For many sports, a majority of varsity teams do not often have very many, if any, freshmen on the team. This is not true for the TCW varsity hockey team. The team currently has six freshmen playing for them. 

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about a hockey season until this one. I really like the team we have and I think we have the chance to win a lot of games this year,” senior and team captain Brandon Meyers said. 

  When having a wide array of ages on a team, it can be important to be able to show teamwork while playing but also have teamwork out of the game. 

  “[The freshmen] will definitely improve the team. It’s awesome to have them around the locker room because it brings a different atmosphere when you have all four grades together, rather than just upperclassmen,” Meyers said.

  Hockey tends to be a big commitment as it can be extremely time-consuming, and physically demanding for any age and grade. 

  “We do on-ice conditioning, wind sprints of some sort, and we work out in the weight room on Tuesday and Thursday at 6 a.m. at the high school,” Head coach Anthony Palumbo said. 

  While TCW doesn’t have a freshmen hockey team, it has been extremely competitive for freshmen to get on the varsity team. Not only are they competing for a spot with their fellow classmates, but they are also competing against the upperclassmen who have had more experience playing hockey at a higher level, as well as working with the other players who have also previously been on the team. 

  “Yes, [freshmen have to work harder]. We need to because we need to give [the] coach a [good] impression,” freshman Robert Councilor said. 

  The team hopes to make this year the best one yet and is showing confidence that the new players will be an excellent addition to the team’s dynamic.

  “We watch a lot of the game video from previous games to learn from our mistakes and we work hard at building a team game at practice,” Palumbo said.