The “Big Red” are starting to make some big noise in the Hockomock League.
North Attleboro carried a 7-2-0 mark into last night’s league game against Stoughton, matching the most wins in a season since the program was resurrected and returned to varsity status in 2007-08.
“I’m always optimistic, but this season I was especially optimistic because of amount of players coming back,” said coach Steve Snizek, who is in his second full season at the helm of the Red Rocketeers. “We knew we were going to have a good freshman class coming in.”
That combination of older experience and youthful exuberance is the result of the efforts of many to rebuild the program literally from scratch back in 2004, nearly two decades after the North Attleboro varsity program was shelved because of a lack of numbers.
Following the construction of the Foxboro Sports Center in 2004, a group of North Attleboro parents and other hockey people approached then-athletic director Paul Sullivan about restarting the school’s varsity program. They were advised to begin at the youth level and build a potential feeder program, while high school-aged players competed as an independent club program for two years against other Hockomock League JV teams.
“The interest and the dedication was incredible for an upstart program,” said Steve Folan, who was the coach when the Red Rocketeers eventually made the jump to varsity. That came after two seasons as an official school JV program, but forced to rely completely on fund-raising to survive.
According to Patti McTernan, president of North Hockey, the varsity and JV programs continue to be funded by boosters, who raise about $55,000 per year to keep the teams on the ice. At the same time, the youth hockey program thrives at all levels, drawing players from five different towns, and an effort is in the works to build a new facility in town near the high school.
The Red Rocketeers’ previous best mark was 7-12-1 in 2008-09. Folan coached the team until midway through the following season, when he stepped down for health reasons and turned the team over to then-volunteer assistant Snizek.
“Each year we’ve been getting more and more freshmen coming out, which is great for the program,” Snizek said. “North Attleboro hockey in general is starting to gain more popularity.”
As well as more on-ice success. While the two losses came against league powers Franklin (3-1) and Mansfield (7-5), Snizek saw encouraging signs as the Rocketeers jumped out to early leads in both games.
Snizek credits the leadership on and off the ice of senior captains Brendan Burns (2-9-11) and Jordan Pacini (7-1-8), as well as the strong play of senior goalie Will Porter (2.26 GAA). Junior Billy McAuliffe (5-7-12) is second in scoring, but perhaps the biggest sign comes at the top, where freshman Sean Young (9-5-14) leads the way, followed closely by classmate Marshall Blackman (4-6-10).
The team also has a distinct family feel. Junior Ryan Burns (3-5-8) and sophomore Matt McAuliffe (5-1-6) join their older brothers on the squad, while junior twins Dave and Tim Joyce (3-4-7) are cousins of the Burns siblings.
“I’m very happy; the coaching staff and I cannot say anything negative,” Snizek said. “They’re playing their hearts out each game.”
They’re even enjoying the view from the other side.
“I was truly blessed to have been a part of the program’s rejuvenation,” said Folan, whose son Steve plays for rival Mansfield. “I will always root for him and Mansfield, but North will always have a big and special place in my heart.”
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