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Michael Soscia, Bishop Hendricken Hockey Coach continues legacy of excellence – John Cardullo
by John Cardullo, sportswriter
Bishop Hendricken’s hockey coach Michael Soscia continues the legacy of excellence both on and off the ice.
When you think of sports at Bishop Hendricken you automatically think of state championships, sports domination and a sports machine. But when you look deeper you discover a culture of dedication and hard work, both on and off the field of play. This is a school where students excel in the classroom and student athletes excel both in the classroom and in competition. To say that sports play a big role each year in all student athletes’ lives would be an understatement. For those students, they also learn that they must balance a level of excellence in the classroom, and in their chosen sport.
Successful alumni include those who went on to play or coach at the professional level. Rocco Baldelli who manages the Minnesota Twins, Kwitty Paye who plays professional football for the Indianapolis Colts and Joe Marzulla who is currently the coach of the defending world champion Boston Celtics of the NBA, to name a few.
Michael Soscia went to Hendricken, and graduated in 1991. He played hockey for the father of Hendricken Hockey coach, Jim Cramer. Cramer was the coach that set the standards of Hockey that Soscia learned playing for him, a man that would become an assistant coach under and finally take over the hockey program from his mentor. Soscia said, “I also would like to credit Rick Bozzer and the late George King who also have had an impact on my career.”
It was under Creamer that the Hawks won 6 State Championships in 2006, 2007, 2012, 2016, 2017 & 2019. Hendricken won these championships at a time where the state hockey powerhouses included Tollgate, LaSalle and Mount Saint Charles. At one time, Mount Saint Charles ran off 26 straight RIIL State Hockey Championships. It wasn’t too long after the streak was snapped, and changes internally made high school hockey players look to other schools to take their talents.
Bishop Hendricken and new head coach Mike Soscia, made it appealing for those hockey players to become “Hawks”. The relatively young program was rich with history and under Soscia’s guidance the legacy grew. Winning the RIIL State Championship in 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024, Bishop Hendricken has taken their position as one of Rhode Island’s great hockey programs. As the high school landscape changes, Hendricken has embraced the changes and has worked them to their advantage. While most other schools’ hockey programs are forced to co-op with other schools, losing their history or even forced to shut down their hockey programs altogether, the Hendricken hockey program stays the course.
“Many say that we have an unfair advantage, that we get the best players from other teams,” said Soscia, “the truth is that many players want to come here to play for Hendricken because we bring the very best out in them. They know that our schedule is hard, that we will face the best that the other teams have and that’s what a true competitor wants. We know that night in and night out we are going to get the competitor’s best and that’s what motivates us.”
Another aspect that has developed over the last few years is that the Rhode Island Interscholastic League has encouraged teams in every sport to fill out their schedules with non-conference opponents. So, to challenge themselves, Hendricken has reached out to teams in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and even into New York to round out their schedule. “The teams that we reach out to are some of the best high school hockey teams their state has to offer.” Soscia said. “We have won some and we have lost some, but we have learned and became better because of the experience! The one thing that we didn’t do was shy away from the challenge.”
Setting the stage
The team holds themselves accountable for their conduct both on and off the ice. Scrimmages are precise and spirited, and games are aggressive and yes, they can get chippy. The captains have a lot of input on the way the team conducts itself. On game day, the team arrives to the arena dressed in a jacket and tie. While most teams wear a standard team warm up suit, the choice of the jacket and tie is the team captain’s choice. Soscia also points out that in addition to the captains’ input, he relies on his assistant coaches for guidance – Ryan Perry, Ryan Collins, Joey Spagnoli, David Exter and David Antonelli.
“It is our goal to make the players experience one of growth. Do we have a 100% success rate? No, we have, on average, one player a year who leaves the program to go and play for another school. Weather it’s because of playing time, or it may not be the right fit, or it was a family decision. We wish them well on their future endeavors. There are now several teams out there for players to transfer to, teams who have made the commitment to raise the level of their programs.”
Asked if this concerns him, Soscia’s response is quite the opposite, “We welcome the competition, we look forward to teams giving it their best to go up against. If we are the measuring stick to their programs success and they beat us, well that’s a feather in their hat! But it also serves as motivation for us to look at ourselves and find ways for us to get better!”
As the 2024-25 season reaches the halfway point, the Hawks are looking forward to finishing the season strong and focusing on hanging their 11th banner up, and their 5th consecutive championship, it is up to their opponents to try to stop that from happening. Game on!
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John Cardullo, sportswriter. John is a lifelong Rhode Islander. His sports experience is extensive, as a player, coach and sponsor of youth and high school sports. He has been the Public Address Announcer for the CCRI Men’s and Women’s Soccer teams. Both the Cranston East and Cranston West football, Cranston East Boys and Girls basketball for 12 years before moving onto the Central, Juanita Sanchez and Mt. Pleasant football teams. Also, Central HS Boys and Girls Basketball, Scituate High School Boys and Girls Basketball, Johnston High School Girls Basketball, Boys Volleyball, Girls Softball, Boys and Girls Soccer teams, and CLCF football.
John has been involved in Men’s softball for 61 years, starting as a batboy for his father’s team in 1964. He moved to the teams scorekeeper then became a player in 1975, and created the men’s team, Players Corner Pub, that went on to win 20 State Championships in their 35 year history. In the 1990’s he published the statewide softball magazine “The Fielders Choice” which was dedicated to all topics related to adult softball. As a feature writer, John and the publication won several media awards. In 2019 he was elected and inducted into the Rhode Island Slow Pitch Softball Hall of Fame which he also helped create. John is a softball umpire in Warwick, Rhode Island.
In his spare time John golfs with his life long friends in season. After retiring from the printing Industry after a 45-year career, he now writes specialty sports columns for RINewsToday.com, is still actively engaged in the high school sports scene, and will soon launch a radio show/podcast on high school sports.