The high school hockey season isn’t set to begin at Whitman-Hanson Regional High until mid-December, at the earliest.
New Panthers bench boss Rob Peters joined Four Deep Sports Talk Show on Saturday, Nov. 7 to talk W-H hockey and share his background in the game.
Take a listen:
Rob Peters knows firsthand what the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ hockey team is capable of after serving as an assistant coach for Scituate the last two seasons.
Not only did the Panthers go 2-0 against the Sailors last year during league play, but they also ended their season in the Division 2 South quarterfinals.
“They’re (Whitman-Hanson) well respected, very difficult,” Peters said. “It’s always a dog fight to play Whitman-Hanson.”
Fortunately for Peters, he doesn’t have to worry about playing the Panthers anymore, after they hired him as their next head coach last month.
“It’s definitely exciting being back behind the bench head coaching and kind of build off of a great, respected program,” Peters said. “I’m definitely excited to be a part of that.”
Peters succeeds Chris Googins, who stepped down to spend more time with his family, and Peters knows he has some big shoes to fill. Googins took the program from a one-win season in 2015 (his first season back in his second stint behind the Panthers bench) to its best campaign in at least 15 years this past winter, going 17-6-1 and earning a trip to the South semifinals. Peters said his philosophy mirrors the program’s current style quite well.
“I like to coach a very disciplined, defensive-minded-first team, so I like having kids with good characters,” Peters said. “That’s what I saw as an outsider and then when I started to go through the interview process and learn more about Whitman-Hanson and who they are as a school and a community, there’s a lot of similarities with how I live my everyday life. As I went through the interview process, it reassured me that it was going to be a good fit.”
Peters’ duties at Scituate included running the power play, coaching the forwards and leading film sessions. Additionally, he owns and operates his own hockey skill development company. He also worked in community development and branding for the New Jersey Devils organization.
“I think I’ll be able to add a little more versatility and a little more skill development [to W-H],” Peters said.
A question for any new W-H boys’ hockey coach should be: How do you keep the program relevant?
“I want to try and have a little more input with their youth program,” Peters said. “I want to really get them excited to play for Whitman-Hanson hockey — kind of build from the bottom up.”
“Year after year, players change but the systems, the character, and everything that comes with the game mentally stays. If we create a family atmosphere, I think we can overcome anything.”
And the Panthers’ are going to have to overcome the graduation of a few key forwards in Patriot League All-Stars Adam Solari (23 goals, 11 assists) and Chris Stoddard (nine goals, 28 assists). However, they will return a league all-star in net, Bobby Siders, and freshman forward standout Matt Solari (18 goals, 14 assists).
“I want to make the playoffs — that’s a big goal,” Peters said. “They had a really big year last year. We lost some key forwards but I think we are still going to have a great roster and character. I’m excited to see what these guys got. I want to get back in the playoffs — where they were last year.”
After the program’s best run in at least 15 years, Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ hockey head coach Chris Googins has stepped down.
“This is a huge loss for our school, but I get it,” said W-H athletic director Bob Rodgers. “Not only is Chris a tremendous coach, he is an even better father. His youngest son is playing hockey in college and he simply did not want to miss the opportunity to share that journey with him.”
Googins served six seasons as the boys’ hockey coach in the early 2000s before departing to take over the head coaching responsibilities at Framingham State University. He returned to W-H in 2016, as the Panthers skated to a one-win campaign. This past season, they won 17 games and earned a berth in the Div. 2 South semifinals.
“Coach Googins touched all the bases as a high school coach,” Rodgers said. “ He taught his players so much more than just hockey and in his final lesson to the boys he showed them that family always comes first. We are fortunate that he will remain with our school in his current teaching position.”
The Panthers celebrate a goal against Scituate. / Photo by: Sue Moss
If you can get a team to collectively buy into the same message, usually good things will follow.
So, to see his Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ hockey team go on the program’s longest postseason run in at least 15 years didn’t take head coach Chris Googins by surprise one bit. The Panthers posted a 17-6-1 record and went all the way to the Div. 2 South semifinals, where they fell to eventual co-state champion Canton.
