Cole Simpson and Adam Hobbs, seniors, celebrate a goal against the Brookfield Stars with the Highlander bench.
Homestead hockey skates through triumph and defeat
March 4, 2015
Starting off the season with an explosive statement, the Homestead boys varsity hockey team began its run in November with a seven-game winning streak and eight wins in its first ten games. The boys set their sights on conference domination with early victories over Grafton, Whitefish Bay, Germantown and rival Cedarburg. However, they slowed down slightly as the season went on, falling to adversaries Cedarburg and USM and riding a roller coaster of victories and defeats into the playoffs.
According to Mr. Tony Navarre, head coach, the highlights of the year included the “first regular season game and our last regular season games and our win against Cedarburg. The first and last games we won in overtime against highly skilled teams. We struggled all year to play a full game shift in and shift out, but those two games we really put it together and played like a team.”
The early win against the eventual state-bound Bulldogs proved to be a pinnacle of success for the Highlanders as they quickly took the lead and carried their momentum to a 4-1 victory. “I think our team had our ups and downs this year but my favorite highlight was when we beat Cedarburg,” Adam Hobbs, senior captain, said.
The team atmosphere proved beneficial to the players, since “before the season even started we had team activities, so all the guys became good friends and worked very well together,” Hobbs said. “After my four years, I hope I was able to leave behind the message that they should play like every game is their last because high school flies by.”
Adam Hobbs, senior, and Andy Buchanan, sophomore, skate off the ice, all smiles after a 5-3 victory over Brookfield.
Finishing the regular season with a 13-10-1 record as co-conference champions with Cedarburg and losing in the second round of playoffs to the Fond du Lac Cardinals, the Highlanders look to turn around and come back next year with motivation and talent.
The team will miss the seven seniors graduating this year, including Hobbs, who provided excellent leadership, and starting goaltender David Hathaway, who finished the season with a .894 save percentage. “This group of seniors was a great group of guys,” Coach Navarre said. “I know that the season didn’t end the way they had hoped. We had excellent camaraderie and a solid core of leaders.”
Even though the rest of the Highlander hockey players and coaches will feel the absence of top contributing seniors such as Cole Simpson, leader in goals and points, and Alex Puhl, one of the top defensive forces on the ice for Homestead, and will need to fill the holes left by Will Gebhardt, Max Henry and Patrick Katz, they look forward to returning varsity players for next season. “Sean Driscoll, Joey Hobbs and Joseph Verespej (juniors) are all three-year varsity players returning for the fourth year on varsity,” Coach Navarre said. “They will have to set their own goal, but the potential is there for a great season.”