The Lakers varsity hockey team had an unfortunate last home game on Saturday, Feb. 12. It was their third playoff game against Lake Park, and it did not go as well as they hoped. Both of the Lakers’ goals were scored by players from Lakes Community High School with 9.15 minutes left in the first period, and the second goal less than two minutes later. However, their opponents scored their second goal before the period ended.
While no goals were scored for either team in the second period, four minutes in, senior Jason Fogel was penalized for 12 minutes for checking from behind. It wasn’t until the end of the third period that Lake Park scored their third goal. In an effort to make a comeback, the Lakers decided to pull their goalie out so they could have six players on the ice instead of five. Unfortunately, Lake Park scored another puck in the net with 34.5 seconds left in the game. Immediately after, the Lakers brought back their goalie and with no time left to spare, they lost 4-2.
The Lakers players definitely had their own opinions on how they played individually that night.
“I think I didn’t play to my greatest potential,” junior Remi Merrill said. “I definitely could have caught some more passes and passed the puck a little better.”
The players also believe there were a lot of faults that the team made.
“I think our legs just died out, and as well as taking some penalties we shouldn’t have,” sophomore Sam Hanes said.
Nonetheless, the team won’t worry about this loss for too long, as they have the Chi Town Cup tournament this weekend in downtown Chicago to look forward to.
“The upcoming tournament has me in mixed emotions,” Merrill said. “The teams we are facing are pretty good teams, but I think we can pull in a win, we just have to focus on one game at a time.”
Hanes has a different outlook and thoughts about the challenging teams.
“I’m excited because we are going to be playing against higher level teams like New Trier, which will be fun,” Hanes said.
While the tournament will be a fun trip to spend with teammates, it will also be a chance to work on skills.
“I’m aiming to get the puck out more efficiently and to make tape to tape passes, and not just throwing the puck into an area where my teammates should be,” Merrill said. “I’m also aiming to catch a pass on the back hand and to improve my focus before the game to make sure my head is in the right place.”
Hopefully, the Lakers can learn from their last playoff game and secure their spot in the semi finals by winning their game against Prep on Friday, Feb. 18 at Mount Prospect.
