Iruka Obinelo (South) and Grace Cardin (North) and their respective teammates can get back on the floor, as of now, next Tuesday after a two-week COVID-related pause. (Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA — As the COVID local sports winter of 2021 turns:

Nashua High School-Souhegan hockey coach Bill Koficas was glad he could finally get Souhegan skaters for the couple practices he is planning to hold during the week.

Of course, when he did, he lost the North players as Nashua teams were placed on pause last week due to COVID concerns.

He won’t have a full team until Jan. 19 as of now.

“When you think of it selfishly, you’re like, ‘Oh man, I was really looking forward to getting going here,'” Koficas said. “But really you just hope everyone is OK.”

Nashua teams aren’t the only ones on (or really off) ice, so to speak. The Merrimack High School hockey team is also being quarantined for virus concerns, according the athletic director Mike Soucy, and won’t be back on the ice for two weeks. That means Saturday’s season opener with vs. Hollis Brookline-Derryfield at Conway Arena is off – the Warriors may be seeking to get another opponent — and three other Merrimack games are cancelled as well.

The Tomahawks first game should be on Jan. 30 vs. Goffstown at Manchester’s West Side Arena. Then their second game will be North-Souhegan’s opener, on Feb. 1.

Bishop Guertin wrestling is also on a COVID pause, the Cards season opener vs. Plymouth tonight cancelled, and a match against Londonderry rescheduled. Their first match will be, as of now, Saturday Jan. 23 at Goffstown.

The Cardinal basketball teams lost their games this Friday with Nashua South, but will instead play Goffstown, girls at Goffstown and boys at BG.

Nashua athletic director Lisa Gingras detailed some of the reasons for the program pause when speaking to the Board of Education on Monday. In her oral and written report, Gingras said that there were incidents on 12 of the 22 winter teams when a player or coach was exposed to someone who was COVID positive and had to quarantine. There were also nine student-athletes or coaches who tested positive forcing seven teams to be shut down and quarantined. Thus, the two-week pause to come back on Jan. 19.

“Teams started on Dec. 14 and some of them were shut down on Dec. 15,” Gingras said.

Meanwhile, the Nashua coaches are just trying to do whatever they can to keep their athletes active.

“We’ll have several Zoom meetings,” South boys basketball coach Nate Mazerolle said. “I’ve posted several workouts/skills that the players will complete so we’re ready to safely get back on the court on Jan. 19.”

Same with the South girls.

“Although this isn’t ideal, we’re trying to maintain a good perspective as we’re still luckier than our friends in the spring who didn’t get the opportunity,” Panthers girls hoop coach John Bourgeois said. “Our goal is to stay optimistic, healthy and active utilizing Zoom for team sessions.”

They also have a local trainer running workouts, and they’ll have film sessions “and bond as a team remotely,” Bourgeois said.

And, he said, while the coaches want the players to keep in shape so they don’t get injured upon their return, the student-athletes’ mental outlook is just as important.

“Most importantly, the kids’ mental health is top priority,” he said. “So whatever we can do to support that, we will.”

Koficas said things were normal on the ice but he didn’t have that locker room time to get to know the players as they dress in the lobby and head out the door. He also has had Zoom meetings with all the players, North and Souhegan, to try to build some team unity.

And the real unity is when they get on the ice.

“I’ll say ‘Hey, guys, this isn’t Zoom, this is pretty cool,'” he said. “I think once hockey players get on the ice, they’re used to coach blowing the whistle and let’s go. I don’t think it will be that hard when we get them all together.”

Gingras did tell the board that if it gets near the end of the season – with seven or fewer calendar days left in a season with a team coming out of quarantine, then the season will be over for that team. With eight or more left then that team will resume and prepare for the post season.

“We feel it’s important to have at least eight days remaining after a quarantine at the end of their season,” Gingras said, noting she consulted with the coaches, etc.

Key last dates to compete in Division I’s regular seasons are Feb. 8 for skiing, Feb. 10 for swimming, Feb. 13 for wrestling, Feb. 28 for basketball and ice hockey, and Feb. 28 for spirit.

Gingras also noted that participation numbers were down across the board – down from 759 last year to 469 this year, or a 38.2 percent drop. That was part of the reason the North and South gymnastics seasons were cancelled.

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