October 24, 2018 at 2:39 p.m.
Northern Edge backs out of potential girls' hockey co-op with Northland Pines
Northern Edge backs out of potential girls' hockey co-op with Northland Pines
The Northern Edge had an agreement, in principle, to co-op with Northland Pines for the upcoming 2018-19 season, due to low numbers for both programs. The Edge was able to find a couple of last-minute recruits, however, and called off the deal Monday morning, hours before the proposal was to have gone in front of the Northland Pines school board for final approval.
"As of two weeks ago the Edge had 10 girls which was still worrisome," Rhinelander activities director Brian Paulson wrote in an email to Northland Pines AD Brian Margelofsky. "During the last two weeks we have recruited one more girl to play on the team and four others are considering. Our goal has always been to recruit more numbers and have as many Northwoods teams as possible."
Margelofsky sent out a press release later Monday morning confirming that the co-op was a no-go - for this season at least - and explaining why Pines, which is projected to have in the neighborhood of 12-14 skaters this winter, was in a position to help another program within the Great Northern Conference.
"Our philosophy at Northland Pines is that a co-op should only be formed when the numbers of a team can't be supported to safely and ethically field a team," Margelofsky stated, in part, in the release. "We will be transparent that any future decision to form a co-op is to provide an opportunity for girls in our area to play a sport they enjoy."
School District of Rhinelander superintendent Kelli Jacobi had informed a Rhinelander school board about a possible addition to the co-op during last Monday's monthly school board meeting, but did not identify the school.
According to both Paulson and Margelofsky, talks between the sides heated up over the last couple of weeks, when it appeared the Edge could have as few as eight skaters for the upcoming season. Margelofsky met with his girls' hockey team at Pines, then further meetings were held between coaches and ADs at Northland Pines, Rhinelander and Antigo to determine the logistics of the co-op - location(s) of practices/games, team identity and game schedule - should Northland Pines and the Northern Edge combine.
"There were a lot of conversations that went fast, but I think it's opened up the door for Northland Pines, and our girls, to know what (a co-op) may look like in the future, because it always could be a possibility," Paulson said.
Under WIAA regulations, the new co-op would have been ineligible for the 2019 girls' hockey playoffs because it would have formed after the April 1 deadline to declare co-operative teams for the 2018-19 winter sports season.
That didn't seem to dissuade the players and parents at Northland Pines, Margelofsky said.
"I would have never thought that our players and our parents would have entertained the notion, more from the idea that even with a smaller squad over the last few years, we've gotten a couple of levels into the playoffs and then were either able play the (Central Wisconsin) Storm or (Wisconsin Valley) Union," he said. "The girls came back with, 'No, these are girls that like the sport of hockey. It's something they enjoy. If that means Pines has to help out a fellow school, let's look into it.'
The Edge graduated six of its 15 players from the 2017-18 season and, as of the end of last season, did not have any projected ninth graders coming into the program. Paulson tried to strike a deal with the Lakeland/Tomahawk co-op prior to the April 1 deadline, but was turned down by Lakeland, which stated it was comfortable with its numbers for the upcoming season.
The numbers remained dire throughout the offseason for the Edge. Paulson said the reality of a likely merger seemed to play a factor in the team pulling in some last-minute recruits from the hallways of Antigo and Rhinelander high schools.
"Ultimately the kids know who have potential and who's skated in the past maybe in the youth program," he said. "They're the ones out there on the recruiting trail making it happen."
Margelofsky said he understood the Edge's decision to ultimately go it alone, though he said he expressed concern over the team's low numbers, considering that Pines played with a roster of around 12 players for much of last season.
"Entering a season with only 11 girls is going to be taxing, especially if you play in a tournament or have back-to-back games," he said. "I've seen it from our girls that last few years when we have multiple games and girls are doing back-to-back shifts repeatedly in multiple games."
Declining participation has been an issue in high school girls' hockey in Wisconsin over the last few years. The WIAA has gone from 33 participating teams in the state girls' hockey playoffs in 2016 to only 28 for the upcoming year. That number would have dropped to 26 this season had Northland Pines and the Northern Edge merged.
Several standalone teams or smaller co-ops have merged over recent years. Lakeland and Tomahawk joined forces following prior to the 2016-17 season. Last year, the Waupaca and Marshfield co-ops both hooked up with Stevens Point/Wisconsin Rapids to form the Wisconsin Valley Union, and Beaver Dam's co-op was absorbed into the larger Fond du Lac/Waupun co-op. Appleton United and the Fox Cities Stars merged this year.
The state of co-ops in Wisconsin has drawn criticism from several Northwoods teams, who contend schools in larger metropolitan areas join forces more for competitive reasons than for program sustainability. The larger co-ops contend their existence is necessary due to low participation numbers, limited skating facilities and ice time, and financial considerations.
In the fall of 2015, the GNC pitched a proposal during a WIAA area meeting in Antigo to divide the girls' hockey playoffs into sections based on enrollment rather than geography to level the playing field for small standalone teams. The movement never gained any formal traction with the WIAA.
Northland Pines and Hudson are the two remaining standalone programs in the state. Superior and Medford lead two-school co-ops with small, neighboring schools - Superior with Northwestern and Medford with Rib Lake.
The Edge is expected to see a slight uptick in numbers in 2019-20 with four current eighth graders expected to join the program. Though, with several juniors on the roster, the team may face a numbers crunch again by 2020-21.
Both Paulson and Margelofsky characterized the resolution as a temporary solution, which they hope is the impetus for further discussion at the Great Northern Conference level of who each of the member schools can help each other out to keep girls' hockey in the Northwoods alive.
"I think, throughout the conference, it may force us to look at all the schools and say, 'What schools could maybe go together and form a co-op?'" Margelofsky said.
Edge coaching staff set
While talks about a possible co-op were ongoing, the Northern Edge named its coaching staff for the 2018-19 season. Tom Roeser will take over as the team's head coach. He replaces Kevin Sandstrom, who resigned in July to further his education at UW-La Crosse. His hiring was finalized by school administration earlier this month.
Roeser is a former assistant coach for the RHS boys' hockey team and has coached at various youth levels at the Rhinelander Ice Association. Last year he was the head coach of the RIA's Peewee hockey team that won the consolation championship of the Wisconsin Amateur Hockey Association Class 3A state tournament.
"He's been around the hockey rink and the RIA for a long time had has brought a lot of kids up," Paulson said. "He wants to see the girls' program, in general, do well. He's all in and he wants to make the best for the program."
Kelly LeVeque from Antigo will be Roeser's assistant coach. LeVeque replaces Brian Bunnell as Antigo's coach in the co-op.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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