Sustained success for any team is difficult: but sustaining championship winning success is a different challenge unto itself. This was the task facing last year’s BC High team, having lost 11 players to graduation and other departures. With Coach John Flaherty at the helm, the Eagles showed resilience, skill and determination in last year’s run to the Garden to capture their second straight Super 8 trophy in four overtimes over a senior-driven Pope Francis team. The Eagles were led by many seniors, chief among them our MassNZ Mr. Hockey Award winner Thomas Kramer as well as his two younger brothers Peter and Joseph, who both earned commitments to Providence College along the way. The game-winner in OT? Scored by a freshman (and Mr. Hockey finalist) Declan Loughnane – there was balance up and down the roster.
All of these contributions and consistency lead to a singular theme: the BC High Way. A thread that permeates both the culture of the team and the players within it. To find out more about it and the Eagles as they prepare for 2019-20, we caught up with Coach Flaherty who had this to say…
MassNZ: This past season the Eagles were able to win the Super 8 title for the second straight season. What were the key ingredients that allowed the team to win that championship?
Coach John Flaherty: In my opinion the biggest factor was our early understanding that what happened the year before had no bearing on last season. Every year is different, even the successful ones. We graduated nine key guys from the 2018 team so winning last year was very much a new experience for most of our guys. Only a handful of returning guys played significant minutes in the previous championship so the credit goes to the players who stepped up and delivered in new or expanded roles as well as the veteran leadership from the guys who had been there.
NZ: Who are the players that you felt really stepped up when the team needed them the most, as leaders or with on-ice contributions?
Flaherty: Senior leadership was instrumental to last year’s success. They didn’t want their senior year to be defined solely by the previous season. They made a commitment early in the year to make their own impact in BC High history and they lived up to it. Thomas Kramer (now playing junior hockey for the Bonnyville Pontiacs of AJHL) was a key contributor in every aspect of the game last year and he earned numerous postseason accolades including the Mr. Hockey MassNZ Award. Chase Congdon was very good all year but huge in that final game and without him making some ridiculous saves in those OTs, we do not win. Matt Lakus (who is taking a PG year at Pomfret) was a 4-year player for us and scored some big time goals down the stretch. PJ Donahue (taking a PG year at Phillips Exeter) was a warrior on the blueline and a great leader off the ice. CJ Martin did all the little things needed for a team to win and never sought the glory or praise. The remaining seniors Connor Flavin and Jack Flaherty’s contributions were made off the scoresheet with maximum effort every day and being unbelievable teammates.
NZ: It’s really tough to win back-to-back titles, especially at the MIAA D1 level. How was the team able to maintain the same drive from season to season, even with the turnover on the roster from the prior year?
Flaherty: The focus was on the present and we played one game at a time. Every day we worked to get better and hoped to be there at the end to have a chance to defend our title.
NZ: Success does make rebuilding a challenge, have you seen the same thing happen this season as happened in 2018-19 in terms of players leaving for other routes?
Flaherty: Every year through graduation we lose key contributors and in recent years there have been a few departures prior to that. We can only control what we can control. We focus on the guys who are here come tryouts and develop the plan accordingly. Last year we needed to replace 11 guys and this year it’s the exact same number.
NZ: With that in mind, how do you go about preparing players to step into new roles starting in training camp?
Flaherty: The program has a culture and tradition established by the players who have come before. The blueprint has been passed down. The players fortunate enough to be there this year are expected to live up to that. All positions and roles are open for the taking. Today’s high school hockey players are more self-prepared than in the past. They are working with strength and conditioning coaches, attending skill development camps in the offseason and playing high level hockey on competitive fall/split-season teams. They will be ready to earn roles come December 2.
NZ: Who do you feel is primed to be a big contributor this season now that many of your leading scorers have graduated or left?
Flaherty: We have a handful of forwards and a few defenders who have gained valuable experience over the last couple seasons. As in year’s past, we will go as far as these veteran leaders take us.
NZ: Are there one or two newcomers that you are particularly excited to bring onboard?
Flaherty: We won’t know that until after tryouts. There are new guys to the program as well as guys already in the system that will have the opportunity so whoever takes advantage will be there.
Image Credit: Dan Hickling/ Hickling Images
NZ: What has you excited about this season? What identity do you want this year’s Eagle team to take on?
Flaherty: With turnover comes opportunity for new players with varying skill levels so getting back to teaching those new players in our systems and the BC High way excites me. We always want to be fast, physical and hard to play against and have a team-first mentality. The quicker we adopt those attributes the more successful we will be.
NZ: Interesting, what is the BC High Way? How do those qualities show themselves in your players/teams?
Flaherty: The BC High Way to me means playing the game the right way – hard on pucks, physical and good team defense. We instill a team-first mentality where you work hard every shift for the guy next to you. It’s a contagious mindset where guys want to work as hard as their teammates are. We expect our older guys to lead by example just like was done for them by the guys who have graduated.
