TEWKSBURY COACH, STAR NET CAREER MILESTONES
Doherty (300 wins), Cooke (100 points) excel for Redmen
TEWKSBURY >> On Jan. 13, Tewksbury High School senior Matt Cooke entered the boys hockey record book when he assisted on Jeremy Insogna’s goal, giving him his 100th career point.
A few weeks earlier, head coach Derek Doherty won his 300th game.
While those are impressive milestones for a coach and player, Cooke said he’s hoping for another one for both of them will come mid-march.
“I definitely want another state championship with this team. I think we have the team to do it and that’s the goal,” he said.
Two years ago, Cooke had a 36-point season and helped the Redmen win the school’s third state championship title with a 3-1 win over Canton. One of the captains on that team was his older brother, Jason, who earlier also surpassed the 100-point plateau.
“It means so much to do it after Jason did it. He led the way to get there and he was definitely a big help for me to get it,” said Cooke.
Cooke, a two-time Sun Allstar in golf and a strong pitcher and infielder on the baseball team, has career marks of 48 goals, 61 assists for 109 points, which includes 10 goals and 20 assists in 10 games this season.
One of his linemates, Insogna, has 80 career points, including 21 goals and nine assists this season. The two have combined to score 30 of the team’s 61 goals thus far.
“Matt’s been a solid player for us over the last four years. He makes things happen out there all of the time. He’s always had good linemates who have helped him out, too, and getting those points,” said Doherty. “He’s just an all-around good player. He’s not just good at one thing, he’s good at everything he does. He blocks shots, he scores goals, he makes things happen, he kills penalties and he’s great on the power play. If I were to start a team, he’d be one of my first picks along with a kid like Ryan Petti.”
Now in his 22nd year as head coach, Doherty has had a long list of players who have reached the 100-point plateau, including Ryan and Derek Petti, and now the Cooke brothers.
“It’s the kids,” said Doherty. “They come to the rink and they come to play and that’s easier for the coaching staff. We just do our thing as coaches. To get 300 wins, it’s the entire coaching staff as they are all involved. Really, though, it’s the kids who are out there playing the game. They are out there winning the games, not me.”
Doherty has a career mark of 305-135-42, which includes state titles in 2011 and 2022, while losing in the state final in 2019. His teams also lost twice in the sectional final in 2008 and 2014. After two tough years when he was first named the head coach, the Redmen have competed in the Division 2 state tournament each of the past 20 years.
They are 9-1 this season, ranked No. 2 in the latest MIAA Power Rankings and need one more win to qualify for the 21st straight season.
“(Doherty) has just stuck to the same coaching style and we just play traditional Tewksbury hockey,” said Cooke. “We go out there, we work hard and he makes sure that happens in practices and it translates into games. He sticks to the basics and wants us working hard, forechecking hard, hitting and he just preaches those things and that’s what makes us successful.”
Doherty said he teaches and believes in the fundamentals of hockey, while having the kids