“They really just stayed true to what their goal was and that was just trying to do their part to make the program better,” said the 10th-year head coach. “They didn’t care who got the points or the glory, they were just more interested in the program moving ahead. It does take a core group of kids to help establish a culture to have some relative success.”
It started with seniors Eddie Collins, Calvin Cooper, John Hagan, Adam Solari, Chris Stoddard, and Reed Watson, all of whom were four-year players who won just one game their freshman year.
“It can’t be mentioned enough of what a great character-driven core of seniors these have been,” Googins said. “None of them have left. They’ve always tried to push each other. I know there’s three kids who have letters on their jerseys, but anyone of them I would be comfortable calling a captain.”
Patriot League All-Stars Adam Solari and Stoddard keyed the offense. Adam Solari led the team with 23 goals to go with 11 assists, while Stoddard had a team-high 28 helpers to complement nine goals.
“They’re two different types of players and I think that’s why they had such a good year together,” Googins said. “Chris is more of a pass-first type of a kid and Adam is a shoot-first type of kid and it’s a great formula. They really did not care who scored, it was always about the end result.”
Freshman Matt Solari was the other piece of the Panthers’ top line and made quite the first impression, finding the back of the net 18 times with 14 assists.
“He’s very fortunate that he played in three postseason games, three tournament games,” Googins said. “We’ve got other important kids coming back along with Matty who played significant time in the tournament.”
No one played more significant time in the tournament than junior goaltender Bobby Siders, who oftentimes stood on his head. A Patriot League All-Star, Siders recorded 26 saves in a 2-0 shutout victory over Scituate in the quarterfinals.
“Bobby is a hockey player,” Googins said. “He knows when we need a whistle and he knows when to deflect a puck in a certain corner. He’s constantly communicating. He really has been the backbone of this team. He’s going to continue and hopefully elevate his game because we are losing some production.”
Junior blueliners Jack Allen and Kevin Willis should once again form a strong nucleus in front of Siders next winter.
“They know the system, they communicate very well with each other,” Googins said. “Looking for much bigger and better things from all of them.
“The bottom line is the heart, the desire, the work ethic, that’s there. But now there has to be a little more sport-specific training and it comes down to skating. You have to be able to skate at a higher level and make quick decisions. That starts in the weight room and working on legs.
Googins said he believes this season could be a turning point for his program, which had struggled to gain traction in the past.
“Moving forward, the new normal is to get to this level annually and try to see if you can get some good opportunities and move forward,” Googins said. “We talk a lot about the word complacency and we try not to let it infect our team and I’m hoping getting into the tournament and trying to go deep is kind of the new normal.
“There’s a lot of good programs at Whitman-Hanson and these kids all see it and want to try to get their program to where they’re contenders every year.”
Brothers Matt (left) and Adam Solari. / Photos by: Sue Moss
Separated by three years, brothers Adam and Matt Solari had never taken the ice competitively together prior to this season.
You’d never know it.
The brothers form two-thirds (along with senior captain Chris Stoddard) of a dynamic top line for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ hockey, which after recording its best regular season in at least 15 years with a 15-5-1 record, has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Div. 2 South Sectional tournament, following an 8-2 win over Wareham/Carver on Tuesday.
Adam, a senior alternate captain, struck for a goal in the first-round victory, while Matt, a freshman, lit the lamp twice. Adam registered the assist on Matt’s first postseason goal. The two have wrought havoc on opponents together all year. Adam tallied 20 goals and 11 assists during the regular season en route to being named a Patriot League Keenan Division All-Star. Matt scored 14 times and recorded 14 assists.
“A lot of times, when lines in hockey have success, the ones that sustain themselves are because they stay unselfish, and I think that’s so evident with those guys,” said W-H boys’ hockey head coach Chris Googins. “They have different skill sets, but I think Matt is a great F1, which is the first forechecker, and he’ll find Adam the puck. Adam is a gifted goal scorer, and I think when Adam gets loose, he’ll try to find Matt. They use their skill set very well to find each other.”
