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Whale forward Micaela Long balances teaching and playing professional hockey

Connecticut's second-year forward Micaela Long is a full-time physical education instructor at the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford.

Connecticut’s second-year forward Micaela Long is a physical education instructor at the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford.

WEST HARTFORD, Dec. 9 – Connecticut Whale forward Micaela Long doesn’t have a lot of extra time in her life at this point. But that isn’t a problem for the 29-year-old teacher at the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford.

During the week, Long teaches physical education at ASD, the oldest school for deaf students in the nation. In the evenings and on weekends, Long is a second-year forward with the Connecticut Whale in the National Women’s Hockey League.

After six games on the road, Long and her Whale teammates will play their first home game of the season on Saturday night at Northford Ice Arena in the Northford section of North Branford at 7 p.m. when Connecticut hosts Buffalo.

Connecticut (2-4) will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak when they take on the Beauts (3-4).

Long played four years at New Hampshire with 48 career goals, finishing with 51 points in her senior season (13 goals, 38 assists) in 2010. She played two seasons with the Boston Blades in the CWHL. She had been out of hockey for three years before the NWHL opened for business in 2015.

Connecticut forward Micaela Long defends in recent exhibition game in Northford.

Connecticut forward Micaela Long defends in recent exhibition game in Northford.

Long hasn’t scored a goal or picked up an assist yet this season but a year ago, she had three goals and six assists for Connecticut, including a two-goal performance in a 5-3 loss to eventual NWHL champion Boston last February. Long also had a pair of assists in the NWHL playoff loss to Buffalo.

Freelance writer Christopher Botta caught up with Long, who played her high school hockey in Connecticut at Pomfret School, and discussed her busy lifestyle in a story published on the NWHL website.

Since 2009, the Collinsville Press has been providing award-winning coverage of sports and news in the Farmington Valley and across Connecticut.

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