~Lauren Best
The binturong, also known as bearcat, is a animal native to South and Southeast Asia. It has been assessed as Vulnerable because of a declining population. In another instance, the bearcat is the mascot for the Somersworth-Coe-Brown hockey team. Coe-Brown, home of the Bears, and Somersworth High School, home of the the Bobcats, come together to form a single team, hence the birth of the bearcat.
On the Coe-Brown side of the team, there were juniors Ryan Nester, Aidan Perra, Cole Perra, Alex Plaisted, and Daniel Strum, and freshmen Aaron Bono, Jack Jerome, Jacob Pelletier, Nick Pruett, and Will Sawyer. All together, the team scored 69 goals and had 83 assists. Goalie Nick Pruett had 101 saves in goal in the three games he played. As a team, the Bearcats spend 63 hours practicing on the ice, not including games. The Bearcats also traveled 1,200 miles, not counting away games. Dedication drove these boys to wake up at four in the morning just to get on the ice for morning practice. Then they continue their normal day at school with games on some school days and the weekends, most of the time with long travels and late nights.
As a whole, the hockey season was full of key battles against strong teams. The Bearcats were also a first year team in Division II, coming from Division III the previous year. The final record for the Bearcats was 7-10-1. They had a fair share of struggles with injuries and tough losses. But the end of the 2018-2019 season ended with some serious strong wins. The boys were able to win the last four games. The wins started on Senior Night by beating the Portsmouth-Newmarket Clipper Mules with a score 2-4. Then they pulled off a hard earned win 5-6 against the Spaulding Red Raiders in overtime. Next, the Bearcats fought off the Winnacunnet Warriors with a score of 4-2. Finally in the last game of the season, the Bearcats pulled off a win against the Keene Blackbirds 2-3. The Bearcats look forward to more progress and growth as a team along with a great season next year full of goal scoring and wins.
