Parks Orioles squared up against Chaskas Hawks on the ice Dec. 1 and took a 6-1 loss at their first home game of the regular season. The Orioles engaged their supporters with many activities to celebrate the first home game, including “Chuck the Puck” and recognizing youth hockey players on the rink.

In spite of the loss, sophomore Trey Janssen said conquering victory is a goal for the team this season.

“Competing is a big thing (this season). We (are focusing) on winning,” Janssen said.

According to head coach Tyler Brodersen, the team prepares for their games in various ways while obtaining positive energy.

“Our preparation this week is trying to get in practice, trying to do flow drills, get up and down the ice,” Brodersen said. “Then have fun too, so they can be in a good mood and be upbeat with energy going into (the game).”

Senior Mason Amelse said the team looked well at the beginning, despite the final score.

“The team was the strongest, especially in the first two periods,” Amelse said. “Our physicality was the strongest part of the game.”

According to Janssen, there were highlights in the game and the team struggled towards the end.

“The first two periods were strong, but (during) the third period after our penalty we gave up. We collapsed,” Janssen said.

Amelse said that although the team struggled towards the end of the game, they played well in the beginning. 

“There were ups and downs and (the game) ended up being a big down in the third period, but we can look at the positives in the first two periods,” Amelse said.

Brodersen said that while the team has faced obstacles, they have goals to improve for the remainder of the season.

“It’s difficult to go through coaching changes and this group had a couple already. It’s just getting used to playing together,” Brodersen said. “The second half of the year, we want to make noise against some of these bigger teams and show we belong.”

Amelse said playing a home game was an enjoyable experience with the benefit of the supporters to cheer the team on.

“It feels amazing because there were a lot of people here,” Amelse said. “It sucks that we lost and hopefully we can get more people back. It’s nice, especially because it feels like a long time since we’ve played a home game.”

The Orioles’ next hockey game is 7:00 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Rec Center.