These days, it's become hard to differentiate between Mike Lowe the coach of Auburn High School's varsity hockey team, and Mike Lowe the star of Three's Company.
OK, so he's not starring alongside John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt, but he does find himself in his own sitcom of sorts.
That's because Lowe's team has put him in one of the most unique coaching situations possible, as this year's Maroons roster features three different sets of brothers.
The stars of this sibling trio are senior center Matt Chadderdon and freshman left winger Andrew Chadderdon. Both start on the team's first line, and are easily two of the team's top playmakers.
Matt said he isn't new to playing with brothers, but is still adjusting to the sight of his younger sibling flanking him to the left on the ice.
“I've been on a team with brothers before, but it's definitely a lot different playing with your own brother,” Matt said. “We have more chemistry together than other players. I know his style of play, he knows mine, and I know where he's going to be on the ice.”
Matt leads the team in both goals (24) and points (34) through 16 games. Andrew also ranks among the team leaders with six goals and five assists. More often than not, if one Chadderdon scores a goal, the other will have helped set it up.
“If he scores, I usually get the assist,” Andrew said. “And when I score he most likely has the assist. We just work well together.”
What's even more impressive is that this season marks the first time the two Chadderdon brothers have played together on an organized team. But while the duo powers Auburn's offense on the ice during games, neither is immune to the inevitable brotherly comparisons by teammates.
“It happens all the time,” Matt said with a laugh. “If he scores one game and I don't, I hear it from the rest of the guys.”
Andrew said that he and even his coach will get in on the joking.
“If I score and my brother doesn't, I always make fun of him a little bit,” Andrew said. “What's funny, though, is if I give my brother an assist, sometimes coach will say, 'Mom must be proud of that'.”
The other two pairs of brothers on the roster are junior left winger Kevin Festa and freshman center Matt Festa, and sophomore defenseman Chris Murdoch and eighth-grade defenseman Brad Murdoch.
The trio of brothers has helped Auburn get off to one of its best starts in recent memory. Kevin said one of the main reasons for the Maroons' success this season is how the team jells.
“Everyone is getting along better,” he said. “We have better team chemistry, and I think having three sets of brothers around definitely helps build it.”
Matt Festa said that playing with Kevin has benefited him on the ice this season.
“It helps, definitely,” he said. “I like playing with my brother a lot. It's nice to have that familiarity.”
And while all six players were adamant that team chemistry has been great this season, they all said playing with their brothers doesn't get in the way or add pressure.
“I don't really think about it every day,” Chris Murdoch said. “It doesn't really seem that weird to play with so many brothers, and after a while you don't even notice.”
However, the trio is also quick to admit that they have never seen this number of brothers on one team before.
“I've never seen three sets of brothers on a team before,” Brad said. “I've seen one set before, but that's it. It is pretty crazy.”
Oddly enough, though, the Auburn varsity hockey team is no stranger to pairs of brothers on the ice. Lowe said the school has seen its fair share of tandems in the past decade or so.
“We've had various sets of brothers on the team over the past few years, so I guess we don't think too much about it,” Lowe said. “It doesn't feel odd or strange because it doesn't come up too much. There's been nine or 10 sets of brothers in probably the last eight years, so it seems pretty common to our program.”
As quirky as the sibling trio appears on paper, this year's Maroon squad is playing its best hockey in Lowe's three years as head coach.
“We haven't made the playoffs the last couple years, so this is a big year for us,” Lowe said. “Things are going very well, and the kids are playing with confidence and energy. We've been improving all year.”
The team heads into tonight's huge game against West Genesee with a 9-5-2 (4-1-1) record, but more impressively is also riding a 10-game unbeaten streak. The Maroons, ranked second in the league, can cement themselves as a serious contender with a victory over West Genesee, the third-ranked team.
“It's an important game,” Kevin said. “The streak doesn't add any pressure because it just means everyone is playing well, and we just have to carry it into [the game].”
Matt Chadderdon said that one of the team's goals at the beginning of the season was to win sectionals. With a win tonight, Auburn would move one step closer to that goal.
