Coming off of two state championships, the Oakdale High School Ice Hockey team looks to make history, as the only Frederick County team to win three straight state championships in a row.
Last year, the team ended their season with an astonishing record of 13-2, with their only losses coming to Archbishop Spalding and Landon. The Bears found themselves in the second straight state finals vs Walt Whitman, where the game ended in a 4-0 win for Oakdale.
The Bears started the season off with an away game against Middletown High School. It was a hard fought match, but the Bears lost 3-2, and lost their first game versus a public school since March 1st, 2023, when the team lost to Walter Johnson in the state semifinals.
“The biggest challenge has been the rough schedule so far. We haven’t had much time against simpler opponents to really get our footing and instead we were thrown head first into the fire, which has its ups and downs but definitely a challenge nonetheless,” exclaimed junior Daniel King.
“The major difference in my eyes is how we’re a lot less skilled. However, this doesn’t mean we have any less chance of winning. With the two losses we’ve taken, I feel everyone has realized the extra bit of work we need to put in to pull it off which has definitely improved team chemistry. I think the one thing that helps us win is our stellar goaltending. With Chuck in net, not much can get through; this drastically increasing our chances of winning,” commented King.
Despite the early challenges, the team isn’t discouraged. Instead, the players and coaches see this as a moment to learn from and potentially prepare them to make a deep playoff run.
“I think the team consensus has us winning states again,” King added. “One opponent I’m especially looking forward to is Middletown for our second matchup of the year; with the first ending with a bitter taste in our mouths and I can feel the need to pull through in the second time.”
“I would say the leaders of the team have been dealing with challenges like losses and disagreement by pushing us to work harder in practices. They significantly empower us lower classes to be a better version of ourselves,” added freshman Matthew Venezie.
The team has put in more work: at the practices, with the spirit nights, and various team bonding activities. It’s clear that the chemistry this year is unmatched from previous years.
“I would describe the chemistry of this year’s team as a high pressure environment; we have to prove why we are back to back state champs and everyone’s trying to push us off the table,” shared Venezie.
The schedule ahead gives Oakdale plenty of chances to build momentum, including some rivalry matchups with Middletown and Urbana. Oakdale also has three non-league games on its schedule, with those games against Georgetown Prep, Bullis, and the West Virginia Vipers. These games are exactly what Oakdale needs if they want to sharpen themselves for the postseason.
With strong leadership, unmatched chemistry, and stellar goaltending, the Bears are confident that they can overcome their struggles and reach the state finals for the third straight year in a row. They can hopefully become the first team since Winston Churchill High School did it from 2017 to 2020.
