Homestead skates closer to Admirals Cup
The boys celebrate after scoring a goal. Homestead earned three points in the tournament for their victory in this game, and shut out Arrowhead completely until the third quarter. “The first two or three goals brought us out of our offensive slump over the past few games,” said Connor McPike, junior.
After a rough weekend one week ago in Madison, the boys hockey team skated their way to a 7-2 victory over Arrowhead in the first game of the Admirals cup. This puts the Highlanders in 3rd place for the tournament behind Cedarburg and WNS, who both have 6 penalty minutes as opposed to Homestead’s 8.
Goals were scored by numerous Highlanders, including three by juinor Sean Driscoll and two by senior Cole Simpson. Driscoll and junior Ryan Cho, led the defense, while Joey Hobbs, junior, and Simpson led the offense. In part because of Homestead’s forecheck and several goals scored within the first few minutes of the game, Arrowhead was shut out for the first two periods and only scored two goals in the third.
For a team that was on shaky footing for a stretch and dealt with the loss of thirteen varsity players, many of whom were forwards, the win represents its ability to bounce back from losses and pull through with training and determination. “The players have worked very hard,” said Mr. Anthony Navarre, head coach, “and although we don’t have a lot of varsity experience, the effort and determination is paying off.”
Adam Hobbs, senior and team captain, acknowledges the loss of the players but also the new team’s strength. “Even though we lost a ton of talent, this team has tons of chemistry,” he said. Connor McPike, junior, also acknowledged the loss, saying “when we lost thirteen players from last year, we knew our game would have to change for us to continue to thrive.” But both agreed that the team found its rhythm on Saturday, with Hobbs adding “if everyone plays like they did today, we shouldn’t change a thing” and McPike stating that “as a whole, this showed us playing true to our game.”
In the future, Homestead will look to continue to win by “working hard in the offensive zone, playing clean in the defensive zone, and solid goaltending” according to Navarre. “We need to be true to what makes us successful,” he said.
The team will take on the De Pere Voyagers on Monday at 11 a.m. and the New Trier Green on Tuesday at 9 a.m., with both games taking place at the Mullett Center. Their next conference game will take place on Friday, as they face off against Grafton at the Kettle Moraine Ice Center.
Emily Hannemann is a self-proclaimed novelist and journalist with an unhealthy addiction to AMC’s The Walking Dead. She can usually be found either...