And what better way to punctuate Lowe's third season as coach. After all, three does seem to be Auburn's lucky number.
That's because Lowe's team has put him in one of the most unique coaching situations possible, as this year's Maroons roster features three different sets of brothers.
The stars of this sibling trio are senior center Matt Chadderdon and freshman left winger Andrew Chadderdon. Both start on the team's first line, and are easily two of the team's top playmakers.
Matt said he isn't new to playing with brothers, but is still adjusting to the sight of his younger sibling flanking him to the left on the ice.
“I've been on a team with brothers before, but it's definitely a lot different playing with your own brother,” Matt said. “We have more chemistry together than other players. I know his style of play, he knows mine, and I know where he's going to be on the ice.”
Matt leads the team in both goals (24) and points (34) through 16 games. Andrew also ranks among the team leaders with six goals and five assists. More often than not, if one Chadderdon scores a goal, the other will have helped set it up.
“If he scores, I usually get the assist,” Andrew said. “And when I score he most likely has the assist. We just work well together.”
What's even more impressive is that this season marks the first time the two Chadderdon brothers have played together on an organized team. But while the duo powers Auburn's offense on the ice during games, neither is immune to the inevitable brotherly comparisons by teammates.
“It happens all the time,” Matt said with a laugh. “If he scores one game and I don't, I hear it from the rest of the guys.”
Andrew said that he and even his coach will get in on the joking.
“If I score and my brother doesn't, I always make fun of him a little bit,” Andrew said. “What's funny, though, is if I give my brother an assist, sometimes coach will say, 'Mom must be proud of that'.”
The other two pairs of brothers on the roster are junior left winger Kevin Festa and freshman center Matt Festa, and sophomore defenseman Chris Murdoch and eighth-grade defenseman Brad Murdoch.
The trio of brothers has helped Auburn get off to one of its best starts in recent memory. Kevin said one of the main reasons for the Maroons' success this season is how the team jells.
“Everyone is getting along better,” he said. “We have better team chemistry, and I think having three sets of brothers around definitely helps build it.”
Matt Festa said that playing with Kevin has benefited him on the ice this season.
“It helps, definitely,” he said. “I like playing with my brother a lot. It's nice to have that familiarity.”
And while all six players were adamant that team chemistry has been great this season, they all said playing with their brothers doesn't get in the way or add pressure.
“I don't really think about it every day,” Chris Murdoch said. “It doesn't really seem that weird to play with so many brothers, and after a while you don't even notice.”
However, the trio is also quick to admit that they have never seen this number of brothers on one team before.
“I've never seen three sets of brothers on a team before,” Brad said. “I've seen one set before, but that's it. It is pretty crazy.”
Oddly enough, though, the Auburn varsity hockey team is no stranger to pairs of brothers on the ice. Lowe said the school has seen its fair share of tandems in the past decade or so.
“We've had various sets of brothers on the team over the past few years, so I guess we don't think too much about it,” Lowe said. “It doesn't feel odd or strange because it doesn't come up too much. There's been nine or 10 sets of brothers in probably the last eight years, so it seems pretty common to our program.”
As quirky as the sibling trio appears on paper, this year's Maroon squad is playing its best hockey in Lowe's three years as head coach.
“We haven't made the playoffs the last couple years, so this is a big year for us,” Lowe said. “Things are going very well, and the kids are playing with confidence and energy. We've been improving all year.”
The team heads into tonight's huge game against West Genesee with a 9-5-2 (4-1-1) record, but more impressively is also riding a 10-game unbeaten streak. The Maroons, ranked second in the league, can cement themselves as a serious contender with a victory over West Genesee, the third-ranked team.
“It's an important game,” Kevin said. “The streak doesn't add any pressure because it just means everyone is playing well, and we just have to carry it into [the game].”
Matt Chadderdon said that one of the team's goals at the beginning of the season was to win sectionals. With a win tonight, Auburn would move one step closer to that goal.
And what better way to punctuate Lowe's third season as coach. After all, three does seem to be Auburn's lucky number.
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