The Oakdale Hockey team has defeated countless Frederick County teams with ease. That is, until it comes to Urbana. The Rivalry has been competitive for years and this year on November 3rd, the game was extremely close but Oakdale was victorious winning 1-0. Regardless of they play against their friends or just feeling competitive, everybody gets in the game
Every year, these games usually consist of lots of rivalry and violence. Senior Max Dabruzzo stated, “Every time we go against Oakdale, we know it’s going to be a rough, physical game.” With multiple penalties from both teams throughout the night, the game proved Dabruzzo right as it was one of the most intense games of the year.
Oakdale’s Hockey team has been preparing for this regular season, with practices starting over the summer. Lots of the players are on club teams, which can really help their skill when the high school season comes around. “We’re trying to keep building our chemistry at practice and improve every game,” Senior Captain Devin Brown explained.
Brown described a regular practice, explaining the team’s bonding methods, and how they occasionally hang out outside of practices. Increasing interest in teammates outside of practice makes it easier and more enjoyable to connect on the ice.
The team has a 4-0 record in the regular season, and they expect to keep the streak up. Last year, during playoffs, the Bears took an upsetting loss from Walter Johnson, losing 2-3 in double overtime. This year, they anticipate a more successful season as Brown shared, “Undefeated conference regular season, Monocacy Cup, and a State Championship. Anything short of that would be a disappointment in my mind,”
There are many factors of how Urbana and Oakdale have been preparing for the ‘23-’24 season, but the biggest advantage is focusing on specific players. Oakdale is focusing more on upperclassmen, since they have less time left on the team, but Urbana is trying to get their lowerclassmen more comfortable, as Dabruzzo explained, “For the most part, we have been trying to get some of our younger talent acclimated to High School Hockey.”
In the upcoming season, the Bears have high hopes for defeating Urbana, as Brown expressed: “I expect us to beat them twice in the regular season and again in the conference playoffs, there’s no reason [why] we should lose any games this year if we play to our [full] potential.” The team has already beat Urbana once, so hopefully completing the objective again won’t be too difficult.
