On Friday night, Dec. 6, the Cats were excited to get back on the ice after their mid-season Thanksgiving break. The team expected to get back on their win streak and achieved exactly that with a 9-2 win against RAM (Rockville and Magruder).
With a variety of goals from seven players on the Cats, the team played cohesively and shared the puck. Two sets of goals by freshmen Anders Hull and Luke Anderson helped put the Cats ahead, while aggressive play sealed the game.
“We didn’t let them get time and set up in the offensive zone, and we took advantage of turnovers,” senior assistant captain Jack Potash said.
The team was able to continue to dominate both offensively and defensively throughout the game, which continued to prevent offensive attacks by RAM. Additionally, they were able to add to their lead by moving the puck through the neutral zone.
“The defense has helped us win games, only letting in two goals in games recently and really helps us win, especially when we are struggling to get points on the board,” Potash said. “They are very important in getting the puck out of the zone and moving the puck in the offensive zone, we couldn’t do it without them.”
Prior to their Thanksgiving mid-season break, the Icecats beat the DC Stars 7-1 on Friday, Nov. 22, bringing the Cats to a strong 5-1 record to conclude the first half of the season. The Icecats started out the season strong by winning six straight games and losing their first game of the season in a close match against Whitman on Nov. 15.
“The [Stars] win was important because it was good to get back our momentum and give us the confidence we need going into the second half of the season,” senior assistant captain Max Epstein said.
With impressive performances like a hat trick from senior captain Patrick Murphy as well as another two goals from junior assistant captain Henry Horwell, the Cats finished the game off 7-1 to cap off the first half of the season with six wins and a single loss.
Playing Whitman in a game earlier this season and squeezing out a win against them was big for the Cats and proved their ability to win big games. They will need to continue to win competitive games throughout the season and into the postseason if they want to have the success that they expect from this roster.
“We need to keep working as a team and using our really good depth to out play more competitive teams which could help us land a better spot in the playoffs,” senior Jaden Luskin said.
The Cats face off tonight, Dec. 13, against Blair, a team they beat earlier this season, 9-1. They are confident in their ability to win and want to make sure they keep the pressure up all game in order to do so.
