As the hockey team continues to grow together through the season, their record is beginning to show their overall improvements. From last year to this year, it has been apparent that the team has improved their skills, and they are producing more wins. Even when the team does not win, they are still able to score more points than years prior. Having a winning season is something every athlete hopes for, but not every team is able to achieve.
“As a team lately, we’ve been stuck in a hard place and groping our sticks tightly but once we get back to having fun and playing as a team, we will get back to taking care of business night in and night out,” head coach Noah Yerdon said.
It is obvious that working together plays an important role in winning, but so does the coach. From being the assistant coach two years ago to moving into the head coach position last year, Yerdon had some difficulties to overcome. Every coach must build connections with their players in order to communicate with them. Hockey is a team sport, so each player must communicate with a common goal in mind. It typically takes more than one person to score a goal, and one miscommunication can be the difference between winning or losing a game.
“I’m most looking forward to finishing off this half of the season with a bunch of wins and trying to make playoffs,” senior Chase Grable said.
So far this season, the team has a record of 6-6 at the time of this publication, which is a huge step up from the teams overall record last year of 1-1-16. Even though the team does have a winning record, they have not been consistent in their wins. Going back and forth between winning and losing makes it hard for the team to make the playoffs this season. In order for the team as a whole to meet their goal of making the playoffs, they must work together.
“I think our wins are directly related to the team’s chemistry and overall communication,” Grable said.
The Warriors played Canevin in a rematch after they lost to them earlier in the season. They lost the second game 12-0. The team then played in a game against Sewickley Academy, in which they pulled through with a win of 6-1. They will play Sewickley Academy again on Jan. 15. The team then took on Burrell for the second game of the season but was not able to come out on top, however, finishing with a score of 6-1 in favor of the Buccaneers.
“This team has taken tremendous strides forward this year, behind the lead of our captain Chase Grable, and our alternate captain Aiden Pournaras. It’s been truly fun sitting on the bench and watching them play along with one of the best lines in PIHL this year,” Yerdon said.