For their sixth game of the season, Park boys’ hockey played Hopkins at the Rec Center on Dec. 5. The game ended with an exhilarating 8-1 win for Park, which makes their record 5-1 so far this season.
Head coach Tyler Brodersen said the team showed significant improvement from previous games and he was proud of the energy they brought to the game.
“We played really well. We responded to their rush early, and we brought our game for the whole thing,” Brodersen said. “We’ve been working on being up-tempo and trying to play the game fast, and I think that shows.”
Senior Hayden Kasica said the game was important for the team because they continued to play well together, even through the later periods. He said the whole team was committed, and he believes the team can go far this season.
“It was definitely a statement game. We kept playing as a team, even as it got late, we were dominating,” Kasica said. “We’re all bought in. Everyone’s ready to come to work, and we believe we can go far.”
Junior Owen Anklam said despite the tension between the teams before the game began, he was happy to have come out with the win.
“It went really well. There was a lot of trash-talking before the game, but I think we showed them,” Anklam said.
According to Brodersen, the team has shown significant improvement in both defense and offense throughout the previous games.
“Our passing got a lot better,” Brodersen said. “We’re playing the game the right way, and our defensive zone was much better today than it has been in the last few games.”
Kasica said the team has been playing well overall, allowing them to continue to win games.
“We’ve really gotten onto a forecheck,” Kasica said. “We’re playing our systems well, which helps us dominate the teams.”
According to Anklam, the team has been playing much better since allowing all three lines more rest and playing time.
“We started being able to play all three lines consistently, which gives people more rest and helps them out,” Anklam said. “We’ve been playing a lot better since then.”
Brodersen said the team played well together so far this year, following the coach’s advice. He said they still have work to do for their upcoming conference matchups.
“This group has really gelled well. They’re buying into what the coaches are saying and doing things the right way,” Brodersen said. “We’ve got some really big games coming up. We just need to keep pushing and be ready for them.”
Anklam said the team is less concerned with individual performance this year and more concerned with playing well as a whole.
“Last year, we had a lot of guys who liked to hold on to the puck for a while,” Anklam said. “But this year, we have a team that likes to play with each other.”
Park boys’ hockey’s next game is against Blake at 7 p.m. on Dec. 10 at the Rec Center.
