You would have to be very passionate about a sport to put in the mileage Eddie Goff, Baylon Cram, Peyton Gifford and Miles Worcester rack up to play for the Twin City Titans cooperative high school hockey team based in Bangor and Brewer.

Each of the four players travel over 100 miles, round-trip, to practice and play in games with the team.

Goff, Cram and Gifford attend Skowhegan High School, which is more than 50 miles one way from the Bangor-Brewer area. And Worcester is from Steuben, which is also more than 50 miles away.

Worcester attends Narraguagus High School in Harrington, which is nearly 70 miles from Bangor-Brewer, and he leaves school early to attend practices.

“It’s a lot of travel but it’s worth it. It has been a blast,” said Goff, a senior right wing. “They have all been great to us. Everyone has been wicked nice. Having everyone come together like a community makes it so enjoyable.”

Eddie Goff, Baylon Cram, Peyton Gifford and Miles Worcester each play for the Bangor-Brewer cooperative high school hockey team, despite living more than 50 miles away from the area. Credit: Matt Junker / BDN

“We do it for the love of the sport,” said junior left wing Cram. “I’ve been playing hockey my whole life. It’s what I like to do.”

Goff, Cram and Gifford played for Brewer last season before Brewer and Bangor merged this season due to low numbers. Worcester has always played for Bangor.

The merger has been a godsend for the Skowhegan players because Brewer High School used to practice at 5:30 a.m.

That meant getting up around 3 a.m. to make the trip to Brewer and then driving back to Skowhegan after practice to attend school.

But now, the Titans practice in the late afternoon hours after school gets out. They alternate those afternoon practices between Brewer’s Penobscot Ice Arena and Bangor’s Sawyer Arena.

“Even when we practiced at 5:30, they never missed a practice,” said Titans assistant coach and former Brewer assistant Chris McGrath. “And we told them if it was snowing or sleeting, don’t bother to come. But they still came.”

Cram said it’s a lot easier to make the trip after school, rather than those early morning trips.

Despite the commute, Worcester has missed very few practices in his four years according to Titans co-head coach Quinn Paradis.

“It’s like being part of a family,” Worcester said. “I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

He said for his first two seasons, his Narraguagus classmates didn’t believe he was playing hockey for Bangor High.

They thought he was just using it as an excuse to get out of school early.

“And I don’t blame them,” said Worcester, whose mother used to drive him to and from practice until he got his license after his sophomore year. He said he really appreciated his mother’s sacrifice and was glad to take a “big burden off her” by getting his license.

Worcester and Cram drive to practice by themselves and Goff usually brings Gifford up with him.

They all listen to the radio to pass the time, and Goff and Gifford like to talk about hockey.

They have had to drive in all weather conditions. Worcester recalls having to drive 25 miles an hour due to those conditions from time to time.

“And I had to leave school extra early,” he noted.

The players are very popular among their coaches and teammates, and their dedication has been inspirational.

“The team camaraderie has really grown because of them,” said Titans senior right wing Zac Cota from Bangor. “We see how dedicated they are and we want to double that up and support them like they support us.”

Titans sophomore center Landon Baker from Brewer shared a similar sentiment.

“They are so dedicated to the team. We love having them here,” Baker said. “They bring smiles to our faces when they show up.”

Paradis echoed that, calling their dedication phenomenal.

Goalie Miles Worcester makes a save during practice for the Twin City Titans. Credit: Matt Junker / BDN

“They’re always among the first ones to show up for practice and the last ones to leave,” Paradis said. “The time commitment is huge.”

Co-head coach Denis Collins pointed out that they will sometimes stay overnight in the Bangor-Brewer area with teammates.

“They hang out together. The camaraderie is great,” Collins said. “And one thing they all have in common is they want to win badly.”

McGrath pointed out that all four are from “fantastic families with great values” and the assistant coach predicted that each will be very successful in life. They’ve already been having success on the ice.

Gifford and Cram are tied for fourth on the team in scoring with nine points apiece, and Goff is close behind with seven. Gifford has five goals and four assists; Cram has three goals and six assists and Goff has 3 & 4.

All three scored a goal in the come-from-behind 5-5 tie with the Hampden Academy cooperative team in the Fill The Alfond game at the University of Maine’s Alfond Arena. The Titans overcame four one-goal deficits and a two-goal deficit to earn the tie.

Worcester had yet to see game action this season as of Friday, but coaches expected him to get a start within the next week. The Titans were 3-4-1 heading into a Saturday game against Camden Hills of Rockport at 2 p.m. at the Penobscot Ice Arena.

The four travelers feel they are getting better individually and as a team.

“I love our competitiveness,” Worcester said. “We’ve had a lot of close games. Being able to claw back against Hampden was a big test and showed how we can come together as a team and play against anyone.”

The Titans dropped games to Lewiston and Edward Little of Auburn, both by a score of 4-3.

“At the beginning of the year, we were still learning how to play with each other. Our competitiveness is there and we’re playing better now,” said Gifford, a sophomore left wing.

Goff said the team didn’t have a lot of chemistry early, but now they’ve come up with some cohesive lines and are playing together.

“And we have a chance to beat almost any team in the state,” Goff said.

They’ve also made new friendships along the way.

“Creating memories with the boys has been worth it,” Gifford said.