Coaches defend hockey mom, twins

LYNN – Two youth sports coaches who have coached the twin 9-year-old Salem boys who are at the center of a controversy with Lynn Youth Hockey say the boys’ current coach mishandled what should have been a non-issue.They also stressed they had no problems with the boys’ parents, Holly and Bill Foglietta, despite comments from some parents and an assistant coach claiming the twins’ mother tried to interfere with the way the coaches ran the team.Nick Galeota, who coached William and Austin Foglietta for two years in Salem Little League, said he cannot believe Austin’s decision to ask to keep a puck has led to the kids being suspended from the league because their mother filed a complaint with league officials.Galeota called the twins “two of the most competitive boys” he’s coached, who keep track of all of their statistics, including their batting averages and strikeout totals when they pitch.”That’s what they do,” he said Tuesday. “They are competitive with each other and they want to win.”Galeota says he routinely hands out game balls to players who hit home runs during a game and does not understand why the twins’ hockey coach, William Norcross, allegedly yelled at Austin when he collected the puck after scoring his 200th goal and then threw a bag of pucks at his brother in the locker room. Norcross has denied both allegations.”If I had a kid get a puck and I had a problem with it, which I don’t, I would have pulled the parents and child aside after the game privately, not in front of anybody else, and talked about it,” he said. “That’s not what happened here.”He believes Lynn Youth hockey officials need to think about the impact their decision is having on the twins. The league is supposed to issue a decision on whether to terminate the family’s relationship with the league in five to 10 days.”Why are the kids suspended? I don’t understand it,” he said. “This is something the kids are going to remember for the rest of their lives.”Both Galeota and Ricky Mayne, the longtime coach of the North Suburban Wings Select hockey team, said they’ve had no problems dealing with the twins’ parents. In fact, both praised them for being involved with and supportive of their sons’ teams.Holly Foglietta became the focus of criticism after she said in an email that Norcross’ alleged treatment of her sons was “borderline child abuse.”Norcross noted that the twins’ mother sent him an email complaining about a decision he made, but hasn’t characterized her actions as others have.Mayne, who coached the twins for two years and says he has already recruited them to play in his select team next year, said he named Bill Foglietta an assistant coach and Holly Foglietta acted as the team’s mother.He defended Holly Foglietta’s actions and said dealing with parents, and hockey mothers in particular, is part of the job for any hockey coach.”I’ve had mothers say worse stuff to me, believe me,” Mayne said during an interview Tuesday. “All this woman did was stick up for her sons.”Mayne believes that part of the reason why so few parents from her sons’ team have come to her defense is because they’re jealous of her.”These parents are so nice, but everyone is crazy in hockey,” Mayne, who has coached for 17 years, said. “When you play for the city and you’re not from there, people are jealous and envious. She’s pretty and blond and drives a Corvette. What do you think people think?”Mayne recalled an incident when Holly Foglietta came to him to complain that he had put William Foglietta on defense, while Austin stayed on offense.”People always put their two cents in,” he said about the conversation. “She was asking, ‘Why is he playing defense?’ She didn’t understand that one could be the best at offense and one could be the best at defense. It wasn’t a punishment.”Mayne also said it’s not unusual for parents to get emotional when watching a hockey game, which he said Norcross should understand.”Hockey mothers, they don’t really know the game,” he said. “If your