Local high school hockey players win Hobey Baker award

Date: 5/31/2023

Sam Cocchi from Ludlow High School and James Delaney from Belchertown High School were both awarded the Hobey Baker High School Character Award.

In 2003, the Hobey Baker Committee established the Hobey Baker High School Character Award to honor high school hockey players who exemplify the Hobey Baker ideal that “Character Builds Excellence.”

Hobey Baker was a college hockey and football player at Princeton in the 1910s before enlisting in the military after graduation, where he died eight years later after a plane he was test piloting crashed.

Candidates for a High School Hobey Baker Award are selected by their coaches based on the following criteria: coachability, strength of character, integrity, commitment, teamwork, community leadership and outstanding sportsmanship.

Each year, a senior hockey player from each participating high school is selected by his or her coach to be honored by teammates and celebrated by the school and the community.

Cocchi was a two-year captain elected by his teammates and coaches, multiple time Ludlow High School hockey MVP as voted by his teammates and coaches along with winning other awards in his division for best player.

In his senior year he had 29 goals, 36 assists totaling 65 points.

Cocchi’s four-year career stats include 62 goals, 73 assists for 135 points.

Ludlow hockey coach Paul Rivest said he awarded Cocchi the award not only for his great play on the ice but also for his mentality.

Rivest said, “He is an awesome hockey player. The thing about [Sam] that I got out about reading about Hobey Baker he is the ultimate competitor. He does everything within the rules to win and that is a great thing to have on your team as you leader is kids like that. Him and Ben [Corbin] together changed the entire culture of our team.”

He added, “When your best players are great kids who show a lot of character all the other kids will follow them and that is exactly what I have been fortunate enough the have over the last four years is kids like them. Even as a freshman kids gravitated to them. Sam epitomizes every letter of what Hobeky Baker is about.”

Rivest believes that Ludlow and Belchertown are the only two schools in Western Massachusetts that give out this award but added he is happy to recognize his players.

“It is cool because all you do is you go on there and you basically choose a player you want it to be. I had trouble picking between Cocchi and Ben Corbin, our other senior captain. They both epitomize everything on there.”

Belchertown High School hockey coach Derek Chandonnet said that Delaney was very deserving of the Hobey Baker character award.

He said, “He was chosen based on what the award says his high character. He’s a great kid, always carried himself with class, always played with class. Respectful to the opponents, respectful to the officials, respectful to the fans. Just all around a great kid.”

Chandonnet added that Delaney was one of the top players in the area all season, won the team MVP award voted by his teammates and he is looking to continue playing hockey in college.

Delaney collected 10 goals and 8 assists in his senior year to finish his career with 15 goals and 12 assists.