However, they didn’t join forces until the sixth game of the season, when Googins bumped Matt up a line, as he searched for some offense.
“We shook it up and they’ve been together ever since,” the coach explained.
While the two had never suited up together until this winter, they still had plenty of practice with each other over the years.
“In the driveway, we would always play together,” Matt said.
Added Adam: “Especially when our friends came over, all we did was play hockey.”
Matt is the only freshman on the team.
“He’s a physical kid, he can skate well and he’s got a good hockey IQ,” Googins said. “That’s something you really can’t teach in three or four months or in a season. You have to have that, and he does.
“He is only going to get better. He is going to make the underclassmen and the upperclassmen work harder. He’s just going to elevate his other teammates’ play.”
Despite being a freshman, the younger Solari has aimed to be on the varsity team for the last few years.
“I always came to his (Adam’s) game,” Matt said. “I would see who was leaving to see if I could make the team.”
Adam admitted that he’s a little jealous of his younger brother.
“I wish I could have done that as a freshman,” he said with a laugh. “It’s wicked cool to see him lighting it up, though.”
But Matt gives his older brother a ton of credit for his success.
“He absolutely makes me a better player,” Matt said. “He does. He gives me advice, a lot of the time. Growing up, I would watch what he did and try to replicate it.”
Their athletic bond doesn’t end at the rink, though.
“He plays lacrosse too, which is pretty cool,” Adam said.
Pretty cool for them, but a nightmare for the rest of the Patriot League.
The Panthers return to the ice for the quarterfinal round on Saturday, Feb. 29.
“We don’t want to come up short again this year,” Adam said.
Said Matt: “I think it would be awesome if we could go to the Garden. That would be awesome.”
Goalie Bobby Siders in the Panthers’ season opener against Pembroke. / Photo by: Sue Moss
There seems to be a different feeling surrounding the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ hockey team entering this season than in years past.
The Panthers are coming off their first playoff appearance since 2013 and return a bulk of their core, putting them in prime position to make another run to the postseason.
“The goal is to try to be as competitive — if not even more competitive — than the previous year,” said head coach Chris Googins, who enters his 10th season overall leading the Panthers. “So, let’s try to close out some of those games that we maybe couldn’t close out or couldn’t play three periods, let‘s try to do that and I think good things will happen. Overall, you need to play your 16th game like your third game. Just be consistent.”
The Panthers welcome back five of their top six forwards, all three goaltenders and a some key defensemen, which should help them with that consistency.
Senior Chris Stoddard will don the C on his jersey and center the first line this season, on the heels a 23-point (13 goals, 10 assists) junior campaign.
“He played a high level in the offseason and had a really good fall,” Googins said. “He’s just elevated his game to another level, in regards to his hockey IQ — his decision making. I expect big things out of him.”
The Panthers’ leading scorer with 10 goals and 14 assists last winter, senior assistant captain Adam Solari is also back in the fold on the first line.
“Another kid who worked so hard in the offseason and still has a very bright and optimistic senior year,” Googins said. “I think he can have a breakout year.”
Senior Eddie Collins rounds out the top line at left wing.
“He had a great offseason,” Googins said. “I expect big things from him, too.”
Googins pointed to his club’s depth last season and his ability to roll out three lines as a key reason it was able to sustain its level of play. He said he fully expects to be able to do the same this season with a third line likely featuring juniors Zach Either and Josh Pike along with freshman Matt Solari.
The second line will be made up of senior Calvin Cooper centering classmate John Hagan and sophomore John Ward, the Panthers’ only top six forward who is not a senior.
“They could be the difference, if they can just really show off some of their offensive abilities and take care of business in their own end,” Googins said. “I think we could really be in good shape. There’s some talent there.”
There’s also some talent in net, where they return both junior Bobby Siders and sophomore Erik Dean. Siders saw a majority of the action last winter and flourished, holding Division 1 state champion Duxbury to three goals over six periods of action and winning consecutive do-or-die games down the stretch. But Googins said he’s like what he’s seen from Dean early on, and the job between the pipes may be fluid throughout the year.
