Seniors trying to make one final playoff run

The varsity hockey team has started off 3-0 in their first few games of league play after a 5-1 preseason loss to St. Johns. The Patriots have picked up wins over Northwest, Quince Orchard and Richard Montgomery. Sophomore center Brett Strauss leads the team in goals and points with six and seven respectively and senior defenseman Hunter Band leads the team in assists with three. Band is pleased with the fast start the team has had. “I’m happy with where we are at right now because we are playing together very well as a team,” Band said.

Band was elected team captain by head coach Alex Parker before the season. He is a four-year starter who has grown and made big contributions to the team every season. Last season, Band was second on the team in goals with 15 and was first on the team in points with 24. Band is happy with the progression that he and the team have made in the three years he has been here. “This team and myself have grown so much since I came in as a freshman, I think we can make some noise this year,” Band said.

The Patriots took on Northwest on Nov. 2. The Patriots won 7-2 in a blowout. The team started off with a quick four-goal lead in the first period. Northwest scored two quick goals after that, but then sophomore goalie Riley Jordan shut the door for the rest of the game, not allowing another Jaguar goal. Strauss then tallied his second goal of the game, putting it out of reach to secure the win for the Patriots.

Senior Jake Smith was elated with the big win on opening night. “Winning by five in your first game of the season is a great way to start off a new year,” Smith said.

The Patriots then went on to face Quince Orchard on Nov. 6. They took down the Cougars, winning 9-2. The power play was the story for the Pats as they were two for five with a man up. Strauss followed up a good first game with a hat trick in this game. Sophomore forward Nick Billingsley also tallied two goals of his own in the big win.

Following up the first two wins, the team faced Richard Montgomery on Nov. 9. They kept the momentum going, winning 8-1. The Patriots had a balanced attack against the Rockets, with eight different skaters scoring a goal. A big reason for scoring so much was that the Patriots put up a season high 65 shots on goal. Even though it was a blowout, both teams were tied in one key statistic, penalty minutes. Both teams had a staggering 22 penalty minutes on seven infractions each. This was mainly due to the frustration of the Rockets once they started to go down a lot early.

The Patriots took on Whitman on Nov. 19, too late to be covered in this issue.