SPRINGFIELD — Nick Thibault skated around the logos on the MassMutual Center ice, soaking in the moments before the Division 3A state championship game.
South Hadley hadn’t been to the postseason the two prior years. He wanted to appreciate the journey the Tigers had undertaken in his career.
South Hadley last made the postseason in 2014 and reached the Western Mass. title game in 2013. The Tigers won four straight sectional titles from 2009-12 with two state titles in that stretch. The Class of 2017 brought South Hadley back to that level.
“We knew going into the season we had a team that could do it,” Thibault said. “We had to put the pieces of the puzzle together.”
Thibault scored the goal in overtime that won South Hadley the Western Massachusetts title. But that game and the playoff run, which ended with a 4-0 loss to Grafton in the state title game Wednesday, represented the end of a long journey.
“We started off, we were looking to get the team together and really start working as a group. We evolved each and every game,” senior Will Hunter said. “We started getting closer. As Western Mass. came around, we were ready to go.”
One of the key pieces to the puzzle was playing as a group rather than relying on superstar individuals. Four Tigers topped 20 points on the season, and three of them reached double-digit goals.
“Every man carries his own weight,” Hunter said. “We play for our brothers.”
The team also found a leader that communicated on their level. Coach Larry Camus was in his first year as a head coach after spending 17 years as an assistant with the program.
“Larry’s a patient guy, and he really let us grow,” Hunter said.
Camus appreciated the way the group adjusted to new roles and his systems.
“Nobody expected us at the beginning of the year to be standing here. I’m really proud of them,” Camus said. “They worked hard. I told them when I saw them at the beginning of the year they had all the skills and everything else if they just play together as a team. Those kids skated hard for me.”
In addition to Thibault and Hunter, Corey Caulkins, Alex Joao, Dominic Rosazza and Caroline Watkins played their final game.
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com.