BURRILLVILLE – By the entrance to Levy Ice Rink at Burrillville High School, they hang along the wall: six banners documenting the Burrillville boys hockey team’s history of success going back decades, from regular season wins, to state and regional championships.
Now, at the opposite side of the Bronco’s home rink, another wall is filling up, as the girls team continues to make their mark on the sport.
School officials unveiled a banner Friday night in honor of the team’s 2021/2022 season title, the girls program’s first state championship in its 20-year history.
Beside the new banner – which reads Rhode Island Girls Hockey Division I State Champions – hangs another dedicated to an achievement from last year: member Allie Trimble’s Rhode Island High School Sports 2022 Girls Hockey Player of the Year.
The new banner was displayed for the first time on Friday, Dec. 10, prior to a match against the Narragansett/NK/SK girls team, as the announcer at Levy read a statement from head coach Cortney Lacey.
“Last season certainly had its ups and downs,” noted Lacey of the team. “At the end of the season, they came together and played the best hockey they played all year.”
It was a win the coach described as, “arguably the biggest upset in high school hockey history.” The Burrillville/Ponaganset/Bay View co-op team – or BPB to their chanting fans – were considered the underdogs going into the finals against unbeaten La Salle Academy.
Trimble, a junior at the time, scored five goals in the last three games, helping to lead the co-op to an unexpected championship win over a team that, at the time, was considered the best in the state.
“These kids played hard. We held La Salle’s mighty offense to only three shots,” said Lacey. “They showed pride, resolve and heart.”
Trimble led the group in scoring last season, and is serving as team captain in her senior year.
She was also among those to score in BPB’s 5-1 win over Narragansett Friday. The team went on to a shut out 9-0 win over Cranston/EG on Saturday, Dec. 11.
BPB’s next game will take place after the new year, with a D-I match against La Salle on Friday, Jan. 6 starting at 7 p.m. at the home rink.
