Coupeville 7th grader Collin Mirabile is ready to rumble on the ice. (Photos courtesy James Mirabile)
Whidbey Island is not exactly a hockey hotbed.
Which doesn’t mean Coupeville teenagers can’t succeed on the ice — they just have to put in extra work to get anywhere near the ice in the first place.
One Wolf bucking the odds is CMS 7th grader Collin Mirabile, who makes the trek North to Bellingham to play for the Whatcom Warriors U13A squad in the Whatcom County Amateur Hockey Association.
A defenseman with a knack for scoring goals, the soon-to-be 13-year-old is following in the footsteps of big brother Ethan, a senior at Oak Harbor High School.
The duo first began playing hockey when the family lived in the other Washington on the far side of the country, hefting sticks and chasing pucks while growing up in the DC suburbs.
Collin Mirabile, who competed in track and field for CMS as a 6th grader, is now in his fourth season on the ice.
A two-way warrior.
With the move to Whidbey, pursuing hockey has meant either going to Bellingham or Seattle, and the brothers opted to play closer to the Canadian hub of the sport.
The Mirabile’s and Whatcom lace up their skates in a league based out of British Columbia, the Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association.
It’s an intensive season, with games as far away as Whistler and 50+ contests on the schedule.
Whatcom boasts two U13C teams and the U13A team that Collin plays with.
That group is battling for 3rd place in its flight, with a pair of strong 2nd place finishes at B.C. tourneys already to its credit.
While his primary work comes on the defensive side of the ice, Collin is also a sharp-eyed sniper with the puck on his stick, having scored several times from the blue line or on breakaways.
He also has a string of assists, setting up other Whatcom players for goals of their own.
As he chases his icy dreams, Collin will make the jump to the U15 level next season, where full-scale checking is allowed.
It’s a change he’s looking forward to, according to his dad.
“That will be a whole new experience for him,” James Mirabile said.
Coupeville Sports 