According to defensive coach Dan Batdorf, the 6 – 1 defeat at the sections semifinals game against Edina is tough for the dedicated and united senior group.

“They have known each other forever. These guys love each other, so today really hurts,” Batdorf said. “Some of these guys might never play organized hockey again.”

Senior captain Luke Mobley said playing together for many years makes the end of the season difficult.

“We’ve had this same group since (we were) 7 or 8 years old. So it was tough, but you move forward,” Mobley said.

Head coach Colin Hohman said the seniors have been exemplary throughout their careers.

“It’s hard when it ends. We had a great loss of seniors, and they have done such a good job really going back the last three years,” Hohman said.

According to Batdorf, the graduating players brought new intensity to the program, bringing more opportunities for the team as a whole.

“I would argue that they are a big part of putting St. Louis Park on the map for hockey,” Batdorf said. “For a long time, we were not fortunate enough to have cool games like this where we play against opponents like Edina.”

Batdorf said the seniors helped create a cohesive team by serving as role models and boosting each other up.

“They brought up some of the younger guys and united the age group because it’s a wide age group, 14-18, so that’s a big gap, (by being) a big brother figure, always picking each other up and trying to teach them,” Batdorf said.

According to Mobley, next year’s team may have a little trouble continuing the senior’s legacy of success.

“I think we’ve got an awesome team this year, so hopefully they can just keep playing well, keep getting better, and keep the training program in the right direction,” Mobley said.

Hohman said the program needs the younger players, specifically those who played in the sections games, to continue the success of the program after the seniors leave.

“The younger kids now have to continue to build off of the senior class, and I believe that will naturally happen because we have a lot of young kids, and they are playing in this game as freshman, so that’s a huge thing for us,” Hohman said.

Mobley said he feels the team was always united and inclusive to all the players.

 “We were a very close-knit team. Everyone wanted to include everyone. It was a good group,” Mobley said. 

Hohman said the pre-game practice was fairly simple considering the vigor of the game against Benilde Feb. 22.

“It’s a quick turnaround from the exciting game on Thursday, so those games are so intense that practice was actually pretty light yesterday,” Hohman said.

According to Batdorf, there were several players on the ice that had not participated much in past games.

“There were some guys that hadn’t been skating that were (playing) and that’s huge. I think that’s great,” Batdorf said. “If somebody goes down, some else has to step up.”

After their defeat Feb. 22, the boys’ hockey team’s season has concluded for the year.