RallyNorth.net

Bates brothers a key for Marblehead hockey

Wednesday, March, 12 By Matt Williams
Staff writer

Marblehead High junior winger Andrew Bates could have chosen not to play high school hockey.

The trend in recent years has been for top talent all over New England to forego their schoolboy days to chase on ice dreams in various prep school and junior league venues. To be sure, Bates certainly appears to have the skill set needed to do so.

The more he thought about it, however, the more Bates knew he'd be missing something special if he didn't play for the Headers. The biggest reason to stay, though, was his twin brother Colby and the opportunity to finally share the ice with him.

"I really wanted to play with my brother and my best friends," Andrew said. "I had never played in town before because I'd played on junior teams growing up. I had some friends go to prep schools and stuff, but I wanted to play with my friends. There's nothing like it. I've enjoyed it so much."

It has been well worth it for the Bates brothers and their teammates, who came together this winter to capture the school's first ever Division 3 North championship. The Headers travel to the DCU Center in Worcester tomorrow for a state semifinal match against defending Division 3 state champion Scituate (6 p.m.).

"The best thing so far has been winning that North championship | especially since we came into the tournament with no expectations," said Andrew. "But we always knew we could do some damage."

The Bates twins don't just share the locker room and a last name. They've also been skating on the same line since midway through the season, playing alongside Jackson Barber on the Headers' first unit.

"Not many twins get to play on the same line, so it's pretty special and it'll be great to look back on," said Colby Bates.

The Bates' are identical in appearance, but their games on the ice are anything but. Andrew is the team's leading scorer with 13 goals and 25 points; he brings speed and a power forward mentality to the table. Colby is more of a worker, digging out loose pucks and acting as a set-up man for his linemates.

"We're almost opposites as hockey players," Colby said. "(Andrew's) so fast it's unbelievable. I have a little bit of speed, but not like him. He takes it to another level. "We compliment each other well. If he's in the corner, I can come banging in to let him pick up the loose puck."

The more offensively gifted Bates is equally as impressed with the ability of his brother, who is a standout for the Marblehead gridiron squad.

"(Colby) is a big football guy, but he loves hockey, too," said Andrew. "He never stops moving his feet and does all the little things you need. He's a good leader."

As juniors, both Bates' had to take their leadership roles to another level this winter. The Headers dress eight freshmen and with only two seniors, those young eyes are also on the juniors.

"I kind of knew coming into the year that I'd have to be more of a leader and show the younger guys the ropes and stuff," said Andrew. "We don't have captains, so everyone is trying to show leadership and be an example to follow."

It was a slow start to the season for both the Headers and Andrew Bates. Colby convinced him to try out for the football team, and he had to have knee surgery after an injury early in the season. That had him slowly shaking off the cobwebs while the hockey team limped out to an 0-4-0 start.

"Not being able to skate for a couple of months was hard, but I was able to get back in my groove," said Andrew, who played quarterback and linebacker for the Magicians before going down.

As Andrew got healthy and the team began to gel, the wins came. Sparked by back-to-back wins over Salem and Belchertown around Christmas, the Headers got on a roll. They finished 10-10-0 to qualify | and the rest is history.

"In the first (tournament) game against Swampscott, we hadn't scored against them all year. Once we got that first goal, I knew we'd win," said Colby, whose team did just that, beating the Big Blue, 3-2, in overtime of their postseason opener. "Since then, everyone has just clung together | and no one's thought that we couldn't do it."

That belief led Marblehead from the No. 12 seed all the way to the North championship. It's been an unbelievable ride that has included an overtime win, a shootout victory and two nail-biting 1-0 decisions.

It's also one that will live on in Bates family lore for a long time to come.

"I'd never really played with my brother before, so the whole thing is still kind of new. And it's awesome," said Andrew.