Championship weekend: HU boys reach two D-II finals & bring home hockey title
March 10, 2025 | By Waterbury Roundabout 
Harwood Boys Hockey gets an escort by the Waterbury Fire Department on Sunday afternoon following their D-II championship win against U-32 in Burlington. Photo by Gordon Miller
It was a busy weekend for Harwood Union student-athletes and fans as the Boys Basketball and Boys Hockey teams made it all the way to their state Division II title games.
It ended with a firetruck escort Sunday afternoon through Waterbury for Boys Hockey after they eliminated U-32, 4-2 at UVM’s Gutterson Field House.
Parents and friends came out along Main Street in Waterbury to cheer the team. Photo by Gordon Miller
On Saturday, Harwood Boys Basketball battled to the final buzzer at the Barre Auditorium aiming to dethrone Montpelier. The Highlanders’ appearance in the title game alone made history—the Times Argus reported it as the first time Harwood made it all the way to the final in 37 years. The Solons dominated though, landing their 5th D-II championship and Harwood finishing with second place. Final score: 68-57.
Harwood Boys Hockey was the No. 1 seed in the tournament, but there were no guarantees of an easy victory over U-32. The win brought home the Highlander’s third D-II trophy (last was in 2020) out of eight appearances in the finals.
Trophy in hand, the team looks out to their cheering fans. Photo by Brian Larabee
We share links below to The Times Argus coverage of the games by James Biggam.
On the hockey final:
The Highlanders faced the pressure of beating a team for the third time in a season and had to overcome an injury scare to their leading scorer and a jaw-dropping performance by the Raiders’ goalie.
Fortunately for HU, a team with only four seniors played like it was the last hurrah during a convincing 4-2 victory in the Division II final at Gutterson Fieldhouse. Read more here.
On the basketball final:
Saturday’s David vs. Goliath battle in the Division II boys basketball final was on track to quickly become a blowout before nearly turning into an upset for the ages. Top-seeded Montpelier had a reputation of being untouchable against Division II competition all season, while No. 3 Harwood could have simply been happy to be at the Aud while making its first finals appearance in 37 years.
But early in the fourth quarter the Highlanders had several chances to pull ahead and it quickly became clear that HU was far more than just a party crasher. Read more here.
5:10 p.m., Sunday, March 9: Harwood Boys Hockey gets a parade with the Waterbury Fire Department down Main Street in Waterbury. Video by Lisa Scagliotti