Vernon School Board Endorses Rockville-Bolton-Coventry Hockey Co-op

The Vernon Board of Education on Monday endorsed a plan to form a new hockey cooperative with Bolton and Coventry high schools.

The vote was unanimous. Once the application is signed by Rockville High School Principal Eric Baim, it will be sent off to the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference's Co-op Committee for review. Baim is serving as the point person for all CIAC correspondence regarding the co-op.

Bolton and Coventry education officials have already signed off on the plan.

Baim said the Central Connecticut Conference athletic directors have approved the co-op.

Rockville had been playing with Stafford and Manchester high schools, but that co-op has been dissolved, RHS Athletic Director Steven Phelps told the Board of Education on Monday. He said the Bolton, Coventry, Lyman hockey co-op has also been dissolved.

"Rockville High School has been looking to enhance its program," Phelps said.

Phelps saids RHS has five players committed. Stafford and Manchester had just three and four respectively - that's just two offensive lines and two defensive pairing with two goaltenders.

In a letter to the board dated May 8, Phelps said that co-op "was experiencing difficulty obtaining an adequate number of competitors to form a hockey team."

Rockville-Manchester-Stafford reached the CIAC Division III quarterfinals last season.

Coventry has nine players committed and Bolton eight, Phelps said.

The co-op agreement would be for two years, and each school would insure its own players, Phelps said. Home games would be at the Bolton Ice Palace.

Rockville would pay the seasonal transportation, about $2,300 and Bolton and Coventry would pay for the officials, about $2,200, Phelps said. The two schools would also pay for security at games.

Phelps said it is likely RHS would supply the head coach, making now-former  Raockville-Manchester-Stafford Coach Christian Stevenson the leading candidate for the new co-op. Bolton and Coventry would likely each hire an assistant, he said.

Ice time costs an estimated $30,000, a cost each team would split, Phelps said.