The Oakdale Ice Hockey team is looking to rebound after a disappointing season last year. The Bears, led by Senior Captains, Gavin Peduzzi, Tyler Antanellis, and Meagan Young, opened their season on November 13th against Broadneck with a statement win.
The Bears started last season losing their first 6 games before getting their first win against Mt. Hebron which pushed them to finish 5-9-1 winning 5 of their last 9 games and tying another one. They missed the playoffs by 2 games.
Senior Tyler Antonellis stated, “The beginning of last year was rough but everything started to come together at the end.”
While the team lost a few important seniors, the team returns a lot of last year’s team giving them confidence that they can make a run in the playoffs this year.
With the pandemic, the team wasn’t sure whether or not they would even have a season. When FCPS postponed fall and winter sports, it was looking worse and worse; however, the MSHL came up with many safety protocols ultimately giving the green light on the season.
Playing during the Pandemic means restrictions. Players are not allowed to bring bags into the rink, they can’t get dressed in the locker rooms, and they must wear a mask whenever they are not on the ice. They have to get dressed outside in the parking lot which means they lose some of that team bonding time that they used to have in the locker rooms.
Antonellis described, “Preparing for games is going to look very different.”
The team has lots of confidence going into the season; they believe they will be at the top of their division, winning more games than losing. This confidence was just built on after winning their opening game 8-0.
When asked around on the team, most players will say the team’s biggest weakness over the last 2 years has been the Goaltending position, but not anymore. The team gained a goaltending star in Freshman Devin Brown who recorded a shutout in his very first high school game!
Senior Meagan Young explained, “We have lots of talent from underclassmen as well as upperclassmen. We also have a good goalie this year.”
Everyone on the team is excited to have a season but especially the seniors, Not knowing what was happening with their senior year, being able to play one more season of hockey was important. They are looking to make a long run in the playoffs but having fun more than anything.
