Walpole High School’s hockey teams officially started their seasons mid December after a strong season from both the boys and girls teams last year. Following each team’s playoff run last season, the players hoped to start their seasons off with their best foot forward. The girls began their season with a 2-2-0 record, while the boys held a 1-2-1 record.
The coaching staff strove to bring each team out of an uneven start to the season. Boys varsity head coach Ronald Dowd has been a part of the Walpole Hockey program for 14 years and is heading into his 19th year as a head coach in Walpole. Dowd hopes the Timberwolves can be a tough competitor when preparing for the postseason.
“We are hard to play against, we do not beat ourselves and we are disciplined,” Dowd said.
Dowd’s team secured a win in their first game with a slight lead over Braintee with a score of 3-2. Despite a winning start to the season, the boys have a 1-1-1 record as they approached the middle of their season. In their big win against their rival team, Norwood was shut out by Walpole, as the Timberwolves scored a total of 4 goals. The team’s lead scorer is captain Ryan Lania. The senior has scored a total of six goals so far this season.
“[Our goals are to] be competitive, tough to play against and get better every day to be ready for the postseason,” Dowd said.
On the girls side, head coach Bobby England is in his fourth year as a coach at WHS. He believes the teams’ hard work will be a key part of being victorious during the 24-25 season, and aims to give his seniors a strong final year after being with them since the beginning of their high school hockey careers.
“The way you do anything is the way you do everything; whether it’s a workout, a practice or a game, 100% is the minimum,” England said. “This motivation should give anyone the opportunity to succeed.”
In their first game against Braintree, the girls secured an impressive win scoring 5 goals. After scoring 4 goals within the first two periods compared to 1 for Braintree, the team fought off the attempted comeback by scoring another in the third period demonstrating the teams grit. Progressing further into the season the team won two games in a row against Mansfield and Norwood. So far, senior captain Cassie Burke leads the team in goals with a total of 4, while junior Kaylee Walsh leads the team in points with 9, including 5 assists and 4 goals. Looking ahead to the rest of the season, England hopes that the team can represent Walpole well.
“My goals are always to put together the best team that I can,” England said. “First overall is that the team represents Walpole High School, so everyone is expected to act accordingly on and off the ice.”
The boys’ last game is on Feb. 17 while the girls will play their final regular season game on Feb. 19. Come support WHS’s hockey teams throughout the rest of the season at Rodman Arena.
