Nottingham-Hamilton co-op rewarded with division title
There have been a few seasons when the question surrounding the Nottingham/Hamilton Co-op was would it win a game?
Well, the 2019-20 version took all those inquiries personal and were determined to prove this is a new time in the annals of Nottingham/Hamilton ice hockey.
Yes, and it could be a very historical time, too.
The Co-op claimed the Valley Division title this season, and while it’s definitely the first since the two Hamilton Township schools joined forces, research by first-year coach John Patterson shows it might be first in the ice hockey history of the two schools.
“The entire team is happy and proud of the work they’ve done this year,” said Patterson. “It speaks volumes that a group of seniors who had literally one win in their entire high school career were able to turn it around and win a division title.”
The division title, a 6-9-2 record and the way this team has competed is a credit to the senior leadership and the coaching job Patterson has turned in this winter.
“Some players like Connor Luckie and David Thompson are going to get more attention because of their stats,” said Patterson. “But we never could have been this successful without our grinders and defensive specialists like Trevor Bolton and Nick Diaz.”
As the Mercer County Tournament approaches, the NorthWest squad would love to add another notch with a tourney win or two. They have a good test with Hopewell Valley on Wednesday before the county tourney starts.
Driven by the play on the ice, students at both schools have really jumped on the bandwagon.
“The success of the team has energized the entire student body of both schools,” said Patterson. “I’ve had students stop me in the hall and talk about hockey. The student section for our first game against Steinert was incredible and gave our players a huge boost.”
Gardner Leading WW-P
West Windsor-Plainsboro started the season with four straight defeats, but since have gone 6-6-3. WW-P has Notre Dame on Tuesday and then they close out the regular season with Brick Township.
Tom Gardner has 10 goals and five assists in the last three games — a loss, a tie and a win.
“Tommy has been a force for us this season,” said WWP coach James Nobilio. “He was one of our top defenseman last year and started off on the backend for us this season. Making the decision to move him up to forward has definitely paid off for the team. He has been a solid leader for our team this season. Tommy has always been willing to get into the dirty areas, and he is even more of a threat with his great shot and a nose for the net. He has become into one of the top offensive producers in the CVC.”
Gardner has 26 goals and 17 assists on the season.
Looking Ahead
• Princeton (14-2-2), Robbinsville (14-5) and Hopewell Valley (12-5) are the only guarantees for the state tournament. Notre Dame should qualify and would no doubt receive and at-large bid based on its strength of schedule.
• The MCT cutoff is fast approaching and the seedings should be out later this week. Hun is the 6-time defending champion and will tough to beat again.