Nicolai "Kip" Sowpel Jr.

Kipper, You have left a vast mountain range of dedication and service for the sport of girls ice hockey in CT. Even today phones ring with your influence in the sport.........Your Mom and Dad are very proud and so are the fellow coaches that understand the humanness that comes from mentoring the players over the two decades. You are the Best ! We carry that torch, my friend.
Respectfully, your CCGHL confidente.

I COACHED FOOTBALL WITH KIP AT SIMSBURY HIGH. HE WAS ALWAYS GOING FOR THE SCORE, LEAVING MY DEFENSIVE TEAM IN THEIR OWN TERRITORY.
WE HAD GREAT TIMES WITH THE PLAYERS AND STAFF OVER THE YEARS.
I THOUGHT OF HIM OFTEN .
I JUST RECEIVED WORD OF HIS PASSING.
MAYBE HE IS STILL GOING FOR THAT BIG SCORE---HOPEFULLY HE WILL GET IT.
GOD BLESS HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
CHAD DE BONIS-NC.

In my fondest memories of a beloved ice hockey coach, Kip is standing sneaker-clad under the bright lights of the newly renovated Simsbury Farms Ice Rink. It is late, probably 10 or 11 pm, on a cold Monday night in January, and Kip is slaming his hockey stick on the ice. Bang... bang... bang. He says nothing, just slams his stick and watches with a serious face. It is a simple but effective warning. Skate.
With dedication and love, if not always with patience, Kip shaped a...

My deepest sympathies to all of Kip's family and friends. He was a unique individual and one of the few truly nice guys in the world.

Mr. and Mrs. Sowpel, Karen, Kim and families,

I wanted to express my heartfelt condolences to you all on Kip's passing. He was a good friend and we had similar "temperments", which made our many discussions over the years interesting, exciting and above all entertaining for us and all who were around us. I will miss him very much. Even though I had not seen Kip regularly for some years, when I did we connected as if we had spoken the previous day. I was fortunate enough to see him some...

Our thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of grief. May your memories bring you comfort.