoy every moment of it. The language barrier and adapting to the culture has been a transition, but I wanted to see other parts of the world after graduation and I'm thankful that I can use hockey as a means to do so."

An All-America third-team selection following his junior season, Driscoll's first training camp with Rapid City begins on October 5 after signing a deal with the team in late August. "I reached out to Rush head coach Joe Ferras over the summer and we talked about the type of players that he looks for. As a former player at Plattsburgh State, he was familiar with Babson and I felt comfortable signing with them because of the high level of play."

Rapid City, which is the ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Arizona Coyotes, has made six straight playoff appearances, something Driscoll hopes he can help continue. "It's an awesome feeling to be playing hockey at the next level, and I'm hoping to make an impact right off the bat. I want to go into every practice and game working as hard as I can, and I hope to bring the winning team mentality that we had at Babson to help the franchise continue the success it's had."

While both players will have different experiences this season, they both agree that the success they enjoyed at Babson will help them along the way. "Playing at Babson has prepared me for this next chapter in many ways, but above all it has given me a winning attitude," said DiPietro. Driscoll echoed his sentiment, saying "winning championships has shown me how hard you have to work and how dedicated the team has to be in order to be successful."