As the new year begins, the Central Valley (CV) hockey team nears the closing of their season with only a few more games remaining. CV Hockey works to continue winning their games and hopefully make it to the playoffs in February. In December, CV Hockey played teams like Burrell, Deer Lakes, Sewickley Academy and Ringgold. After a 6-1 win against Sewickley Academy, the team fell into a three game losing streak, being defeated by Burrell, Deer Lakes, and Ringgold. However, they would bounce back against Sewickley Academy again on Jan. 15, where the Warriors won by a score of 9-0. This brought the boys to a current record of 7-7. CV Hockey works to fix any errors to give them a chance at the playoffs.
“I think playoffs are gonna be difficult, and right now our chances are 50/50. It all depends on the effort we put in. With the rest of this year and my senior year of hockey, I hope to play as much hockey as I possibly can,” junior Noah Fessides said.
In the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League each year, at least one student is picked from each team to compete in the all-star game. The game consists of some of the best players in the league being broken into two teams; playing a full match of hockey to see who prevails. This year, three students from the CV hockey team were picked to represent their team in the annual all-star game. Those students consisted of seniors Aiden Pournaras and Chase Grable from Freedom, and senior Gavin Crivelli from Central Valley. The students participated in the all-star match on Jan. 28 at the Robert Morris Island Sports Center.
“I am so thankful that I got picked for the all-star game and playing with such amazing players. I’m very thankful for my coaches and teammates for the opportunity to be a captain and nonetheless be an all-star. The coach’s guidance has helped me incredibly. I’m incredibly excited to be able to share this opportunity with the other seniors, especially co-captain Pournaras. Me and him grew up playing together, and I’m so blessed to be able to finish my high school hockey career playing with him,” Grable said.
CV Hockey has around one month left in their season, where they will get a rematch against teams like Neshannock and Wilmington. In the upcoming month, they hope to continue their overall winning record till the end of the season. Around this time last year, CV Hockey’s overall record was 1-16-1. When compared to this year, their record shows a drastic improvement in their morale, skill and communication. With team captains Grable and Pournaras working hard to improve the team’s overall skill, there is more than enough proof that CV Hockey is headed in the right direction.
“I believe this team has improved drastically in the past year, and our record is proof of that. Myself and Chase [Grable] have worked hard as captains to do everything in our power to make this team better. I couldn’t ask for more from each guy on the team,” Pournaras said.