Siblings Katie and David Breen link up with a myriad of common experiences
Katie and David Breen have always shared a lot in common.
Even at a young age, this sister and brother combo were extremely close, just glad to be together. They considered themselves equal in everything they did. Being a boy or a girl didn’t matter. What was good for one was good for the other.
‘One day I came home with a pair of ice skates for David and a pair of figure skates for Katie,’ said their father, David. ‘Katie was five-years-old at the time and David three. Katie looked at her skates and said she didn’t want them. She said she wanted the same skates that I had bought for David.’
From that point on, Katie and David have followed almost identical paths. They both participated on the same youth hockey teams. They both graduated from Phillips Andover Academy (Katie in 2000, David in 2002). They both excelled in various sports and school subjects. And they both have provided memories that will last forever.
‘I remember coaching them at the youth level, and that was a lot of fun,’ said dad David, who played hockey at St. John’s Prep in Danvers and St. Anselm’s College in Manchester, New Hampshire. ‘Every time they went on the ice, I was in a trance watching them. They’ve brought me great pride and joy.’
Today, Katie and David, now 21 and 19, respectively, continue to shine and make a name for themselves, both academically and athletically, while competing at the Division 1 college hockey level.
Katie will be entering her senior year at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York in the fall. She has been a member of the Raiders women’s varsity hockey team for three years, serving as co-captain of the squad this past season. The hard-working and humble rightwinger has also done an outstanding job in the classroom, making the ECAC All-Academic Team the past two years.
David is a sophomore-to-be at Merrimack College. He held his own as a freshman center on the Warriors men’s varsity hockey team last season, a gutsy performer who even scored two goals.
His most impressive numbers, however, were his grades.
He was named Hockey East’s Top Scholar-Athlete, an award given annually to the player who achieves the highest grade point average over the course of the season. David finished the 2002-03 school year with a 3.91 GPA, edging out teammate Lucas Smith (3.90 GPA) who won the award last year.
Balancing pucks and books can be a challenging task, particularly during the college hockey season when practices, games and traveling consume so much time and energy. Regardless of their demanding schedules, the Breens have their priorities in order.
‘It’s hard to find time to study when you’re exhausted, but you have to make sacrifices,’ said Katie, who is a sociology major with an overall 3.2 GPA. ‘Education is important to me. I know I have no future as a pro hockey player, so I want to be able to handle myself after I graduate. I’m very determined to be successful in whatever I do.’
‘In order to study during the season, you have to plan ahead every week,’ added David. ‘We practice almost every day and game days are whole-day events. After studying, the only things left to do are eating and sleeping. That’s your life.’
Because they play in different states and during the same time of the year, it’s almost impossible for the Breens to watch each other play.
Yet, when Katie scored her first goal for Colgate as a freshman, David was in attendance, cheering on his sister’s big moment.
‘I just knew by the way she was playing that she would get it,’ said David. ‘I was happy for her.’
Ironically enough, when David scored his initial goal for Merrimack last season, Katie was in the crowd, applauding her brother’s memorable achievement. ‘I was so excited and so proud of him,’ said Katie. ‘It was a good goal, and he was in the right place at the right time.’
David Breen and his wife, Connie, have been supportive of their children from the first time they laced up their skates. Over the years, they made the many early morning rides to the rink for practice and the late night trips home following road games. They still make the 10-hour roundtrip to Colgate to watch Katie play, as well as the short drive to Merrimack to spur David on.
‘I’m extremely proud how my children have grown and blossomed,’ said Connie Breen, a nurse practitioner in Andover. ‘We’ve always wanted to see them become academically sound. And as far as hockey is concerned, we’re thrilled that they’ve stuck with it for so long.’
‘I never expected my kids to play Division 1 hockey; very few kids get the opportunity to do so,’ said David Breen, Vice President of Administrative Services at Merrimack College. ‘They have worked so hard to get there.’
Katie and David Breen have always shared a special sister and brother bond. And on those cold winter nights during the college hockey season, technology helps to bring them closer together. ‘We have a good relationship,’ said Katie. ‘We talk a lot on the phone, and we e-mail and text message each other all the time.’
Whichever way they communicate, the topics discussed between them are never too shocking. Hockey. Classes. Social gatherings. Latest Real World episode. This is what transpires when two people, who just happen to come from the same family, share so much in common.
‘We both know.’ said David, ‘what each other is going through.’