Kenosha Thunder hockey team gives new meaning to the word 'family'

KENOSHA, Wis. - The Kenosha Thunder hockey team is a melting pot, so they take their motto – "One Community, One Team" – pretty seriously. 

The backstory:

"I mean, we're six different schools all playing as one team," said Kole Miller, Kenosha Thunder junior varsity assistant coach.

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Even better, 30% of the Thunder – both JV and varsity – are siblings. That's right, there are seven pairs of siblings on the Thunder.

There are the Winnies, Cotter and Graham. The Millers, Kole and Kaden. The Popp twins, Danica and Derek. The Patricks, Owen and Gray. The Skanrons, Emily and Andrew. The Shikes, Tyler and Caden. Rounding out the group are the Trifones, Easton and Joey.

Seven pairs of siblings (not all pictured) play for the Kenosha Thunder hockey team

"The seven different sets of siblings, I mean that's crazy, that's a lot of siblings," said Miller. "It just shows how much they're more of a team and a family as a whole rather than separate little families."

What they're saying:

While this wasn't planned, head coach Brian Winnie certainly created a special group. The team consists of twins, brothers, brothers and sisters and even alumni coaches who are also siblings. 

"The locker room is always a lot of fun," said Winnie. "It's a very tight group. Obviously, they have the school relationships and the hockey relationships, and so they've all been around each other for quite a long time and we are definitely one big family."

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Among the pairs of siblings on the team are his two sons, Cotter and Graham.

"He treats us like we're not his sons on the ice because he holds us to higher expectations, but I think he loves having us siblings on the same team," said Graham Winnie, Kenosha Thunder sophomore goalie.

"It's fun to see them together, playing together," said Brian. "They push each other a lot and challenge each other."

Brian Winnie

And like it is with any set of siblings, that competitive fire is always lit. 

"It's like love-hate but sometimes, since we're the same age, we have more differences than others," said Danica Popp, Kenosha Thunder junior defenseman. "It's more like, ‘Oh, I did this better than you, or you did that better than me.’"

"Me and my brother and then there's the sibling pair, Graham Winnie and Cotter Winnie, they're competitive too," said Owen Patrick, Kenosha Thunder sophomore defenseman. "Whenever we do stuff together, it's always youngest versus oldest."

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With that drive, it's no surprise the Thunder have been so successful. 

"Not only are you competing with each other on the ice, but at home, so you just kind of like get to see each other grow and push each other in all aspects of the sport," said Emily Skanron, Kenosha Thunder senior goalie.

This year is especially meaningful for the Skanron siblings, who are both goalies, because next season, they'll be one of at least three sets of siblings who will split up due to graduation. 

Emily and Andrew Skanron

"It is our first and last year that we will be together since I'm a senior and he's a sophomore, but I think it's something really special because you know there's obviously going to be moments where you're annoyed at each other because you're constantly with each other so much of the day, but it also creates a stronger bond between you because you get to experience so much more life together on the same team," said Skanron.

That's why the Thunder are embracing their motto with a fervor this season, because this group, this year, is something special. 

"The one community, one team, it absolutely embodies it," said Brian. "It really kind of shows hey as a community, we are a community of families, right? And it extends beyond the rink."