On Friday, Nov 8. the ice hockey team defeated the Blair Blazers at Cabin John Ice Rink 9-1. The win further improves their undefeated season to 4-0.
“I didn’t expect for the team to be playing so well this early in the season but I wouldn’t say it was a surprise,” senior assistant captain Jack Potash said.
There were doubts about how good the Icecats would be in the preseason. Losing key seniors from last year and some not returning created questions on who would start and help lead the team to success. However new players were able to come up and fill in big roles that contributed to the Cats’ undefeated season.
“Coming into the season we lost a couple of big pieces,” junior Henry Horwell said. “The really big thing for us has been the younger guys and the guys coming up from the JV team last year really stepping up and giving us a lot of depth. That’s really brought us together and helped us play these longer games against tough opponents.”
Even with the Cats’ undefeated record, they are still looking to improve every day to continue dominating on the ice. They wake up early daily at 5:45 a.m. to practice to hone their skills and learn new ones.
“Everything is clicking pretty well, we’re working really well together,” Horwell said. “However we’ve gotta work on shutting the other team down through our neutral zone and defensive end.”
Seeming to skate circles around their competition, the connection that the team has is evident. They will need to keep up their chemistry throughout the season to be able to continue to see the same results, especially with more competitive games on the horizon.
“The biggest thing that’s clicking right now is the teamwork, the good spirit as a team and good positive vibes,” senior captain Patrick Murphy said. “You’ve just gotta head into each game thinking about that stuff and hopefully looking for the best results going forward.”
This upcoming Friday, Nov 15, the Icecats prepare to play one of their toughest opponents again in Whitman. They have already faced Whitman earlier in this season, winning 5-3. Key players like Potash being out for the game will hurt the team but they still look to take a 5-0 start on the season.
“Whitman is a very good team; we are preparing like we would any week, with a hard week at practice just getting better, especially knowing we are playing stronger players,” Potash said.
