By: Haley Welsh

WHS senior hockey player Campbell Brown recently wrapped up her fourth and final season of high school hockey. She played on Shrewsbury’s High School team through a co-op offered through the school. There were three girls from Wachusett, four from Westborough, four from Saint Peter Marian in Worcester, and the rest from Shrewsbury, totaling to about 20 girls on the team. They all came together on one team wearing Shrewsbury uniforms. In addition to Campbell, WHS seniors Peyton Brown and Kaitlyn Corcoran played along with sophomore Grace Coughlin. The team had an extremely successful regular season going into the playoffs 18-2 with high hopes. They had a first round bye due to their record and with expectations of going far into the playoffs, they lost in their first game. This was a devastating 2-1 loss to Canton which led them to a final record of 18 wins and 3 losses.

Brown, who played right wing, started playing on a real team in fourth grade with her twin sister, Peyton, who plays left wing. Both had been skating since a very young age with their dad on the pond behind their house. They played on all boys teams until the end of sixth grade, their dad was the coach for many of these years. Brown says the biggest difference between boys and girls hockey is the level of checking. Originally, Brown’s father was skeptical to let her play but after finishing her final high school game, he told her he was glad he allowed her to play because they had created so many great memories. Brown comments, “I loved playing with the boys. I made such good friends.”

Brown played with Shrewsbury for all four years of high school. Her favorite part about playing for a different town was the bonds and the friends she made, also the fact that she could see these friends when she played Shrewsbury in other sports such as field hockey. With this being her final season playing high school hockey, Brown says, “I just had to leave it all out there. I had to make the most of every moment, both the good and the bad.” This season was special to Brown because the team was so great on the ice, but also they were very close off the ice which made the whole experience more enjoyable. Hockey has been such a big part of her high school career so she says, “I knew I had to make the most of it.”

          As this was her last high school season, there is a lot that will be missed. Specifically, the team friendships made in hockey are very different than the friendships made in other sports, so Brown will miss that part of the sport. She will also miss the sport as a whole: “Just going to the rink every day and skating is what I’ll miss the most. You can’t just go for a skate like you can go for a run. It’s very unique.”

In addition to hockey, Brown also played field hockey and lacrosse, but for Westborough. She says the biggest difference between the two high schools sports teams are the fact that Shrewsbury is Division 1, so the sports are more intense and higher stake. She enjoyed playing sports for both schools though, because it allowed her to bring some Westborough spirit and culture to the Shrewsbury ice. Brown went on to say the weirdest part about playing for another school, one that some may consider a rival to Westborough, is dressing in a Shrewsbury uniform.

After Brown graduates from WHS, she plans on attending Northeastern University in Boston. As of now she is going undecided, but plans to major in something “creative” such as film or design. Although she is not playing on an official team, because both the varsity and club sports there are very competitive, Brown definitely wants to continue to get out on the ice in the future.