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Peter Douris could see it coming. You can always see it coming.

The York co-op hockey coach saw his team get through the 2024-25 season with low numbers, and knew those numbers would be even lower this season if nothing changed. His son, Maclean, never a goalie in his life, put on the pads so the Wildcats would have somebody between the pipes.

A little ways up Interstate 95 in Biddeford, at the other end of York County, Connor Thibault could see it coming, too. As the goalie looked ahead to his senior year, he saw that his co-op hockey team, BOOM (Biddeford/Old Orchard Beach/Massabesic), would struggle with depth in 2025-26.

“Me and some other guys knew York was looking for goalies and defense,” Thibault said.

With players, coaches and administrators at both schools seeing an obvious need, a York/Biddeford co-op seemed inevitable. It turned out to be successful, too. Wednesday at Cross Insurance Arena, the stitched together York/Biddeford/Old Orchard Beach boys hockey team earned the Class B South title with a 4-2 win over another new co-op, Gorham/Massabesic.

“It wasn’t long before we realized, this is going to work,” Douris said.

High school hockey in Maine still exists because of co-ops. Only eight of the 28 boys hockey teams that competed this season represented a single school. Fewer boys are playing the sport, and often the best players move on to a prep school or a club team that can provide more ice time against stronger competition. Even traditional hockey juggernaut Lewiston had a co-op this season, taking on players from the former Mt. Ararat/Lisbon/Morse team.

Of the eight teams that played in either the Class B regional finals or Class A semifinals Wednesday, only three — Thornton Academy, Falmouth and Messalonskee — represented one school.

Brendan Dowling is a York senior. He was wary of co-op teams. He liked playing for the Wildcats, knowing he’d see each of his teammates in school or around town. There was that connection. How did guys playing on the co-op teams make that connection?

Dowling also knew the math didn’t work for York anymore, and once he skated with the Biddeford guys, he knew it was going to work, too.

“I never thought York would have to co-op in any sport. There have been no problems. Biddeford really stepped up,” Dowling said. “The first week of practices, I knew we had something going. We all bonded.”

Douris said the co-op could’ve come earlier, and maybe should’ve.

“It might’ve happened the year before, but we decided in York we had enough to field a team,” Douris said.

York had better ice time when it practiced in Durham, New Hampshire, than the Biddeford players could get at Biddeford Ice Arena, Thibault said. That made those bus rides more bearable.

This year’s roster has 13 players from York, 12 from Biddeford, and sophomore defenseman Lucas Hall from Old Orchard Beach. Thibault thought about the win over Gorham/Massabesic and knew he had just defeated eight former teammates from Massabesic.

“Honestly, it kind of sucks to see them go out like that. You grow up playing with those guys,” Thibault said.

While he felt for his former teammates who at that moment in a locker room down the hall were thinking of how abruptly their strong season ended, Thibault went back into his locker room. He had a regional title to celebrate with new teammates, and a state championship game to prepare for.