Players hit the ice after a collision during North-Souhegan's season opener back in December against Windham at Conway Arena. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – A year ago the Nashua High School North-Souhegan hockey team was competing for the last Division I tournament spot.

Fast forward 12 months later, and it appears they have played their last hockey game as a co-op because all involved didn’t feel they could compete safely.

The Saber-Titans have opted to forfeit their final two games of the season, Friday’s rescheduled game at Salem and Saturday’s season finale at Manchester, head coach Chris Zarlenga and Nashua Athletic Director Lisa Gingras told The Telegraph on Thursday.

Zarlenga sent an email out to the parents, noting that “Our primary responsibility is to ensure the health and well-being of our players,” the email said. “The student-athletes who remain ready to participate are under a significant mental and physical workload due to the added ice time demands., which raises serious concerns about their ability to compete safely. Given the current situation, we believe that continuing with the final games would pose an unacceptable risk to their safety.”

The email after a few more paragraphs ended with expected mixed emotions.

“While we are saddened to end the season in this manner, we are confident it is in the players best interest…” it said.

According to Zarlenga and Gingras, team captain Chris Miller gave the coaches and administrators the news of the players’ wishes. “He basically came out and said, ‘We can’t do this any more,'” Gingras said.

Gingras, Souhegan AD Keli Brayley and Saber-Titan coaches Zarlenga and assistant Kieran Altiere spoke on a conference call and the consensus was that Miller and the players were right.

“We’ve been concerned for several weeks,” Gingras said, noting that three games had to be rescheduled because of rampant illness and the injuries. “We knew when we scheduled Salem to (today), it was going to be a longshot to be able to get through all four games this week. …

“The kids gave it their all. The kids who played (Wednesday) night are also not healthy … It was a collective decision.”

Including by the players.

Zarlenga said told the players to talk and discuss what they wanted to do after Wednesday night’s 4-0 loss to Pinkerton, which put North-Souhegan at 0-16.

“The reason,” he told the players, “cannot be that your losing. I will not accept that.

“They don’t want to be hurt, they’re worried about it, they can’t recover. I don’t blame them. … Anyone who knows anything about sports can see it. … We’ve been doing this for weeks now. We had three kids with season-ending injuries, three of our top 10.”

Zarlenga said that in the Pinkerton game, while it didn’t add up to the number on the bench, the Saber-Titans had “with kids who could play varsity safely, if you know what I mean, seven. I was holding my breath when at one point I had to put other kids out there.

“It’s sad. It doesn’t take away from the fact — I know our record doesn’t show it — that they really did compete in games. They weren’t the team that the score showed.”

The team had seven underclassmen, and several first-year hockey players as being a co-op it was a no-cut sport by rule.

Gingras said “We never want to take away an opportunity for our own kids or another school, but for the safety of all involved, it was the right decision. It was a really, really difficult decision, but it was the right decision to be made.”

Gingras said the NHIAA was contacted and the team asked to allow Salem and Manchester to receive forfeits. Both teams were tourney bound before this.

“We feel the two teams we were supposed to play, if we’re not going to play them, should get that win,” Gingras said.

Again, it’s likely Wednesday night’s game was the last game for the 10-year co-op team. Gingras is going through NHIAA channels with a proposal for North and South players to form one team. Souhegan and Pelham will not be part of that co-op; a final NHIAA verdict won’t be rendered until May.

“While we are saddened to end the season in this manner, we are confident it is in the players best interest,” Zarlenga and Altiere wrote, “and we are grateful for the journey we have shared and the memories we have created together.”