Boys Ice Hockey
Dodger winter sports are just beginning in Madison and boy’s hockey is ready to roll this season. The past 2 years in boy’s hockey have been up and down. After winning the Halvorsen Cup in March of 2021, the boys moved up to the Mennen league and were understandably faced with much tougher competition. This year, they are back to the Halvorsen league, and their chances of winning games are far greater than last year.
The Halvorsen Cup win in 2021 was a milestone for boy’s hockey, but since then, there have been many changes to the team. Many players from the past two years have graduated or left from the team, including Cormac McNamara, who led the team in goals last season, and Luke Chayut, the team’s goalie. The only remaining member from the original Halvorsen Cup win who is still on the team is current senior, Tyler Shannon. Shannon has a positive attitude for this season and is confident to bring home another Cup win. “We have a great opportunity with the group we have” Shannon explained, after speaking about his hopes for this season.
Since winning the Cup, the team has also gained some new promising players. Kyle Piechnik, Sam Gero, and Bryan Worthington have all stepped into bigger roles this year. Junior Kyle Piechnik has been apart of the varsity squad since he was a freshmen. He has played on the same line as captain Tyler Shannon since his freshmen year and describes his on ice relationship with Shannon as one of “good chemistry”. It is safe to say that these two are a force to be reckoned with this year, and we can expect good things from the both of them.
Sam Gero, a current sophomore, played varsity as a freshmen last year. Gero is stepping into a similar role as Shannon, and almost following in his footsteps towards becoming a captain his senior year. Shannon recognizes the bright future Gero has in Dodger hockey, saying “Sam’s got a lot of skill, probably the most on the team”. Being recognized as a sophomore for having the most skill on the team is a promising quality in Gero. With three seasons left for him to play, Gero presents himself as a very promising player, and a key component to the teams success.
Junior Bryan Worthington has stepped up to fill the spot of goaltender after the leave of Luke Chayut. Worthington has set certain focuses this year to ensure he is in the best shape possible to defend the goal including, but not limited to, “staying healthy, staying strong, and doing what [he] can”. This positive attitude is exactly what boy’s hockey needs after such a tough previous season.
Last season, the boys won 5 out of 18 games, and played teams such as Morristown, Livingston, Randolph, Morris Knolls, etc. This year, the team is scheduled to play a lot of the same teams. Even after moving down a division, Dodger Hockey will still be up against some fierce opponents. So far, the team has high expectations for their season, and they even have their eyes on bringing home another Halvorsen Cup. Keeping up with this team and how they cope in this new division will be an interesting show this season, and something to definitely keep an eye on.
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