The Richard Montgomery Varsity Ice Hockey team came up short Friday night after suffering an 8-2 defeat against Sherwood High School. The team is now 0-2  with their overall season record.

The team started out the game flat footed, allowing Sherwood to get a quick 3-0 lead. A call on captain Jack Blitz left him stranded in the penalty box for 12 minutes. After adjusting the lines and the game plan, the Rockets were able to come together and began to settle down. The change showed as they were able to maintain possession for the majority of the rest of the game.

Hitting the back of the net was found to be RM’s biggest challenge against the Warriors. It wasn’t until the second period that Dmitry Bilous finally broke through the brick wall for Sherwood, putting RM on the board, boosting the team’s spirits and confidence.

“We never gave up and pushed back late in the 3rd,” senior captain Jordan Kochman later recalled.

While the outcome was not what RM had anticipated or hoped for, there were some positives from the game. “Our defense really stepped up this game and helped break up a bunch of odd man rushes,” Coach Dave Martella said. “They were getting involved with the offense and taking great shots from the point.

As it is early in the season, the team is still learning to work together. The Rockets additions to their line up provide hope looking forward. “Once we all come together and develop some chemistry I think we will be unstoppable,” Kochman added.

The Rockets will take on the Wootton Patriots on December 4, looking to find their first win of the season. “I think if we work hard in practice, the Patriots won’t know what hit them,” said sophomore Albert Zhang.