The Souhegan-Nashua Storm girls hockey team celebrates a win over Manchester this past season at Conway Arena. (Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – After the first year of two basically new high school hockey programs for the Nashua school district, the initial verdict as the ice settles is in:

Sticks up.

It’s been just over a month since the Nashua High School North-South boys and Souhegan-North-South girls completed their highly anticipated inaugural seasons. How did it go in the minds of one of the architects of the two co-op creations?

“I think from all accounts — neither team made the playoffs – but they were both successful seasons,” Nashua Athletics Director Lisa Gingras said shortly after the season ended. “I think on the boys side the kids and the parents came together very naturally. It was Nashua kids.

“On the girls side (with Souhegan and Nashua) the same thing. The kids and the parents worked well together, the coaching staff (Shannon Paquette, Lauren North and Kelli Braley) worked well together.

“It was a pretty much a 50-50 split between Souhegan and Nashua kids. So it was very successful to see the girls out there.”

Gingras was hoping that some of that special event feeling that was lost with no Battle of the Bridge for boys hockey could be replaced with a few boy-girls doubleheaders, and that she felt worked well.

“I think the three boy-girl doubleheaders we had throughout the season, those were successes,” she said. “The two teams worked well together. The coaching staffs and things worked well together.”

The two teams struggled for wins, but were competitive, which was the first step.

“I know it’s always disappointing when kids don’t go on and make playoffs,” Gingras said, “but I think for all accounts moving forward we’ve started to build the culture of the two programs.”

The accomplishment was in the participation in the minds of many.

“I think (Souhegan AD) Kelli Braley said it perfectly at the Senior Night,” Gingras said. “A pretty powerful quote. She said to the girls ‘Being a senior on an established team is meaningful. Being a senior on a first-year team is powerful.’

“It was history.”

And the co-ops prevented at least one program – the Souhegan girls – from being history, and that was a success in itself.

“On the girls side, Souhegan would not have had a place to play this year,” she said. “They didn’t have the numbers, and to go from a zero-win season to a three-win season, it doesn’t sound like a lot, but they competed. So the future looks bright.”

For the Storm, on the Souhegan side, they’ve had the sport. But for Nashua, it was new. Are female students at Nashua North and South aware now that girls hockey is a winter sport option?

“Some of it is obviously going to take more to promote it,” Gingras said, “and promote it in our upper elementary and middle schools, more so than up (in the high schools) so that they’re aware its an opportunity for them in the future.”

On the boys side, a lot of hockey fans from the pre-Split days thought merging the two programs would be an instant fix for success, but both the previous South-Pelham and North-Souhegan programs were struggling.

“It’s still going to take time,” Gingras said. “A lot of kids stopped playing hockey, some kids are still doing the junior thing and not playing for their schools.”

Gingras said that’s not just an issue in hockey. “Across the board, not even just in hockey, is getting kids to come back and participate in sports at their schools.”

But on the bright side, the Nashua Knights were winning the numbers game.

“The numbers were very good on the boys side,” Gingras said, noting that the it was fairly even split between North and South and that the three coaches – Jordan Sarracco, Chris Zarlenga and Kieran Altieri were from Gingras’ view “fantastic. The boys coaches do a lot with the kids outside of hockey, they’re constantly watching their grades and their behavior, doing what we ask of our coaches – teaching them to be good adults.”

The solution, and the wish, Gingras said, is no secret.

“We need more kids who are hockey players, who are true athletes, to come out for both programs,” she said.

BG-CITY MEETING NOW NEXT MONTH

Bishop Guertin officials were set to be on the agenda of the Nashua City Planning Board tonight but according to BG principal Jason Strniste, that is now going to be on May 7. The school needs to get Planning Board approval for a lot of the details surrounding the big news a a week ago of the school’s plans to put in a turf field at the Elliott Field Complex – not the least of which is any traffic impact. That and lighting would be the concerns of any neighbors, and BG school officials will no doubt use the extra month to firm up all of the proposal details, traffic studies, etc.

TENNIS ANYONE?

As we say good-bye to winter season, this is the last week when there are no official high school games/events.

Division II tennis locals have a busy day against each other Monday, as the Division II boys tennis runnerup Hollis Brookline Cavaliers come to Hudson to take on the Broncos while the HB girls, and Merrimack-Milford boys and girls face each other. The defending champion Souhegan girls are at old nemisis Winnacunnet, while the Warrior boys are at the Sabers at Jasper Valley.

Division I locals, which is all Nashua, open next Wednesday: BG vs. Derryfield (girls home, boys away) North vs. Windham and South vs. Keene (for both boys home, girls away).

For track, the highlight of the week is Merrimack at North on Tuesday. Spring will have sprung.