By Ken Chaisson
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
The annual ice hockey get together for Walpole and Norwood took place at the Skating Club of Boston on University Avenue in Norwood on Tuesday December 30, 2025. The boys faced off at noon with the girls’ squads playing at 2PM.
The Walpole boys have a new head coach this season as Walpolian Joe Verderber takes the reins. Bobby England, Lucas Begnami and Joe’s son, Joe, are the assistant coaches. Head coach Verderber has extensive high school coaching experience as a Walpole boys’ assistant, the Walpole girls head coach as well as the boys head coach at Attleboro. He’s a member of the Walpole High Hockey Hall of Fame.
Walpole is led this season by their senior captains Danny Morris, Mike Conners and Mike Roof. The Timberwolves have 21 players on the varsity roster, including eleven seniors.
The Timberwolves came into the contest with a record of two wins and two losses. Norwood’s record stood at 3-2.
After a scoreless first period, Walpole’s Conners broke the ice early in the second period to go up 1-0. Junior Aidan Hoyle and sophomore Tommy O’Brien had assists on the scoring play.
At 10:32 Walpole doubled their lead with O’Brien netting his first varsity goal with an assist from Hoyle. That goal noticeably quieted the home crowd.
Walpole accumulated five penalties to the Mustang’s two. On Walpole’ first power play, Roof came up big as he stoned a Norwood shorthanded breakaway. Roof also stopped two break aways in the first period, one where he came far out of his net to challenge and spill the Norwood skater.
With 3:21 to play in the second, Walpole went up 3-0 on a beautiful pass from Hoyle at the blue line to O’Brien stationed at the corner of the crease. Sophomore Colin McKay also garnered an assist on the play.
Penalties then began to take their toll on the Timberwolves. With 53 seconds to go in the second period, Norwood went on a 5-on-3 power play. It took the two man advantage to finally crack the impregnable Roof as Norwood scored their first goal against Walpole in two years. But that would be all the Mustangs would muster today.
Walpole killed off the rest of their penalties for the game including another 5-on-3 situation. With 3:53 remaining in the game, Conners fed Hoyle with a perfect pass on a 2-on-1 to put the cap on the 4-1 Walpole victory.
