As the days become shorter and the weather becomes colder, it can only mean one thing. Wooster hockey is back and better than ever. The team's seniors have been quite emotional about the upcoming season. Kieran Greeley, '22, and I have seen players and coaches come and go since the start of our program in our 8th-grade season. Seniors' ambitions for their team are always through the roof. This season, we are happy to have games scheduled and are excited to get the team back together new and old, as we start practices with our new coach on Monday, November 29th.
Seniors Trip Dulecki and Marcus Dupree having a jolly good time with the referee
As we enter the 2021-22 season our anticipations are high. Our limited season last year left players eager for more and it's been awesome to see students and faculty ready to attend games again. Since last season we have seen growth in the hockey team. Our starting goalie is now 8th grader Raven Reaves, and we have scouted new talent such as Sam Briody, '22. Sam has never played hockey before but is familiar with skating, so it should be theatrical watching him on the ice this season! Sam states that "I am excited to get out on the ice, all I need is some gear!"
The 2019-20 team gathered around the net
This season we have games scheduled with our typical opponents such as Forman, Hamden Hall, King, South Kent, and St. Luke's. Coming off our three-game season, everyone is excited to start the season head first starting by meeting our new coach, Lou Pedatella, on Tuesday, November 23rd. Coach Pedatella is the president of the Danbury Hat Tricks girls elite team whose goal is to "help female hockey players develop as top athletes, leaders, and impactful members of society. They will help build values such as teamwork, sportsmanship, a consistent work ethic, and respect for self and others." Our season officially starts Monday, November 29 after our Thanksgiving break. Our athletic director, Mr. Carone, stated in an email to the team that "our normal practice schedule will be Mon, Tue, Thur from 7 am - 8am."
As a senior, this season feels different than others already. I have been a member of this team for five years, since our inaugural season. The pleasures of winning and losing have come and gone throughout the years. In our first season, we lost the majority of our battles and immediately turned it around for my freshman and sophomore seasons. Unfortunately, our last season was cut short, however, we have certainly asserted ourselves as a true varsity team. We can't wait to get started this season!
Two of our Wooster Hockey Alum: James Rapp, '20 and Max Thaler, '21