“I’m not ruling out every other game or maybe the hot hand staying in there,” Googins said. “Either one could happen.”
Senior assistant captain Reed Watson, juniors Jack Allen, Mike Savicke, Kevin Willis and sophomore Sean Doucette form a strong nucleus on the blue line.
“Having a good core at each position will hopefully make us competitive every night,” Googins said. “I don’t think we have a major weakness on our team. I think we have a good, solid base at every position.”
Googins said the Panthers’ strength this winter is their leadership.
“Even though there’s three captains, I consider there to be at least five to seven captains,” Googins said. “There’s a number of kids I could lean on to take a role on the team and run with it.”
As for departures, the graduations of Patriot League All-Stars Ed Scriven (11 goals, 12 assists last season) and Owen Manning (six goals, 14 assists last season) leave some holes.
“Along with their solid numbers and the minutes, they were just tremendously great competitors and leaders,” Googins said.
W-H is back in action Saturday, Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. against Patriot League foe Duxbury at The Bog Ice Arena in Kingston.
“I want to see them adapt to the new systems, but at the same token, we have to play three periods, you can’t play two,” Googins said. “There’s no give-me night in the Patriot League. You might not win every game, but you have to say that you went out there and tried 45 minutes.”
Many stepped up this season to push the Panthers to their first tournament appearance since 2013. / Photo by: Sue Moss
After the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ hockey team fell to Westwood, 5-1, in the first round of the Division 2 South Sectional tournament, head coach Chris Googins had a simple message for his team.
“I told them, ‘Don’t underestimate what we achieved as a team this year. It was a few years since we’ve been to the tournament. There were a lot of good things that were accomplished this year,’” said the ninth-year coach, in his third season of his second stint with W-H.
A few years is an understatement. It had been since 2013 when the Panthers last made the playoffs. After coming within two points last season, they made it by one point this time around with a 10-9-1 mark.
“The big difference is there was a little bit more depth this year,” Googins said. “There’s some kids that emerged. A lot more depth was the key to it and when we did have injures this year, there were kids that stepped up and filled the voids and we moved on.”
Some games the Panthers were even able to roll out a third line featuring sophomore Josh Pike and juniors Calvin Cooper and Reed Watson.
“It’s the first time in my three years [back] here I can actually say we played at times three lines,” Googins said. “They did a real nice job.”
The Panthers’ top line was where, of course, they received a bulk of their production. Junior Adam Solari paced the Panthers with 10 goals and 14 assists and classmate Chris Stoddard was close behind with 13 goals and 10 assists.
“Adam had a nice season offensively,” Googins said. “When given time and space, he’s pretty creative.
“Chris Stoddard had multiple games with multiple goals. It was to absolute no surprise he could do that. He’s a gritty little kid who has good hockey IQ. He’s a very deceptive player.”
Senior assistant captain and forward Owen Manning was also a playmaker up front, potting six goals and dishing out 14 assists. Along with being one of two Panthers league all-stars, he was selected a Shriners All-Star Classic participant.
Senior captain Ed Scriven (11 goals and 12 assists) started the season on the first line but converted to defense to fill a void. He was also named a league all-star. Behind Scriven, sophomore goalie Bobby Siders, a transfer from Archbishop Williams, emerged as a rock. He held Duxbury, the eventual Division 1 state champion, to three goals over six periods of action and won consecutive do-or-die games down the stretch.
“He was given the opportunity to come in and earn the starting job, which he did, and for the most part he was steady,” Googins said of Siders.
Googins said he can visualize Whitman-Hanson hockey becoming a contender in the not so distant future. It all starts in the spring.
“The kids are really buying into the importance of how much you have to work in the offseason and getting out of your comfort zone,” he said. “Whether it’s working out or whether it’s trying to play high-level hockey in the offseason to compete with surrounding towns. It’s happening. Kids are actually taking this sport seriously and realizing that you got to play the game and train for the game year-round if you want to compete.”
