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Peckham flourishes at Thomas

Gardiner graduate 2-year captain on lacrosse team

By Gary Hawkins ghawkins@centralmaine.com
Staff Writer

Kolby Peckham never cared much for baseball, but it was the game he played growing up, at least until he reached the seventh grade. That's when he was introduced to lacrosse.

"I just loved it," Peckham said. "The sport has everything. It's fast, it's physical."

It's fun, too. Peckham was a conference all-star at Gardiner Area High School before moving on to Thomas College, where he joined the team just as it became a varsity sport. A two-year captain, he became the school's scoring leader as a junior late last year.

"I didn't even know it," Peckham said. "My goal at the beginning of this year was to break the scoring record."

So far this season, Peckham leads the Terriers in scoring with 18 goals and 12 assists.

"He's kind of like the playmaker," Thomas coach Tom Sheridan said of Peckham's role. "He creates a lot of offense the way he plays the game."

The Terriers are young this season and have several players on the team who have never played before. Peckham is one of two seniors on the team and a marked man every time he steps on the field.

"Sometimes you go into a game knowing you're going to get shut off," he said. "That's when other people have to step up."

He also takes a pounding, and that can take its toll on his 5-foot-10, 170-pound frame. But he's never missed a game and, as Sheridan points out, "He doesn't back down."

"You don't have to be big to be good," Peckham said. "If you're quick, you have an advantage over a lot of people."

For the second year in a row, Peckham is one of the team's captains, but because of the team's youth and perhaps his own maturity, he's blossomed in that role, especially in helping the younger players.

His own improvement has been steady since coming to Thomas. He was named North Atlantic Conference Rookie of the Year as a freshman and was a first-team NAC all-star as a sophomore. He's become bigger and stronger in the weight room, adding 20 pounds of muscle since high school without losing any of his speed.

"He's one of the best shooters I've ever coached," Sheridan said, citing Peckham's accuracy, velocity and ability to shoot on the run. "He's a very good dodger as well."

Peckham said he's worked on shooting on the run since he began playing the game, but expanded his passing game once he came to college.

"You definitely have to get assists," he said.

A hockey player at Gardiner, Peckham skates for Thomas' club team and sees similarities with lacrosse.

"I love the flow," he said. "There's always one extra pass to be made."

Kolby's passion for lacrosse runs in the family. His brother Kody is a junior on the St. Joseph's College team while another brother, Kory, is a senior on the Gardiner lacrosse team. In head-to-head matchups, Kolby and Thomas have beaten St. Joe's and Kody in the last two meetings. They play again in Waterville later this month.

"They look real good so we'll see," Kolby said.

A criminal justice major, Peckham is considering law enforcement following graduation. He'd also like to stay close to lacrosse.

"I'd definitely like to stay in the sport," he said. "It's a big part of my life."

Gary Hawkins -- 621-5638

ghawkins@centralmaine.com