On Nov. 5, the ice hockey team played the BCC Barons, which resulted in a 5-3 victory for the Patriots. The team is led by Coach Alex Parker and has been a solid program for years.

The players are led by senior captain Nathan Barrow, number 20 on the ice, and senior assistant captains Julius Rubin and Walter Cederbrant. Barrow is a fast skater who is quick at moving the puck down the ice and has a great wrist shot while on the move.

In the BCC game, Barrow led the team in points with four goals and one assist. Number 63, Conner Harris, also racked up a goal and an assist. Forwards Aiden Hu, Keanu Yi and Grady Sellman also tallied assists. “This was a great team game. The defense and goalie played great and my teammates helped contribute to all my goals and we couldn’t have won without every single one of them. Overall it was a hard-fought game and I could not be more proud of my boys,” Barrow said.

The team had another hard-fought contest against Whitman on Nov. 12. The game resulted in a heartbreaking 2-2 tie.

Currently, the team is 3-0-1. On Oct. 29, they had a nailbiter against Sherwood , which ended in a 5-4 victory for the Patriots. Then on Nov. 9, Wootton played against the St. John’s second team, resulting in a 4-2 victory. The boys’ next matchup was Nov. 19, where they played Richard Montgomery, which will be followed by Churchill on 3Dec. 3. Most of these games are played at Rockville Ice Arena or the Cabin John ice rink, which is close to Montgomery Mall. Occasionally there will be a game played in Gardens Ice House, which is in Laurel.

Senior Miles Wiley said he has loved and played hockey his whole life. “It feels great to be a part of such an amazing team. I thrive off of the hard work that me and my teammates put in every single day. Seeing everyone else grind pushes me to become the best hockey player I am capable of being,” Wiley said.

This team is not carried by one player; they have a variety of athletes who can handle the puck and get to the net with ease. They have strong puck movement and run a solid offense coached by Parker. They have a beautiful power play offense, working the puck around the blue line waiting for an open man in the crease every time. 

Although the team is off to a hot start, they must continue this level of play in order to conquer the bumpy road ahead. Goalies Julien Piche and Logan Simmons have been outstanding these first four games. Piche is 3-0-0 with eight goals allowed, and a .890 save percentage. Simmons is 0-0-1 with only three goals allowed and a .842 save percentage. Pichie has taken 73 shots on goal, while Simmons has taken 19 shots on goal so far.