Senior captain Ed Scriven (top), senior assistant captain Owen Manning (bottom left) and junior assistant captain Adam Solari (bottom right). / Photo by: Sue Moss
After an injury-riddled second half of the season led to the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ hockey team missing out on the playoffs by two points last winter, everyone’s healthy, and the team is looking to show what it can do when it has a clean bill of health.
“It’s safe to say one of the goals is to qualify for the state tournament,” said ninth-year head coach Chris Googins, in the third season of his second stint with the club. “It hasn’t happened for a while and it would be pretty neat for the kids.”
Sophomore defenseman Kevin Willis, who sustained a torn ACL last season, is one of the key players back from injury for the Panthers. He, along with classmates Jack Allen and Josh Pike and junior Reed Watson, will see significant time on the blue line.
“I’d say the level of importance on defense is our strength,” Googins said. “It’s one of the first couple of things we discuss through the course of the year, whether on or off the ice, and they really bought into it the first couple of days it looks like they’ve been doing a good job just defending.”
Junior forward Chris Stoddard, who was tied for fifth on the team with nine points through 12 games last winter, was sidelined for the final three weeks. This season, he’ll be joined by classmates John Hagan and Eddie Collins on the second line.
“They’ve been in the program for three years,” Googins said. “There’s high expectations for that group.”
LEADERSHIP
On the first line for the Panthers will be senior captain Ed Scriven, senior assistant captain Owen Manning and junior assistant captain Adam Solari. All are multi-sport captains and provide the team with substantial leadership.
“We have three really good captains this year,” Googins said. “They’re also good mentors.”
Scriven’s 11 goals were second on the team last season, and he’ll be relied upon heavily to make up for the production lost with the gradation of league all-stars Korey Howard and Alex Uva, who combined for 27 goals and 26 assists.
“Ed’s got a dynamic shot,” Googins said of Scriven, who also captained the golf team. “He’s got a very hard shot, and he’s put in a lot of time. He’s put in a lot of work in the offseason. He’s a very good and a very fluent skater with a dynamic shot, so that’s a good combination to have in high school hockey.”
Manning, who was also a golf captain, scored seven goals and dished out six assists last winter.
“Owen is a highly respected kid on and off the ice,” Googins said of Manning. “Owen brings a nice level of grittiness and he’s got a real good hockey IQ. He knows when to shoot and he knows when to pass. I consider him to be one of our top playmakers.”
Solari’s eight-goal, 11-assist campaign last winter shined a light on what he can bring to the table. But so did his election as an assistant captain.
“It speaks for himself as a junior to be elected a captain by his peers,” Googins said of Solari, who also captained the boys’ cross country team. “He’s very well respected by his peers. He’s got a really quick release, a real quick release, and he’s got a knack for the net, and I’m hoping that can carry over from last sea son.”
In net, it’s a three-player battle between junior R.J. Flynn, sophomore transfer from Archbishop Williams Bobby Siders and freshman Erik Dean to take over the reins from Ricky Welch.
“Competition is healthy, it really is,” Googins said. “It makes everyone better.”
The Panthers open the season Saturday, Dec. 8 at 3:10 p.m. at Hobomock Arenas against league opponent Pembroke.
“The kids are very receptive to learning, very knowledgeable of the game,” Googins said “They know the level of intensity that needs to be present at practice, and there’s minimal motivating at practice because it’s pretty up tempo. They know what the barometer is now.”
Alex Uva (No. 6) scored a late second-period goal. / Photo Credit: Twitter/@WHBoysHockey
Alex Uva provided a silver lining for the South team in a 10-1 loss to the North on Saturday in the Shiners All-Star Classic at the Canton Ice House.
With 44.5 seconds remaining in the second period, the Whitman-Hanson Regional High senior, who was an assistant captain on the boys’ hockey team, took a feed from Blue Hills’ Anthony Sarno and buried it home, bringing the South within 8-1.
Alex Uva scores for team South pic.twitter.com/awfD5j1dqL
— WH Boys Hockey (@WHBoysHockey) March 31, 2018
“It felt great scoring a goal in the game,” Uva said. “It was a great way to finish my high school career.”
