Hanover High’s Dick Dodds emphasized that his squad lost a “tremendous amount of firepower” from last season, and that young players will need to step up amid high the program’s lofty expectations. 

An essential part of the Bears’ development will be finding ways to generate offense, especially considering that last season, seniors accounted for 37 of the team’s 89 goals. 

The Bears finished last year’s regular season 10-6-2 and fell to the eventual champion Concord in the semifinals of the NHIAA Division I playoffs. 

Key returners for the Bears include goaltender Jorgen Drent, forward Ronan Przydzielski, and forward Jake Rotchford.

“We do have a solid core of returning players that all contributed last year,” said Bears’ Head Coach Dick Dodds.  

Defensively, Dodds said his squad lost some stalwarts but is hopeful that the core of Kellen Hall, Trevor Sanders and Jack Richardson will make up for those losses. 

“I’ve always felt that’s just a really crucial part of any team — having solid defensemen that work, are able to defend hard in our own end, manage pucks and get the breakout cranking,” Dodds said. 

Regarding newcomers, Dodds said his crop was talented and emphasized that the expectation is for all of them to contribute in meaningful ways. 

Some new players to the varsity squad include forward Ben Fogg, forward Andy Zhang, forward Isaac McNaughton, defenseman Andy Feng, and forward Casey Griffin. 

“I think one of the strengths of this year’s team for us is just the depth and the talent from number one to number 20 on the depth chart — there’s not a big difference from one to 20,” said Dodds, who described that fact as exciting. 

“It makes our practices really crisp and quick, and it makes the competition for the playing time pretty intense,” he added. 

The Bears’ goal this season is captured in a simple acronym: I.E.D. (Improve Every Day). 

“The team in our division that’s going to be hoisting that trophy in the middle of March is going to be the team that improves the most from today to that day,” Dodds said. 

Hanover has dropped its first three games of the season. 

Hartford 

The Hurricanes are coming off a regular season in which they finished 12-7-1, won a playoff game, and then were bounced in the VPA Division II semifinals by U-32. 

Head Coach Todd Bebeau said that last season’s senior class was responsible for 94% of his team’s scoring. “We’ll need multiple people to step up and help fill that void. Many new faces will have the opportunity to do so,” he said. 

Returners for the Canes include forward Richard Rosenbeck, forward Carter Williams, forward Tyler Spaulding, forward Nick Perry, forward Jacob Dube, defenseman Colin Morlock, goaltender Nunu Mayer, goaltender Isaac Tane, defenseman Isaac Obar, and forward Hayden Thibodeau. 

Forward Wil Pelissier, goaltender Kaleb Sanderson, defenseman Alex Panitz, defenseman Finn Anderson, forward Brody Carpenter, defenseman Ethan Obar, forward Kaiden Allen, forward Jaxon Dyke, and Wil Rosenbeck are newcomers to the team. 

“We have three strong goalies who will make it difficult to score on us. They can be the best player on the ice against all our opponents,” Bebeau said. 

So far, the Canes have dropped two games to Colchester and Rutland. They traveled to Middlebury on Saturday. 

Lebanon-Stevens-Mascoma

The Raiders, who finished the regular season 6-11-1 last year and were bounced by Winnacunnet in the first round of the NHIAA Division II playoffs, bring in a new head coach in Nate Dube. 

Dube, who has coached for more than a decade for teams such as the Upper Valley Hockey Association Storm, the Hanover Wild, and the Seacoast Spartans, replaces Dean Cashman, who left the post in April. 

Ben Benes, goaltender Evan Thibodeau, Carter Dube, and CJ Gogan are among the key returners to the squad. 

Newcomers who could make an impact include Cooper Davis, goaltender Jacolby Condon, Tucker Curtis, and Emmett Reichert. 

“Obviously, it’s a good group of kids,” Dube said. “So far, they’ve I think come together pretty well as a team.”

Dube added that he was looking for a competitive, hardworking team, and a goal for the team is to make the playoffs. 

Through its first two games, Lebanon-Stevens-Mascoma was winless after falling to Alvirne and Somersworth.

Woodstock 

The Wasps finished the regular season last year 3-17, but did make some noise in the playoffs. They defeated Missisquoi Valley in the first round of the VPA Division II playoffs before losing to Hartford in the quarterfinals. 

Head Coach Jon Chamberlin acknowledged he has a young group this season and has a long way to go to make up for the players it lost from last year.

“We just want to be the best version of ourselves in February,” he said. 

Forward Cole Little, forward Ian Coates, defenseman Bech Welch, defenseman Declan Roylance, and goaltender Dominic Palazzo are key returners to the squad. At the same time, Owen Marks, Kelton Maxham, and Sam Mikula are other players Chamberlin could see contributing. 

“I feel like we’ve already come a long way and have to keep going,” Chamberlin said. 

The Wasps are 0-1-1 after tying North Country Union and falling to Middlebury. Woodstock traveled to Burr & Burton on Saturday. 

Girls 

Hanover 

The defending NHIAA Division I state champions are looking to reload. Head Coach John Dodds said his team is in a unique spot: it graduated a large class but also has a large group coming in. 

Specifically, the Bears lost eight seniors to graduation, and nine of their players this season — half the roster — are freshmen. 

“It was a really talented group of seniors that are going to be hard to replace,” Dodds said. 

