New Hockey Co-Op Was a Successful Partnership

With a final record of 19-2-2 and an appearance in the state Division III finals, it all seems to have worked out for Rockville High School in terms of the new co-op.

And the run to the state Division III hockey championship game took shape 10 months ago, when golf balls - not pucks - were flying.

That was last May, when RHS officials announced that the school was seeking another partnership after playing with Manchester and Stafford high schools.

Less than a week later, a co-op with Bolton and Coventry high schools was approved by the Vernon Board of Education.

Just after Thanksgiving, new uniforms featuring a color from each school were showcased. The team also looked good in a scrimmage at the Bolton Ice Palace, its home rink.

So the team began winning when the regular season started.

And it kept winning.

And BCR qualified for the state tourney with a 17-1-2 record and a third seed.

In between was the CCC South conference championship and a 6-0 win over vs Hall/Southington in the title game at Trinity College. 

In the states, BCR had a bye to the quarterfinals and then defeated E.O. Smith/Tolland/Windham 3-0. BCR pulled out a 2-1, double-overtime win over NFA/St. Bernard/Bacon Academy in the semis.

In the final, Newington/Berlin/Manchester was a 1-0 winner on a goal scored with 2:34 left in the second period by Marco DiPaola.

"We had our chances, especially in the first but it turned into a defensive/neutral zone grind with neither team getting real good solid chances," BCR coach Christian Stevenson said. "The reality is that so few players and coaches reach the finals. With that in mind, I am very proud of what the BCR players did this year. They worked so hard and we came so close."

The Connecticut Interscholstic Athletic Conference has posted a video of the final.