After many setbacks and doubts about having a season, the Timberlane Regional High School Hockey team will be practicing and participating in games and scrimmages over the course of the next two months. Countless efforts from the athletic director, NHIAA, and Coach Brown all contributed to a successful outlook for this year’s season with scheduled games and practices.  

With Covid 19 still in full effect, the Timberlane Hockey team was not certain on what their season would look like this year, if they even had one. On top of this, they had eight spots to fill after eight players graduated the year before. 

Coach Brown and Athletic Director Fantasia worked with other schools in creating a schedule that would work with all of the Covid 19 protocols. Coach Brown stated, “It hasn’t been pretty but we have managed games and practices on the schedule and look forward to pursuing the season.”

With this push back and all the safety procedures, there are a lot of precautions that are taken on a nightly basis. These include wearing masks on and off the ice, social distancing, and temperature checks before an event. Now they do sound simple and easy, but some of the players do not exactly find them so fun. 

3rd year player, and assistant captain defensemen, Zach Diamond says, “It’s definitely been a challenge and far from ordinary. Wearing masks and the inability to shower post practice has been extraordinarily annoying.” 

Many of the players were annoyed and anxious at the start of the season but many, like Zach,  stuck to the team and committed to the season despite the uncertainty of games and practices. Others not so much. At least a half dozen kids did not sign up this year after playing last year. 

To make matters worse, with only 17 players signed up in the first place, they have lost three to ineligibility due to grades and physicals. When asked about this year’s difficulties, Senior captain Cameron Rouleau says, “It’s been hard, but I believe this is a step in the right direction.” He believes that this year could be a turning point in the team’s history after almost being cancelled last year. 

This year has even had a huge impact on the fans as well. The NHIAA made it so that there will not be any fans in attendance other than the parents of the players. Hockey fanatic and TRHS hockey fan Dimitri Kakouris says, “It stinks we cant see the boys buzz around on the ice this year but I’m just happy they get to play,” when asked about no fans in attendance for games and practices. 

At the end of the day, despite all the safety protocols and uncertainty of a season, the Hockey team has come up with a schedule with at least eight games and 20 plus practices for their season.  Practices have started, but with Covid 19 protocols, they must wait to play games until after January 11th due to a law passed by the N.H. government and the NHIAA. 

At the end of the day, they are very fortunate to even get a season. Some schools are not participating in Winter sports so to be one of the schools that are, means a whole lot to these young men.