On Thursday, Uva was awarded the Charles P. Driscoll Community Service Award for his fundraising efforts for Shriners Hospital for Children.
Alex Uva was given the Charles P Driscoll Community Service award last night at the Shriners Hockey banquet. Alex was recognized for capturing the spirit of the Shriners all star game and for his leadership and fundraising. Congrats Alex!! pic.twitter.com/PUDc6LqOPW
— Bob Rodgers (@WHathletics) March 30, 2018
“I want to send a special thank you to all who donated,” Uva said. “I was happy to be selected as an all-star and it was great to play in the game with all that talent.
“The best part of the experience was being recognized with the community service award. Raising money to save kids lives is what the game is all about.”
The Panthers during a Jan. 17 game against Hanover. / Photo by: Sue Moss
The Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ hockey team knew it could improve, and a fixation on its vision fueled its turnaround this winter.
One season after posting a single win, the Panthers raised that number to eight, as they just narrowly missed out on the tournament by two points with an 8-10-2 record. W-H head coach Chris Googins said the success had nothing to do with anything he tweaked, but was largely in part due to what his returning juniors and seniors set out to accomplish.
“It has a lot has to do with the players that came back,” Googins said of the turnaround. “The core group that came back from last year were very serious about improving and they showed that in the offseason. A lot of the kids played summer hockey, a lot of the kids played fall hockey and I think they saw the fruits of their labor of putting in that extra work.”
Through their first 10 games, the Panthers sat at 6-3-1, highlighted by a 1-1 tie against Duxbury, a pair of wins – 7-3 and 4-2 – over Abington and a 3-1 triumph over Silver Lake. All those teams would go on to make the tournament, but W-H would not, as some of the aspects that you can’t control in sports caught up to it.
“It’s pretty evident that three kids went down with significant injuries [and] along with any other team, we had a bout of the flu,” Googins explained. “At times, there were kids playing that weren’t used to playing so much. We had a lot of key players out.”
At one point, the Panthers were dealing with a pair of broken wrists. Senior defenseman Ryan Lincoln had one of those, and he even returned with a week remaining and a cast on to try and salvage the Panthers’ playoff chances.
“Ryan Lincoln [is a] high-character [kid],” Googins said. “He’s just a tough kid who said I want to come back, got cleared and really couldn’t even shoot the puck, but it showed he wanted to come back, and he was a kid that was out for a while that we needed.”
Kevin Willis was another key defenseman out of the equation after suffering a torn ACL toward the latter half of the season.
“You’re talking two of your top four defensemen out,” Googins said. “It hurt.”
Sophomore Chris Stoddard, who was tied for fifth on the team with nine points through 12 games, would also be sidelined for the final three weeks.
But, despite the injuries, there was no lack of drive from the Panthers, especially out of their elder statesmen.
“The best thing that stands out was the group of seniors that every night just gave their best effort, they really did,” Googins said. “I don’t think it was one particular game or one shift. Just every night it seemed like whatever seniors were in the lineup, they would just almost be like assistant coaches and help out. They were just there to get the kids fired up, and I appreciated that. It was such a pleasure to come to the rink every day. It really was, based upon those kids.”
It is certainly a unit – led by captain Ryan Sawtelle and assistant captains Korey Howard and Alex Uva – Googins will have tough time replacing.
Howard (18 goals, 10 assists) and Uva (9 goals, 16 assists), both of whom were Patriot League All-Stars, paced the team in points. But, ranking behind them were junior Ed Scriven (11 goals, 11 assists), sophomore Adam Solari (8 goals, 11 assists) and junior Owen Manning (7 goals, 6 assists). Sophomore goalie R.J. Flynn, who posted a 3.22 GAA in limited action, is likely to take over the reins from senior Ricky Welch. Freshmen Jack Allen, Josh Pike and Kevin Willis also form a solid nucleus set to return inside the blue line.
“I’m very optimistic of the returning players,” Googins said. “What they need to understand is that they need to take a couple months off from the game, but then you have go to start to re-fire the engines up again.”