Regardless of whether Hall was issued a citation, his punishment was surely imminent.
If any one of his players gets in even the most minor of trouble, Spillane is one of the first to know. And he takes it seriously.
“I think they understand it and respect it,’’ said Spillane, whose primary responsibility on the force is to watch over the high school with three other officers, making him a very familiar face in the hallways.
“They know what my role is and there’s no crossing it. There’s no gray area. If you step over that line you’re held accountable, and it’s worked well for us so far.’’
During the season, “we know we have to behave,’’ Hall said. “Most of the kids tone it down on the weekends. Because even if you get pulled over, [Spillane] knows about it.’’
To those who have played for Spillane, it is no surprise that Franklin has been a perennial contender in Division 2, advancing to the state final at TD Garden last March before dropping a tough-to-swallow 2-1 loss to Tewksbury.
His rules are simple but highly respected. Younger kids are intimidated but the older ones make sure everyone sticks together.
It’s a rare day that Hall or fellow senior captain Nick Bertoni doesn’t see Spillane, dressed in his police uniform, in the high school hallway.
“During the day, you’re going to be a good kid with coach always around,’’ Hall said. “He definitely gets that respect.’’
It’s not that Spillane has a hard time separating his two roles - his daughter, Kaitlyn, a junior on the girls’ team, said he is much more serious on the ice than he is at school or at home.
When he was named head coach at his alma mater in 1999, he was determined to fix a program that had struggled with disciplinary issues.
After winning a state title at Franklin in 1983 and later skating for the University of Massachusetts Boston, Spillane took over the Panther bench just a few years after he joined the police force.
