After a stellar playing career for Walpole High School boys hockey were he set several program scoring records, and 30 years of coaching boys and girls hockey at varying levels, Joe Verderber returns to his alma mater as the newest boys head coach.
“I was the head coach for Attleboro for 10 years, I got this program going,” Verderber said. “Then I stepped down over there again. My family was growing and the Walpole AD gave me a call and asked if I’d interview for the girls job, again a startup program at the time. So I got them going, stayed with them for about 15 years.
“I had an opportunity to jump over to the boys but then I took the girls job. I said I wouldn’t leave until I was comfortable that they were in a good place. So I stayed there for 15 years then I took a couple of years off to go watch my kids.”
Holding plenty of experience of building high school hockey teams from the ground up, Verderber has similar intentions for the Timberwolves. He doesn’t want to create a new team, but tap into the history of pride and honor of skating for Walpole hockey.
“Walpole has had, over the past few decades, a strong tradition of hockey and I want to try to bring that back,” Verderber said. “The previous coach, he did well, but trying to help the team do better and have more consistent success and bring back that kind of pride in the program for the town as well. Not just the players but have the town and the school be proud of these guys and we want our guys not just to be good hockey players but to be good people.
“All life lessons I felt I could impart on these guys and a little more discipline and I met with the AD, they had a committee of five or six guys and we talked for an hour and obviously it went well.”
When it comes to the group of Timberwolves that he’s inheriting this season, Verderber has experience with some already.
“I know a bunch of them, I also coach at the youth level,” Verderber said of his current ream. “So there are a few guys that played for me years back.
“The core group I know, the core group being five or six guys. The rest, it’s a learning curve for me as well and I try to relay that to them, ‘Look it’s early and the only fact I can tell you is that whatever this team is, now it’s not going to be the same at the end of the year. We’re all learning and growing together and so the most important thing is that we just grow.’”
Though he hasn’t coached all of his current players before, Verderber is close with their coach over the fall and summer and the two share some systems.
So far in the preseason Verderber has been impressed with what his team has put on the ice through tryouts and scrimmages, and the way his captains have led the way.
Entering the season, seniors Mike Conners, Daniel Morris, and Mike Roof were tabbed as captains.
“So far they’ve been fantastic,” Verderber said of his captains. “They’re a humble group but they’re not afraid to voice their opinions and try to lead these guys and each one of them has a different approach which is nice.
“You have a Michael Conners, more of a quiet guy, leader by example. Danny Morris, he’ll pose questions and go that route, and then Michael Roof, the goalie, he’s more demonstrative in goal and not afraid to speak his mind at any point in time.”
While they’ve been meaningful to this year’s squad as leaders, Verderber also has high expectations for their on ice production.
“Mike Roof should be one of the best goalies out there, which is a nice thing to have,” Verderber said. “[Conners is] probably one of the more talented players on the team. A shifty little playmaking center, he’ll go up and down.
“Then Danny Morris is more of a role playing type guy, he just does whatever’s asked of him but they complement each other well.”
Joining the trio as a top returner is Aiden Hoyle who was one of the team’s most impactful skaters as a sophomore last season.
“He’s got a lot of talents, he’s a good playmaker, he’s always looking to create some opportunity,” Verderber said of Hoyle. “I think he’s in the mindset, which is good, but an assist is as good as a goal. But he has the opportunity to score some goals and he’ll pass it off rather than take a shot.”
After scrimmaging both Catholic Memorial and Shawsheen Valley Tech., the Timberwolves will have a serious trial to start the year.
On Saturday, Dec. 13, Walpole will travel to face Braintree, a team that’s beaten them three games in a row. Understanding the talent the Wamps have and the Timberwolves’ record against them, Verderber knows his squad will have to be ready right out of the gate.
“Talk about stepping into the fire,” Verderber said. “Braintree’s a solid program. They’re a really good team, really a strong, physical, good puck moving team. So we’re going to have our hands full. But you never know, we show up prepared, focused on just doing the little things right, you don’t know what can happen.”
Regardless of the scoreline in that first contest or any one they play this season, Verderber wants his players to understand it’s how they performed that matters, not just the final score.
“I explained that I try to be communicative,” Verderber said. “I don’t always have to explain myself but if you can get the kids to buy in, if they can truly understand what the philosophy is, what the purpose is, that’s the biggest thing right there.
“It’s a simple game, it’s a really simple game. You have to play with purpose, you’re going to be in every game. There are going to be times where someone just flat out is better than you but getting beat is one thing, losing is altogether different. The objective for us is to never lose, make a team beat you. And they really respond well to that and right now we’ve got everybody going in the right direction and they’re all positive with each other which is huge.”
