"I don't have any idea why someone from this area would go all the way to SSM when there are great options right here with a far better education."
That's easy, that's because EVERY male hockey player is going pro and EVERY female hockey player there is going to the Olympics. Sheesh, I thought everyone knew that. So why would you go to Groton or Middlesex where you have an excellent chance of getting into an amazing college, and make very important contacts while at school, when you could go out there and end up at Bemidji State University???? Don't be a dope...