The SAD 29 school board voted Monday night to hire Joel Trickey as coach of the Houlton-Hodgdon varsity hockey team.

SAD 29 covers the Houlton school system. Trickey must still be approved by the SAD 70 school board at its meeting in Hodgdon on Tuesday night.

Trickey spent last season with the Black Hawks as an assistant coach of the cooperative team.

“He’s a hockey person,” Houlton athletic director Wayne Quint said. “He has been a hockey person all his life. He’s very highly qualified. He was already on staff as an assistant.”

Hodgdon athletic director Marty Bouchard said that he will recommend Trickey’s approval to the SAD 70 school board.

“He’s been around hockey his entire life. He’s had a lot of experience and training,” Bouchard said.

Trickey graduated from Houlton in 1971. He has been involved with Southern Aroostook Minor Hockey for the last 19 years, coaching kids ranging in age from 4 to 16.

If approved, he will take over a program entering its fourth year at the high school level. He is looking forward to the challenge.

“I enjoy these kids. We have a good group of kids here. I think we actually have some potential to have a good team,” Trickey said.

Trickey lauded the community involvement in the program.

“I was an assistant here last year and I had a good time doing it. We have a good program. We’ve worked hard. We have a lot of parents who have volunteered to make a go of it,” Trickey said.

Trickey replaces David Wilson who resigned when he felt he was no longer able to commit to the time necessary to coach the team.

“We were happy with David. He did a good job,” Quint said. “He’ll be around to help out some.”