In finals for the first time, Bulldogs want to leave their mark

GILFORD — Before Dave Caron and a handful of parents took it upon themselves to create the Belmont-Gilford Bulldogs hockey team, never before in the state of New Hampshire had two different high schools come together to form a cooperative sports team. Caron got the idea from a team in Maine and sought to apply the model in Gilford, with Belmont High School as a partner.

The fruit of that effort will be on display today, as the Belmont-Gilford Bulldogs take on Berlin-Gorham's Mountaineers in the NHIAA Division III championship match, to be played at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester. The puck will drop at 12:15.

It took several years for Caron and company to get the NHIAA to finally adopt the rules necessary for a cooperative team. The team began competing at the varsity level in the 2004-2005 school year and got off to an ignominious start. The team managed to win just one game over the first two seasons, Caron recalled. That was due to bad luck as much as a new program, though, because a glut of talented players had graduated the year prior. Caron recalled a conversation with an NHIAA official during the second season when he was politely asked if he thought the team would ever be competitive.

"I said, 'yes'," Caron recalled, though he admitted that his fingers might have been crossed behind his back.

He turned out to be right. In fact, the Bulldogs this year have been more than competitive — they earned the top seed for the Division III tournament. On Wednesday, Belmont-Gilford knocked off Kennett in a tough semi-final battle and today will appear in a championship game for the first time in the program's history. Their opponent, Berlin-Gorham, has played in many title matches, most recently in 2013, but hasn't won one since 1976. "Both teams are hungry for a title, it's going to be a great game," said Caron. "Go Bulldogs!"

Caron traces Belmont-Gilford's ascendance to the point at which Jay Londer was brought on as head coach. "Jay has done a phenomenal job developing players," said Caron, noting that the Bulldogs have made the playoffs each year that Londer has led the team, whether the team had star-level players or not. "His teaching style, his coaching, his practice management, they've turned into really solid hockey players... I'm proud of the way he's built this program."

Londer, a personal trainer, said he applies his professional expertise to the hockey team. "We started building this program up with conditioning and a healthy lifestyle." He doesn't have to have the most talented or most skilled hockey players, he said, as long as he has players in the best shape. "We outworked teams."

As the team began to improve its record, community support has grown. The boosters club, assistant coaches, and new this year, a volunteer recording each game so that the team can review their play.

"We continue to get better every year, with help from the community," said Londer.

He said the team's motto this year has been "Give up what you want now for what you want most." In other words, skip the junk food for a healthier meal and turn off the Playstation in favor of a decent night's sleep. That discipline, and the conditioning, has paid off in the form of a chance to play in an historic game for Belmont-Gilford. Making it through to the championship has been the unstated goal for the season, Londer said. Speaking yesterday before the final practice of the season, he said the coaching staff doesn't plan any pep talks or chest-thumping speeches. He just wants them to revel in, and enjoy, their moment.

"It's the first time we've been in the finals. It's exciting, the kids are psyched," he said. "I like our chances. Berlin's a very good club, they've got a lot of history, a lot of pride." His team has respect for the Mountaineers, but Londer said the Bulldogs are hungry to earn respect for themselves. "We're going to go out, give it what we've got and let the chips fall where they may... The pressure is off. Our goal was to get to the final. Now that we're there, all we have to do is play."