Senior captains Isla Wilson and Olivia Tucker will be looked upon by Head Coach Tim Coskren to take the reins and lead the Norwood girls hockey team into the season. Wilson will be taking charge of the offense and Tucker will patrol the blue line for the Mustangs as they look to take a relatively young team into the post-season.

“Both girls are on the smaller size, but they don’t let it affect their play and they get along with everyone,” Coskren said. “Isla is a very dependable and trustworthy player that is respected by her peers and everyone wants to be on her line, while Olivia is a steady defender who sees the ice, and if there is an opening, she’ll take it and rush the puck up the ice.”

Both girls have been with Coskren and the team since their freshman years and they are exceptionally good at their respective crafts. As a forward, Wilson was in the top three on the team last year in scoring and should continue to set up her teammates while continuing to put the puck in the back of the net. Tucker not only knows her position, she is also the team leader on defense and the younger defenders are following her suit as she teaches them the position.

“As a first-time captain, I am hoping to make the environment feel welcoming for the other girls where their opinion matters,” Wilson said. I want to make them want to come to practice and get better as a family.”

Tucker is excited about being named a captain for the Mustangs this year and has always thought of herself as having leadership abilities and likes to help others like she was helped.

“I played for the JV team as an eighth grader, but when I was a freshman I found myself to be very nervous, especially being named a starter,” Tucker said. “I knew that I was capable but had a great defensive partner in Lindsey Rogers who helped me and now it’s my turn to return the favor to the younger girls coming in as their captain.”

Growing up, the two girls had similar situations with their introduction to the sport of ice hockey having to watch their brothers play the sport. Wilson found herself at the rink a lot due to her brother playing hockey and eventually she began skating. She found herself playing center like her brother and wanted to be just like him.

Tucker also watched her younger brother play hockey and got bored sitting in the rink watching him so she decided to give the sport a try for herself. The first time that she stepped onto the ice she fell in love with the sport and knew it was for her. She too was a forward but slowly transitioned to defense where she now controls the back end of the ice. 

“Originally, I didn’t know anything, and it really didn’t matter where they wanted me to play as long as I was on the ice,” Tucker said. “Now I love playing defense and being able to see the entire ice and what is happening.”

Individually, the girls’ goals are different for themselves. While Tucker wants to stay positive and enjoy every last minute of her high school career giving it her all each time that she steps onto the ice, Wilson wants to be able to contribute on the scoring side to get the Mustangs into the State Tournament.

“We lost some seniors who could score, and I want to be able to help the team by stepping up into that role this year,” Wilson said.

Although still early in the season at the time of this writing, the two captains have liked what they have seen in the younger girls thus far. Both believe that Norwood can have a pretty good season and feel confident they can make it to the State Tournament one last time before they graduate.

Tucker noted that Norwood has some experienced talent as well as the incoming freshman who have seemed to fit right in and have a good relationship with the rest of the team. 

“Although we are somewhat young, we need to find ways to keep playing hard and get into the playoffs,” Wilson said. “This team has the ability to go further than the past [over the last three years Norwood has been eliminated twice in the first round and once in the second]. We need to set the standard of hard work while still having fun playing the game.”

Entering the season, the Mustangs are taking to the ice with five freshman as well as a sophomore goalie who did not see a lot of varsity action last winter. 

“Some of the younger girls have a year or two of experience under their belts on defense, but Olivia will be able to help them whomever that may be,” the Norwood Coach said. “Overall, this year will be a learning experience, more so than the last 10 years.”

After reaching the tournament once final time before they depart Norwood, both girls look forward to continuing their ice play. Tucker will take a few months off at the end of the season and then jump into summer hockey with her team, the New England Future Stars. When college begins, both girls are looking to play club hockey wherever they attend. Wilson was originally hoping to play on the college level but knew that Division 1 hockey would not be achieved while focusing on her education.