RUTLAND — It’s a rare occasion that an attendee of almost any Wachusett Regional High sporting event, past and present, picks up a roster and finds the surname ‘Lane’ not listed. Mountaineer ice hockey head coach Matt Lane has been a mentor to many student-athletes over his 19 years at the helm, and reflects on the ubiquitous presence of his own family’s deep involvement in Wachusett sports.
“For me, it’s that my parents went to school here,” Lane said. “My brothers and sisters and cousins played here. My dad’s in the Hall of Fame, as are my brother, sister and cousins. There’s a lot of pride here for my family to represent the school and my community.”
Now comes the next generation’s contribution to the lineage of proud student-athletes. Coach Lane’s eldest boys (Stone, a senior, and Caden, a sophomore) are wings on the high school hockey team, which had posted a record of 9-3 as of this writing. Youngest of all is Vaughn, an 8th-grader at Central Tree Middle School in Rutland, who is deep into learning the ropes and nuances of ice hockey, which he loves as much as his older siblings.
Stone is a true multi-sport athlete, having played for two years on the Wachusett baseball team and four years on the gridiron for football head coach Mike Dubzinski. He flashes a smile in pointing out that he scored a touchdown in this year’s Thanksgiving rivalry matchup versus Shrewsbury. Caden has also played football, and proudly points to his three touchdowns and two interceptions this past season.
“It’s cool playing with my brother,” said Stone. “This is actually the first time we’ve played together on the same team. To get better, I would always work on my shot by shooting out in the driveway. I’d go out and rip pucks for a while. We always went to summer clinics, and that helped playing all year round because it kept us in shape.”
“At home we fight a lot, but not as much as we used to,” said Caden, all smiles. “We’d fight over something stupid, and then a half hour later we’d be friends again. I enjoy skating a lot. This week, I’ve skated either for Wachusett or at ponds and backyard rinks. I love being out there and having ice time.”
What some may wonder and express occasionally is whether being the sons of the team’s head coach carries any extra benefits. Both Caden and Stone are quick to wash away the notion.
“Some of my teammates say that, but if anything, he’s a little harder on us,” answers Caden. “But it’s nice to have him as a coach because it’s easier to accept constructive criticism. On the ride home, he’ll tell us what we did right and wrong.”
“If anything, he’s harder on us, but we understand it’s a team game that we all are working hard at. No one gets special treatment, especially us,” said Stone, with emphasis.
“I’ve learned to leave coaching at the rink and maybe the car ride home,” said Coach Lane on his approach to coaching and the enjoyment of being able to coach his sons. “It’s really been great, and it’s one of the reasons I’m still here, because my boys are going through. I love doing it, and I love seeing them play, but there’s no special treatment.”
Both brothers admit to having butterflies, especially in bigger matchups, but say they have learned to block emotions and focus on the tasks at hand.
“I get nervous for my first shift on the ice,” admits Stone. “Once you’re into the game, the nerves kind of go away, especially if there’s a big crowd there. You don’t want to mess up in front of a whole lot of people.”
“As the season goes on, you’re not as nervous,” Caden explained. “You need to know that one mistake isn’t going to cost you the season. Your teammates have your back, so you don’t even think twice about it.”
Few will forget the excitement of March 2019 when the green and white captured the Division 3 state title with a dramatic victory at Boston’s TD Garden. The Lane brothers, while there to cheer the team and their dad, were still some time away from age eligibility and were relegated to being among the spectators who stoked the fire with the excitement of that day. The program was soon thereafter boosted to Division 1 status, where the opponents are tougher and the talent more pronounced. With a playoff berth almost certain this season, it will be interesting to watch things play out.
“We’ve never played in Division 1 playoffs, so we’ll see how that goes,” said Stone with a clear edge of optimism. “We have the talent. We just have to get out there and see what happens.”
