Woodstock High has joined a growing list of schools that have had to bow out of the Vermont Principals Association state hockey tournament because of a COVID-19 issue.
On Thursday, the Woodstock boys became at least the seventh VPA hockey program forced out after the team learned of a positive case on the roster. Woodstock then forfeited Saturday’s planned Division I semifinal game at top-ranked Essex to complete a pandemic-shortened 4-4-2 season.
Essex High athletic director Patrick Merriam and Woodstock coach Jon Chamberlin confirmed the development. Essex advances to the state final next week.
“The Woodstock Union High School and Middle School was notified on Wednesday, March 17th of a positive COVID case impacting the boys hockey team and several members of the school community,” Woodstock athletic director Jack Boymer wrote Thursday in an email statement. “Our COVID response team worked closely with the Vermont Department of Health to identify and notify all potential close contacts. All have been advised to quarantine.
“Though we have remained open and operating in a hybrid model, we were saddened to have canceled the hockey team’s participation in the boys Division I playoff game. Our decision was grounded in recommendations and guidance from the Health Department and largely based on our priority to provide for the health and safety of the Woodstock community.”
According to multiple media reports, the Wasps join a list of early hockey tournament departures that includes both the boys and girls teams at Missisquoi High and Stowe High, the North Country/Lyndon girls and the South Burlington boys. The Woodstock boys had reached the semifinals when South Burlington bowed out over a COVID case last week. The Hartford High girls made their D-II semifinal, scheduled for Saturday against Middlebury, as a result of Stowe’s shutdown.
“The only thing is it is what it is, and I hate to say it that bluntly,” VPA associate executive director Bob Johnson in a Thursday morning phone interview. “We’ve been committed to the schools, and the schools are doing the best they can. We’ve had a domino effect in some cases. I don’t know how related they are to each other, and I don’t know why we’re seeing so much in hockey than in basketball, but we certainly are.”
Johnson added questions about the integrity of any tournament field weakened by COVID-19 departures have been a part of the Vermont landscape since the start of school, with contests canceled during the fall season as well and more possible this spring.
He said the VPA is committed to seeing the winter postseason through, however, even if more teams have to bow out.
“I have no idea what we’re going to see,” Johnson said. “We got permission to go ahead to the best of our abilities, and we’ll see what happens.”
The VPA winter tournament season is scheduled to close with four divisions of high school basketball finals at Barre Auditorium the weekend of March 27-28.
Greg Fennell can be reached at gfennell@vnews.com or 603-727-3226.