The majority of high school sports games feature two schools going head-to-head to see which team has the better program. Sometimes, however, it takes teamwork between different schools to build a successful program — especially in hockey.
In smaller divisions, it has become common for two or more schools to join forces and form a co-op high school hockey team. Normally, the purpose of this is to allow two schools who have hockey programs to stay afloat when their participation numbers are low. This in itself can result in smaller teams with just enough players to get by. However, in recent years, there have been a number of co-op programs who have not only enjoyed bits and pieces of success, but thrived.
One of the most prominent examples of this in the region is the Southeastern Regional Vo-Tech (Easton, Mass.) boys hockey coop, which also feature players from West Bridgewater High and Bristol-Plymouth Vo-Tech (Taunton, Mass.). The program features two regional schools and one of the smallest public high schools in the state because typically, the athletic participation rates at vocational-techs are lower than that of standard high schools. This also means the team features many players from different towns. Even so, this did not stop the team from having an undefeated (20-0-2) regular season last year. That team had talent, and chemistry was not an issue.
"It’s probably more than you’d think, who grew up playing hockey together," head coach Mark Cabral said. "A lot of them played Brewins Youth Hockey. I’ve got a few Southeast Cyclones kids, and then some from the Boston Bandits, the club team. It ends up that they all kind of know each other, and if Player A doesn’t know Player B, they’ll both know Player C, and that really helps out. A lot of the captains take it upon themselves to do some team-building events. After practice, they’ll go and do some pond skating. They all help out."
The co-op has three primary leaders in the senior class — Thomas Fillion (Bristol-Plymouth), captain Dan Georgantas (West Bridgewater) and Kyle Burns (Southeastern) — one leader from each school.
The one major obstacle this dynamic presents for the co-op’s younger players is adapting to the high school’s style of hockey. Since there are three main teams which the players come from, there are opposing hockey styles when the kids do come to high school. "If we play like you played growing up and we can’t adapt to our own system, we’d be a mess," Cabral said. "Luckily our kids really buy in to our system. Our power play is clicking. We have some bodies. It’s been really good."
For some co-ops, this is a non-issue. The Plymouth North/South girls hockey co-op is a prime example of this because most of the players grew up playing Plymouth youth hockey. This benefit seems to outweigh the fact that Plymouth North and Plymouth South are rivals in just about every other sport.
"We’re all from Plymouth, so it’s a Plymouth team," head coach Sadie Wright-Ward said. "It feels like we’re one town coming together and fighting together. I think that gives us a bit of an advantage compared to some of the other co-ops.
"It’s unique that a lot of them grew up playing together," she added. "I find every now and then, there’s little things where the South kids think their school is better and the North kids think their school is better, but it really doesn’t cause any turmoil in the locker room. We really feel like one team when we’re on the ice."
The Plymouth team is four years young, and prior to its existence, girls in the town who wanted to keep playing hockey past the youth level had to find a club team. In its short history, the program has endured both success and struggles. Last season, the team went 0-19-1, but as of Jan. 19, the team was 7-2-3 this season.
Last season, the team was on the younger side, with 17 of its 23 players either freshmen or sophomores. The team also competed against more Division 1 teams, but now it has settled in to the Patriot League.
The co-op has three players who have been in the program for all four seasons: seniors Kayla Donovan (forward), Kelsey Routhier (forward) and Molly Costello (defender). Freshman forward Maeve Reynolds, junior defender Jordan Colberg and goaltenders Kat Lombardo, a senior, and Bryanne Porter, a junior, have excelled this season.
"We have a lot of great seniors to lead this team. There’s a lot of good role models," Wright-Ward said. "We also have a good opportunity to get some confidence early in the year. When you put the puck in early and build confidence in yourself, it makes a difference."
