Hockey is one of the most important things in my life. As long as I can remember hockey has been “my sport”. Hockey had always been a huge part of my life, however when I reached high school my love of hockey grew exponentially.
My freshmen year I broke my leg on the second day of school. I couldn’t play hockey till 2 weeks before tryouts for my high school team. I started skating and after tryouts, I ended up only making JV. I took it as a challenge though, my leg obviously needed strengthening, I could barley skate on normally. The whole season I payed my dues, helping Varsity with anything they needed, did anything the coaches asked of me, and became apart of the team. When playoffs came around, our team was a low seed, however, we beat the best teams to go one and win our schools second Western Mass. Championship in 30 years and the first ever State Championship. The ride was amazing and something I would never forget. I used that and the mockery of my classmates said that I sucked at hockey as motivation that summer to become better than I have ever been, and I did just that.
The next year, during tryouts, my leg was 100% and I was ready to go. That year I made Varsity. That season I scored my first Varsity goal and accumulated a total of 3 points. That season we went 18-1-1 going into playoffs and we were the first seed. I was hoping on everything that we would go on to win states again so this time I could be apart of the experience. After winning our second Western Mass. Championship in a row, we ended up losing in the State Championship game. It was one of the worst days of my life. But I took this lost as motivation once again to work harder and become a crucial player. That is exactly what I did. Over the summer I went to a 2 week overnight hockey camp and trained. I wanted to make sure I was 100% ready.
My Junior year I was ready to go. During pre-season I played great and people were talking about how much I had improved. When try-outs came around, I stood out, coach noticed me and after the first day came up to me and told me he wanted me to get a regular shift this season. I was feeling good, I was put on a line with 2 captains and was ready for my breakout year. That season was just that, I played great, I ended the season with 5 goals with a total of 10 points. Two of those goals against our toughest rivals in a game that we almost lost. When playoffs came around, we were once again 19-1-1, and was the first seed. Playoffs this year was crazier than the past 2 years. Our goal from the beginning was to 3-Peat in Western Mass. And we did just that. In the most exciting game I had ever played in, we defeated Agawam for the second year in a row at Western Mass. in a 3-2 game. It was unforgettable, the rush I felt was like no other. They scored first but we came back to tie it going into the 3rd. We ended up taking away the game with a late goal with three minutes left in the game. After this amazing win, we took that momentum to the State Championship, where we won 3-0 in a memorable game. Finally winning that State Championship was a highlight in my life and after all the hard work I put into hockey, it finally paid off.
My freshmen year I broke my leg on the second day of school. I couldn’t play hockey till 2 weeks before tryouts for my high school team. I started skating and after tryouts, I ended up only making JV. I took it as a challenge though, my leg obviously needed strengthening, I could barley skate on normally. The whole season I payed my dues, helping Varsity with anything they needed, did anything the coaches asked of me, and became apart of the team. When playoffs came around, our team was a low seed, however, we beat the best teams to go one and win our schools second Western Mass. Championship in 30 years and the first ever State Championship. The ride was amazing and something I would never forget. I used that and the mockery of my classmates said that I sucked at hockey as motivation that summer to become better than I have ever been, and I did just that.
The next year, during tryouts, my leg was 100% and I was ready to go. That year I made Varsity. That season I scored my first Varsity goal and accumulated a total of 3 points. That season we went 18-1-1 going into playoffs and we were the first seed. I was hoping on everything that we would go on to win states again so this time I could be apart of the experience. After winning our second Western Mass. Championship in a row, we ended up losing in the State Championship game. It was one of the worst days of my life. But I took this lost as motivation once again to work harder and become a crucial player. That is exactly what I did. Over the summer I went to a 2 week overnight hockey camp and trained. I wanted to make sure I was 100% ready.
My Junior year I was ready to go. During pre-season I played great and people were talking about how much I had improved. When try-outs came around, I stood out, coach noticed me and after the first day came up to me and told me he wanted me to get a regular shift this season. I was feeling good, I was put on a line with 2 captains and was ready for my breakout year. That season was just that, I played great, I ended the season with 5 goals with a total of 10 points. Two of those goals against our toughest rivals in a game that we almost lost. When playoffs came around, we were once again 19-1-1, and was the first seed. Playoffs this year was crazier than the past 2 years. Our goal from the beginning was to 3-Peat in Western Mass. And we did just that. In the most exciting game I had ever played in, we defeated Agawam for the second year in a row at Western Mass. in a 3-2 game. It was unforgettable, the rush I felt was like no other. They scored first but we came back to tie it going into the 3rd. We ended up taking away the game with a late goal with three minutes left in the game. After this amazing win, we took that momentum to the State Championship, where we won 3-0 in a memorable game. Finally winning that State Championship was a highlight in my life and after all the hard work I put into hockey, it finally paid off.
