After 30 years away, junior varsity ice hockey returned to Concord High this season.
The Crimson Tide capped their comeback campaign in style on Tuesday afternoon with an appearance in the New Hampshire Junior Varsity Hockey League championship game at Tri-Town Arena in Hooksett. Concord fell to Bedford, 3-0, but the result was far less important than the fact that 16 young skaters weren’t left behind, but instead given a chance to represent their school on a team they could call their own for a season.
“The biggest thing is kids in the past, if you didn’t make the (varsity) team as a freshman, they don’t come back. We never see them again,” longtime Concord varsity boys’ hockey coach Dunc Walsh said. “Now I would hope if you didn’t make it as a freshman, you’re on the JV team and you know you’re part of the program and come back and give it another shot.”
Walsh fondly remembers Concord’s last JV hockey team in 1988 because he was the head coach. Since then, he’s spent the last 29 years at the helm of the varsity squad, leading the Tide to six state championships.
Two of the players under Walsh on Concord’s 2010 title-winning squad, Kevin Marceau and Pat Lacasse, were tabbed as co-coaches for the revitalized JV program and helped lead the team to an 8-4-3 record in its first year back.
“It was challenging but very rewarding,” said Lacasse, whose brother Phil serves as an assistant and defensive coach for the varsity team. “Me and Kevin hadn’t coached a team, so getting used to the kids, and we had a ton of first-time kids, and growing them into hopefully varsity players someday was the goal. It was a challenge, but the kids were up to the task.”
Walsh said conversations about a potential JV team began happening last fall between parents, the school board and Concord Athletic Director Steve Mello.
When it became clear the team would come to fruition, Lacasse and Marceau were easy choices.
“I see those guys a lot, they’re local and I talk to them. They said they were interested and me personally, I don’t think we could have come up with two better kids to coach the team than those guys,” Walsh said.
“They’re good guys. They were really good players and just good for the program,” Walsh said. “They care about it and that’s kind of what it was all about.”
Concord, along with five other teams (Bedford, Londonderry, Bishop Guertin, Pinkerton, Hanover) entered into the NHJVHL for its inaugural season. The teams played 12 regular-season games before postseason play began on Feb. 17 and ended with the title game on Tuesday evening.
The league is hoping to expand to eight teams next season and the Tide is optimistic it will be in good shape roster-wise to keep the team going.
“I think a lot of is based on the numbers, but we were very successful this year,” Lacasse said. “We had a great season and I know the numbers for next year are supposed to be close to the same so hopefully it’s something that we can continue to do and grow for that varsity program and hockey in Concord in general.”
The Tide was led this season by outstanding goaltending from CJ Escalera and Kevin Jones, a duo that along with the top defenseman Adam Fennelly, made Concord one of the stingiest defensive teams in the league.
Forwards Donovan Hayes, Cam McGonigle and James Shea were just some of the bright spots offensively, but with the team working so closely with the varsity squad, including joint practices most Mondays, almost every JV player was able to make an impression on Walsh.
“It’s not like you’re on JV and I never see you. We see you,” Walsh said. “I went to probably most of the games and they’re an important part of the program. I’m glad they’re a part of it and I think the kids really took pride in having the jersey on. That’s important to them so I think it was great. It could not have been better.”
(Jay McAree can be reached at 369-3371, jmcaree@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @JayMcAree.)