The Capital City Capitals gather each afternoon at Biggby Coffee Ice Cube in East Lansing, where players from six different mid-Michigan high schools tape sticks, lace skates and prepare as one team. The co-op program pulls together hockey players from Grand Ledge, DeWitt, St. Johns, Williamston, Haslett, Lansing Catholic, Mason, and Ionia, creating a roster that spans nearly 40 miles. It is an unusual setup in high school sports, but one that has become a steady part of the region’s hockey landscape.
The Capitals are officially registered with the MHSAA as a cooperative program, a structure that allows multiple schools to combine when no one program alone has enough players to field a team..
Head Coach Joe Ford has been involved in Lansing-area hockey for more than two decades and has helped guide the co-op through several versions of its current form.
“It’s one of those situations where the athletic director is working with the administration,” Ford said. “You have to submit a proposal form to the MHSAA. There’s a core group of schools in our co-op that have been doing this for years.”
The list of participating schools shifts occasionally based on enrollment and interest, with DeWitt athletic director Mike Brya coordinating the co-op’s structure. Some years, players come from all participating schools. Other years, certain schools don’t have any players on the roster but remain part of the agreement.
“There are a few schools in our co-op now, for example, that don't even have players,” Ford said. “It’s an agreement for a couple years, but it can change. If a player from one of those schools wanted to join the team, they’d be eligible… even though there aren’t any from that school currently.”
Mason and Lansing Catholic are represented in the co-op but do not have any players on the team this season.
While the roster is flexible each year, the program’s financial structure remains a considerable commitment for families and the staff managing the team. Each player pays a $2,400 fee to participate, and the Capitals rely on fundraising efforts to help support a seasonal budget of roughly $55,000. Ice time, equipment needs and long-distance travel all contribute to those costs, forming a significant part of what it takes to run a multi-school operation.
Though the roster pulls from schools across Mid-Michigan, the connection comes together quickly. Many players skated together long before joining the Capitals, and the culture the program has built makes blending new faces feel easy. That chemistry carries onto the road as well, with bus rides that take the team all over the state. The Capitals compete against programs stretching from Calumet in the Upper Peninsula down to Trenton near Detroit, and early this season that mileage hasn’t slowed them down, the Capitals are off to a 4–1–0 start.
Senior defenseman and co-captain Easton Rieber, who attends Grand Ledge, said the team’s identity is shaped by that mix of backgrounds.
“I would say we're a really gritty team, and we're really determined,” Rieber said. “We consider ourselves a family, out on the ice, in the locker room, everywhere we go. It’s family-based, and we’ve got grit.”
Rieber said the co-op structure gives players from nontraditional hockey schools a chance to connect with others who share the same interest.
“I enjoy it,” he said. “Not many kids from Grand Ledge play hockey, but we've got a good variety of kids who are in that same boat. We don't have a hockey culture at each specific school, so we've got a lot of connections with that.”
Senior forward and co-captain Alex Gorsoline, who grew up playing youth hockey and attends Haslett, said the Capitals’ culture has stayed steady even as the co-op’s membership has shifted.
“I really love the camaraderie and the culture we have here,” Gorsoline said. “It’s been apparent through all the years, from DeWitt–St. Johns to Cap City now. It’s there, and it’s awesome to be a part of it.”
The team practices nearly year-round, which Ford said helps players build familiarity even without sharing a school building. Many players join summer skates, captains practices and off-ice workouts. During the season, the group finds additional time together through team dinners, video game nights and bus trips to long-distance games.
That off-ice time, Rieber said, becomes essential when the roster turns over each year. This season alone, the Capitals are replacing 14 departed players, many of whom graduated in the spring.
Ford said the diversity of the roster is a strength, not a hurdle. The coaching staff emphasizes defensive structure, communication and consistency, all of which he believes help unify a team built from multiple communities.
“We want to defend hard, be responsible and give ourselves a chance every night,” Ford said. “We talk a lot about being good teammates and doing things the right way.”
Ford said he values the long-term relationships players form in a co-op environment, where players often meet peers they never would have crossed paths with in their own schools.
As this year’s group trudges along in their early-season schedule, the focus remains on improving each week while settling into the lineup changes brought on by graduation and new additions. Rieber said the group’s goals are simple: play hard, build connections and make the most of the limited time they have together. He also said the experience of representing multiple communities is something the players take seriously and enjoy.
“We’re all together in the same boat,” Rieber said. “We just want to play the best we can and bring good energy to the rink.”
Gorsoline said that support extends beyond the locker room, with families and classmates from several districts showing up on game nights.
“I think it’s pretty awesome,” Gorsoline said. “We get all the schools representing, coming out and watching our games. And I think we do a good job representing our logo well. And I think our scores will show that.”
The Capitals will continue navigating the challenges and advantages that come with a multi-school roster. For many of the players, the co-op structure is all they have known. For Ford, it is a model that reflects Mid-Michigan hockey’s collaborative nature.
“It’s about being part of something and building memories,” Ford said. “That’s always the goal.”