Post-season honors: 2020-21 winter season in the rear-view mirror
May 17, 2021 | By Ben White
The winter sports season, although shortened and different due to the pandemic, prospered on with it came to Harwood Union athletes this year.
Each sport saw its own variations to COVID-19 restrictions with student-athletes and coaches working to meet requirements for practices, games and races. Fans and parents had to watch from afar, in some cases thanks to live-streamed video from rinks and gymnasiums where possible.
After the season wound down, certain athletes stood out among their teammates for their leadership, skill, and sportsmanship. Recognition went to those who excelled despite a very unconventional season. Student-athletes across the board shone.
On the boys hockey team, honors went to:
Finn O’Hara: Vermont’s Mr. Hockey, Division II Player of the Year, Burlington Free Press All-State Team, Division II All-Star Team
Skylar Platt: Burlington Free Press All-State Team
Liam Guyette: Burlington Free Press All-State Team, Vermont Rotary Senior All-Star Team, Division II All Star Team
Tyson Sylvia: Division II All-Star Team
Jonathan O’Brien: Vermont Rotary Senior All-Star Team
Gavin Thomsen: Vermont Rotary Senior All-Star Team
Reflecting on the season and his accolades, Finn O’Hara said: “It feels really cool to get recognized, but it doesn’t change anything. It’s still the same team and the same family we built in that hockey team. … There was a lot of turmoil during this season and a lot of adversity, with our head coach being fired and our new head coach coming in, but we made it to the finals. We unfortunately lost, but it was still a good season and we were able to overcome everything.”
Teammate Skylar Platt agreed. “It feels kind of nice but most of all I’m just happy with how most of the team just stuck together despite our challenges. I’m proud of how we stuck together,” he said. “We had a really good team. It was not an easy season. We started off going to quarantine and there were some things that happened earlier. We had an undefeated regular season and the result wasn’t what we wanted, but it happens.”
Girls sports provided plenty of leaders, too.
Ashley Proteau of Duxbury, a senior from the girls basketball team, made it to the Senior All-Star Team and the Capital Division All-Stars. The Times-Argus Girls Basketball All Stars included Proteau and junior Emma Ravelin; sophomore Cierra McKay received an honorable mention.
The girls Nordic Ski team saw several of its members recognized: Ava Thurston, Julia Thurston and Maisie Franke all were named to the Division II All-State Team. In addition to her school and club team skiing, Ava Thurston of Waterbury traveled to Finland for the Junior Nordic World Championship. At the season’s end, she was named Times-Argus Skier of the Year. “I think it’s a really cool award that they have,” said Ava Thurston of the newspaper’s honor. “I had a great season this year. It was really cool to still have a high school season. We were really close to winning and I got the chance to go on an international trip that I was really lucky to do,” she recalled. “The season was a little weird at first. We didn't get to start up racing until mid January. We were able to still have high school races and club racing. The racing was really competitive since there were still a lot of pros in Vermont. We got to race skiers of World Cup caliber so we were able to learn a lot from them.”
Harwood Girls Hockey team members finished their season with a notable round of decorations as well: Clara Griffin and Haley Brickey were named to the Vermont Rotary Senior All-Star Team. Brickey along with Louisa Thomsen and Amelia Nordle were named Girls Hockey State All-Stars. Coach Mike Vasseur said the season went well for the team that pulled players together from multiple schools: Harwood, Northfield, Williamstown, Randolph. “The kids were stronger and they worked well together and rallied for a good game against Middlebury,” Vasseur said, referring to the quarterfinal matchup that was the final game for the team’s season. “The kids did phenomenal. They were incredibly positive and everything we got to do as a team was a bonus. It gave the seniors a chance to have one last season and overall it was just positive.”
Reflecting on the winter season, Harwood’s Athletic Director Chris Langevin said the post-season accolades bring recognition to the school’s programs overall. “It just goes to show how our teams are really taking that step up in quality. We have a lot of student-athletes who are working hard and having it pay off,” Langevin said. “One of the things that’s nice is that oftentimes, Division II or III teams may feel overlooked since they’re much smaller schools. But it’s nice to see that our students’ hard work is being recognized by the entire state.”
Ben White is a junior at Harwood Union High School.