Puck Set to Drop on Hopkinton's Inaugural Season

By Curtis Fraser

The John Stark varsity hockey team opens practice this Tuesday night, November 22, 2011, but this practice will have a new twist not seen in years past. For the first time, John Stark will take the ice with five players from Hopkinton High School as part of the new John Stark-Hopkinton (JSH) cooperative ice hockey team. The team will be part of the NHIAA’s Division III and will play its home games at New England College’s Lee Clement Arena. Hopkinton will be represented by senior Curtis Fraser, juniors Henry Merrow and Marysol Newton, and freshmen Robbie Ferguson and Peter Sawitsky.

Talk of combining the two schools for ice hockey has been on and off for the past few years. “It seems to make a lot of sense considering that Hopkinton is part of our youth hockey program (Henniker Youth Hockey),” says JSH head coach Dave Saball. “A lot of players have grown up playing together, but [Hopkinton hasn’t had] a high school hockey team.”

Within the past few years, the cooperative team has been pushed by a group of parents, says Hopkinton athletic director Dan Meserve. This year they were able to come up with a financial solution to finally make the merger possible.

Both Saball and Meserve cited the recent struggles of the John Stark team to field sufficient roster space and that the team has been looking to expand. Having just 14 players rostered last season, JSH has 18 skaters and two goalies on the roster this season, exactly the number allowed on teams in the NHL.

The team from JSH is very young, with a majority of the team underclassmen. The defense is especially young, anchored by John Stark junior Hunter Goss. After Goss, the defense corps is made up of two sophomores and three freshmen. Coach Saball has already told the players to expect to potentially play the defense position, a spot where few forwards have tried their luck. “I have played ‘D’ several times before at camps, but never for a full game,” says Ferguson. “I’ve been a center my entire life, so back on the blue line, I just feel out of place.” Ferguson has been playing hockey since he was six years old, making this his ninth season playing the sport. Sawitsky is the only Hopkinton defenseman.

With the team scheduled to begin practice on Tuesday night, Coach Saball has already distributed playbooks with offensive and defensive strategies, power play formations, and penalty killing structures. Players from both schools have already spent extensive time studying this book, in eager anticipation for this new chapter in John Stark hockey to write itself. “It is a win-win situation for both schools,” says Saball. “I’m very excited about it.”

John Stark-Hopkinton opens its 2011-2012 season at home on Monday, December 12 against Souhegan. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:15p.m. The full schedule is available online at http://www.leaguelineup.com/schedules.aspcmenuid=6&url=johnstarkhockey&sid=286035228.