With the girls hockey season underway, the Lincoln High School Girls hockey players have started the team with mixed results, winning two and losing two, but they’ve also been dealing with more than just tough opposition. LHS is teaming up with five other schools this season as part of a co-op Burrillville, Bay View Academy, Cumberland, North Smithfield, and Ponaganset. With this diverse mix from six different schools, the team faces the rewarding challenge of building teamwork and consistency from scratch.
Co-op teams are essential because there aren’t enough girls hockey players at each school to form their own teams. Bringing together girls from various schools to form a single team ensures they can continue enjoying the sport they love, even if they aren’t familiar with all their teammates.
Last year, Lincoln formed a team with players from Mount Saint Charles Academy, Cumberland, and Saint Raphael Academy. They finished with a solid 8-6 record and reached the semifinals before losing to Smithfield.
This year has brought a new set of hurdles. Mount Saint Charles has moved to the Catholic School League, and Saint Raphael is no longer part of the co-op. With the new collaboration with players from six different schools, the team has the challenging task of developing teamwork and consistency from the ground up.
Senior Spencer Cameron said, “I think the team is pretty solid. Even though we all go to different schools, we still have team chemistry and players who are driven to win.”
Junior Andreya Imondi, Lincoln’s other representative, echoed Cameron’s sentiments.
“It’s going to be tough at first,” she admitted. “We’re all coming from different schools with different styles of play, and some of us haven’t played together before so it’s going to be hard and our chemistry might be a little off and we have to play other teams from Massachusetts . But I think if we focus on communication and teamwork, we can find our rhythm.”
Even with the obstacles ahead, there’s a sense of hope for the rest of the season. Veteran players such as Cameron and Imondi offer their experience and leadership, while newcomers from Burrillville, Bay View, and other schools inject fresh talent and enthusiasm. The team is depending on these seasoned players to establish the right atmosphere and mentor the younger athletes as they tackle the initial challenges of the season.
“It’s all about mindset,” Cameron said. “Our mindset is just to play [our] game. Don’t worry about anything else and just lock in. In practice we do a lot of conditioning so in the third period we still have energy, and mostly just mastering basic skills like skating, stick work, shooting etc.”
