Boys JV Hockey has dominated its season with a 8-2-2 record, playing confidently together as a team. Not only has the team succeeded in improving from its 7-5-3 record last season, but it has also made a huge effort to elevate its level of play by communicating more on the ice and passing more efficiently.
Ultimately, the most drastic change from last season has been the new roster. The many new players and over ten Preps have already proved themselves to be invaluable members of the team. Both Preps and new Lower Mids have made impressive contributions on the ice and stepped up to achieve the outcomes they have desired. Captains Spencer Tuohy ’20 and Matthew Weinstein ’20, both four year members of the team, have been especially helpful with integration by serving as leaders on the ice and setting a positive tone for the team. New player Trevor Neeb ’23 said, “It’s been nice to have upperclassmen mentors and have the chance to build relationships with people [we] wouldn’t have normally met.”
Trusting each other has been imperative to the boys’ success as a team. Earlier in the season, Head Coach Michael Fitzgerald identified a lack of continuity as a challenge, and stressed the importance of working as a team during practice. In its recent game against Westminster, the team was down 1-0 the entire first period, but it still managed to come away with a tremendous 6-2 win thanks to its strong mental game.
Coach Fitzgerald said, “One of our main goals is to take skilled hockey players and help them play [coherently] as a team. [The players] already know how to play the physical part of the game; now they have to learn the mental part. Helping these new players work better together on the ice has been a challenge, but also really rewarding.”
Having coached Boys JV Hockey for the last five seasons, Coach Fitzgerald’s experience and wisdom has largely contributed to the team’s success. He looks forward to continuing to work with the new players over the next few years to continue their improvement.
To finish off the season, the boys will face off against Taft in a rivalry game on Saturday, February 29. Having seen such improvement this year, the team hopes to grow even more in the future.