Bob Monroe felt some pressure.

In November 2012, eight months removed from the Sparta co-op boys hockey team, which featured players from Sparta, West Salem and Bangor High Schools, advancing to its first WIAA state boys tournament hockey tournament, Monroe took the ice expecting results.

It was the first season West Salem and Bangor split from Sparta, and the first-year coach knew he had to create more than just a winning team. He had to also create a sturdy foundation of hockey.