Hanover
The 2-1 defeat of Essex on March 5 in the Vermont U14 Tier II state championships at Stowe Arena was dreamlike in its own way, after two years of coming up just short against the Sting’s Bantams.
Getting practice time at Dartmouth College’s Thompson Arena left some in awe of the cavernous rink, a much different feel than the team’s home surface at Woodstock’s Union Arena.
Punching its ticket to the USA Hockey U14 Tier II national tournament at the Florida Panthers IceDen complex in Coral Springs, Fla., for the first time in Woodstock youth hockey history has added to the sense of fantasy.
Both athletes and coaches don’t know what to expect on Thursday, when the team takes on Alaska’s Anchorage North Stars, one of three games the Junior Wasps will play in this week’s tournament in what many believe to be Woodstock’s first trip to nationals in youth hockey association history. Some never expected to ever compete at this level.
“This is definitely one of the best years for me,” Andrew Gubbins, 14, from South Pomfret, said on Wednesday outside the visitors’ locker room at Thompson Arena. “These are all my friends. I’ve been playing with some of these guys all my life. … I never could have imagined (playing for a national championship). This is like a dream for me.”
The Junior Wasps finished this season 31-11-1, outscoring opponents 166-81. But more impressive was the team’s composure under particularly intense travel circumstances: coach Dave Willis’ group had trouble finding area opponents in their age group this season, and that forced the team to travel farther — places like Pittsfield, Mass.; Rouses Point, N.Y.; Albany, N.Y.; and Saratoga Springs, N.Y. — for the same amount of games.
“It’s been pretty taxing, trying to manage schoolwork, other sports and having somewhat of a social life outside of hockey,” said Tommy Bissaillon, 14, a South Royalton native who is an eighth-grader at The Sharon Academy’s middle school. “Traveling every weekend because there are no teams to play, just trying to find that balance of how much is too much work and how much is your passion was tough.”
The team itself was relatively small — nine skaters and one goaltender. Three of the athletes are refugees from the Twin Valley Hockey Association, including Meriden’s Lukasz Ricci and Plainfield’s Aidan Yates and Matt Sites. To some, particularly those who had not grown up in Woodstock’s youth hockey system, the heavy travel schedule may have been a good thing.
“The beginning of the season, we were a bunch of different guys from a bunch of different towns,” Bissaillon said. “A few of us knew each other pretty well, but a few of us didn’t. It really brought us together as a team. I feel like it made us better because we go everywhere together. We’re a family. Going everywhere improves our chemistry. We know each other so well, it helps us play well together.
“It’s pretty surreal,” Bissaillon added. “We’re going to nationals. The fact that we’re a small team from Vermont and we’re going to nationals, it’s kind of nuts that we’re playing the top four teams in the country. It’s crazy.”
For a team used to traveling long distances, a trip to Florida will feel like just another weekend.
Bissaillon has led the way offensively with 34 goals and 13 assists. Field Willis led the team in assists with 24 and contributed 12 goals. Yates finished the season with 17 goals and 22 assists, and Gubbins scored 19 goals and assisted on 17 others. Keaton Picconi is the team’s only netminder.
Dave Willis said he’s not only proud of what his team has accomplished but how much progress his group has made since October.
“Last spring, I said this was going to be a really good year,” Willis said. “We knew it was going to be really special. We worked on trying to get a schedule, getting games against other good Tier II teams. … It’s a great group. They’re really solid kids.”
Woodstock’s hockey community has rallied behind the Junior Wasps. Travel and expenses for the three-day tournament cost about $2,000 per athlete, some of which was offset from donations from the Woodstock Youth Hockey Association. Volunteers launched a fundraising campaign via GoFundMe.com to help offset the costs of travel for athletes, coaches and parents.
“Due to significant costs associated with this trip, we are reaching out to friends, family and our community,” Greg Greene, coaching and player registrar for the Woodstock Youth Hockey Association, wrote on the GoFundMe page. “These fine young men, coaches and parents greatly appreciate any support you would be willing to give toward this once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Woodstock also purchased ice time at Thompson Arena on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday two weeks ago to help Willis’ team prepare for the bigger stage. Woodstock Union High girls varsity head coach Ian Coates and boys varsity head coach Jon Chamberlain were on Big Green ice with the Junior Wasps on Wednesday, leading practice drills and drawing up plays for many of the future varsity athletes.
“We’re doing it for Woodstock,” Bissaillon said. “Trying to get Woodstock out there, trying to show everyone what a great organization we have and the great organization we’ve built in the two years I’ve been around. I think it’s about representing Woodstock and Vermont as a whole that kind of drives to want to win even more.
“I think we’ve put the team on the map in Vermont. But if we want to really be known as a contender and as a competitor, I think that we still have a lot of work to do.”
To donate to the Junior Wasps’ trip, visit https://www.gofundme.com/wyhtonationals.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.