The Rockets hockey team has skated its way to an impressive 5-1 record to start the first half of the season, with multiple multi-goal wins. This start is much improved from last year, as the team finished 2-9 last year while also losing important seniors at the end of the season.
“It was definitely concerning to begin the year because we were worried that we’d have the ability to produce as much offense.” Coach Christopher Hinsvark spoke, addressing the questions that had been raised before the season. These questions would be answered as the team has started 5-1 for the first half of the season, where the team outscored opponents 33-16.
The improvements have come from practice and the injection of youth coming from key underclassmen. “We’ve been trying out new drills… [the underclassmen] they’ve actually helped a lot. We have a lot of highly skilled freshmen this year. I’m looking forward to their growth,” defenseman and senior Samir Wang said.
The work they have done to improve, both over the offseason and with the addition of new players, has been recognized by the team and the coaching staff. “We have improved significantly, because we got a lot more good freshmen players coming in this year. They’re all really good. Our team has improved by a lot… our record is 5-1 compared to 2-9 last season,” forward and junior Caleb Liu said.
Everyone around the team links the success to the new freshmen who have been able to lift the team to an impressive record in the first half. Due to the team’s exceptional play, RM has the chance to play some of the top schools in the county, including Wootton, BCC and Churchill, in their upcoming games. “Montgomery County is the strongest conference in Maryland, so a lot of the teams that we play are gonna be contenders for the state championship… I think we’re going to be competitive against these top teams. It’s going to be a lot harder than in the 1st half of the season, but I think the players have earned the right to show what they can do against the top teams,” Coach Hinsvark said, sharing his excitement for the challenge ahead.
The team is looking forward to the second half of the season, with the first game being Dec. 5 against Wootton, then Dec. 12 against BCC and Dec. 19 against NW/QO. “The best part of the games is the environment being right up at the boards and supporting my friends,” junior Nathan Tesfaye said.
If you would like to voice your opinion on an issue you feel is relevant to our community, please do so here. Anyone is able and welcome to submit a Letter to the Editor, regardless of journalistic experience or writing skills. Submissions may be published either online or in a print issue.