Despite the turnover, the Bears do have key returners to the squad, including defenseman Lucy Braga, forward Casey Wilkinson, and forward Pauline Rudd. 

“I think it’s a pretty good group,” Dodds said of his newcomers. “I think their skills are pretty good — I’m really happy with what I’ve seen so far in practice.” 

A big key for Dodds’ squad this season will be goaltending after losing two goalies to graduation. 

“We’re really inexperienced in goal… as a team we’re really going to have to buckle down and play good team defense, and block shots,” Dodds said. 

On the offensive side, Dodds said his team will have to take advantage of the opportunities they get to put pucks in the back of the net. 

The Bears picked up where they left off last season — winning — and were victorious in their first game over Concord. They will look to pick up another win on Monday, this time on the road against Kingswood. 

Hartford 

The Hurricanes are also defending state champions, having defeated Middlebury in the VPA Division II title game last season. 

Key returners for the champs, who have won a state title the last two seasons, include forward Zoe Zanleoni, defenseman Grace Hayes, and goaltender Nella Bowen. 

As for newcomers, the Canes are in a unique spot, Head Coach Jason Gramling said, “All of our new players that come in are eighth graders because we really need players, so eighth grade is the level we get to add.” 

Gramling’s squad added three eighth graders: Forward Johanna Kissell, forward Jaylin Haley, and goaltender Aubree Gramling. 

As his team gears up for another title defense, Gramling noted that, going into last season, his expectations were not as high because of the key players they had lost. 

Once again, the Canes lose key players from a championship team, but Gramling is not going to make the same mistake. 

“Obviously, after last year’s experience, I’m not going to count us out by any means,” he said. 

Gramling added that he was excited for returners and newcomers alike to step up. “I definitely think we have a good group together right now and am very excited to see if we can three-peat,” he said. 

Hartford won its first game of the season against Rutland on Wednesday and its second at home against Chittenden on Friday. It hosted Woodstock on Saturday. 

Lebanon-Kearsarge-Mascoma

The Raiders, which previously was a combination of Lebanon-Stevens-Kearsarge before Mascoma joined the fray for this season, finished the regular season last year 11-6-1 and suffered a loss in the quarterfinals of the NHIAA Division I playoffs to Bishop Brady-Trinity-Bow. 

This season, Head Coach Dan McGee says his squad has a good balance of returning upperclassmen and talented newcomers. 

Key senior returners include forward Sara Forman, defenseman Maezie Angles, goaltender Andy Lindquist, forward Abby Auch, forward Bella Orlen, and forward Izzy Caffrey. 

Forward Harper Spaulding, forward Natalie Dexter, forward Montana Ballard, forward Andrea Calderon, and defenseman Kate Clary are the newcomers to the team, all of whom McGee said will be playing big roles. 

“I think we want to build on what we accomplished last year,” McGee said. “As a group, we were proud of what we were able to do last year with a very small team,” he added, noting the team only had 11 players last season. 

The Raiders, who lost just one senior from last season and bring back their core along with new players, have also ramped up the difficulty of their schedule. 

“We have one of the most challenging schedules in the state,” McGee said. “So, the outlook for us is let’s be battle-tested when we get to the playoffs.”

So far, the Raiders have fared well, winning their first two games over Kennett and Exeter. They took on Bedford at home on Saturday. 

Woodstock 

The Wasps finished the regular season 4-15-1 before being bounced by Burr & Burton in the quarterfinals of the VPA Division II playoffs last year. 

Defenseman Josephina Palazzo, goaltender Pippa Shaw, and forward Alexis Audsley are among the key returners for a team that Head Coach Ian Coates acknowledged was young and low on numbers.

“I have a few players that are really new to hockey on my roster,” Coates said, noting that he could have had some eighth graders join the team, but they had elected to continue to play hockey at the youth level to get more experience. 

Younger players who could make an impact include defensemen Addison Tapley and Sarea Beardsley. 

As the season begins, Coates said he was excited about the group. “It’s important that you have a cohesive team, and being smaller kind of helps,” he said. “Everyone’s tight, it kind of feels more like a family.” 

He added that he was looking forward to how his team works together as a unit, rather than as individuals.

“They’re really some smart kids that get it and are good learners,” Coates said. “I’ve been seeing their skill develop, and I see things translating from last year to this season so early in the year.” 

The Wasps dropped their first matchup of the season against Champlain Valley Union last Saturday. They played on Friday against Essex and Saturday against Hartford on the road.

Hanover’s Jonny Woolsey (8) watches the puck as it flies through the air during a boys varsity hockey game against Concord at James W. Campion III Rink in West Lebanon, N.H., on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. Concord won, 5-1. ALEX DRIEHAUS / Valley News

Hanover’s Ryan Carroll (15) comforts goalie Joregen Drent (35) at the end of a difficult period during a boys varsity hockey game against Concord at James W. Campion III Rink in West Lebanon, N.H., on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. Concord won, 5-1. ALEX DRIEHAUS / Valley News

From left, Hanover head coach Dick Dodds talks to assistant coaches Todd Chamberlain and Dean Cashman during a boys varsity hockey game against Concord at James W. Campion III Rink in West Lebanon, N.H., on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. Concord won, 5-1. ALEX DRIEHAUS / Valley News