St. Dominic Academy boys hockey captain Colin Casserly is the lone senior on the squad this season. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
Colin Casserly is embracing the responsibilities of leading a young St. Dom’s boys hockey team.
The Windham resident is the lone senior on a squad that includes only three juniors and 13 underclassmen.
“Honestly, it’s not that different,” Casserly said. “I feel like I am close with everyone, so it hasn’t affected me yet. I just know I have to be a good example.”
Casserly said that he takes cues from past Saints captains, such as Lucas Pushard, who graduated last year.
“I have learned to be a good leader and do the right things, treat people with respect,” Casserly said.
Casserly said Pushard was good at being a teacher and speaking to teammates without raising his voice.
St. Dom’s coach Dan D’Auteuil said he sees those same traits in Casserly.
Colin Casserly before a St. Dom’s practice at Norway Savings Bank Arena earlier this week. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
“I think Colin is a good leader; he’s good in the locker room,” D’Auteuil said. “I think he has learned the past couple of years with some good leaders ahead of him. I think he will do a good job, and I have already seen it in the locker room and on the ice.”
Casserly will be helped by the Saints’ two assistant captains, defenseman Miles Frenette and forward Colby Levasseur, both juniors. Frenette said that it will be important for he and Levasseur support Casserly.
“It’s definitely not easy being the lone (senior),” Frenette said. “Colin, he has definitely stepped up right away, and he has been a leader throughout my high school career.”
One of the Saints’ 13 underclassmen is Casserly’s younger brother, Thomas Casserly, a sophomore. Colin said that brotherly connection helps him better connect with St. Dom’s younger players.
“I have known a lot of players throughout the years because of my brother,” Colin Casserly said. “I just know how they are, how they act and how to be around them.”
Thomas said Colin is helpful and always willing to respectfully offer advice.
“Even with simple stuff, when you do something wrong, he always comes up to you, and he will tell you what you did wrong and how you can do it better,” Thomas Casserly said. “He’s never rude about it; he’s just a good teacher.”
Colin Casserly also is a leader away from the ice rink.
“If you are doing something wrong, he’s going to show you how to do it better,” Frenette said. “Even outside the locker room; at school, too — he has always been the guy that if someone is doing something wrong, he’s the mature one in the (class).”
D’Auteuil said the Saints coaching staff will make sure the responsibility of helping the freshmen and sophomores isn’t all on Colin Casserly’s shoulders.
“It’s hard, so we are going to need a lot of eyes and ears to help these young kids to come along,” D’Auteuil said. “It’s going to be a struggle, and there’s always a learning curve for young kids. We are still in COVID, and that’s a whole different thing. It changes every day if something happens, or different schools, different protocols. It’s going to be an interesting year to get these young kids ready with only one leader and not having a lot of players with experience, like some other teams.”
Frenette said one of Colin Casserly’s biggest attributes is his work ethic, and that sets a good example to the rest of the team.
St. Dominic Academy’s Colin Casserly is captain of a team that includes only on senior, three juniors and 13 underclassmen. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal
“When I was an underclassman, it was really important for me to look up to him because he was always trying,” Frenette said. “If he wasn’t trying, what are the underclassmen going to do? They aren’t going to try. Him always trying is definitely really important for us to look up to.”
Last year, Casserly proved his dedication to hockey, and the team, by playing through a torn labrum for most of the season. The Saints didn’t have a great year, at least not by their typical standards, finishing with a 2-6-1 record, but Casserly kept playing, and recorded a goal and five assists.
Casserly continued taking the ice through his injury because he wanted to be play with his friends who were about to graduate.
“For a lot of older kids, it was going to be the last time I would be playing with them,” Casserly said. “I was just having fun.”
D’Auteuil said Casserly didn’t tell him about the injury until after the season. Colin Casserly is healthy now and is ready for his final year of high school hockey.
“I am very excited because we are young, and look I forward to seeing how everyone plays,” Casserly said.
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