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| West Springfield Hockey Team DOMINATING! |
| By Jennifer Meyers |
| There is a new excitement at West Springfield High School right now that is contagious. Throughout the halls the students are talking about something new, different, and almost amazing. Not only does West Springfield have a hockey team, but they are good. REAL GOOD! |
| In only it's second year of existence the hockey team is undefeated with a 4-0 record in the Northern Virginia Scholastic Hockey League (www.nvshl.org) . Not only is the hockey team winning that's the story, it's how they are winning! They won their first game 4-3 over James Madison and then have rolled over McLean 7-3, shutout Hylton 2-0, then breezed by Bishop Ireton 7-1 last Friday. The team has not trailed any time since the first period against James Madison. That's an impressive 2 hours and 45 minutes of playing time which includes three full games! In the beginning of the year West Springfield was happy just to make the playoffs, now they feel they are good enough to make a significant impact on the league and start a winning tradition at the high school. |
| With their recent success, the team is no longer just looking to compete, now they want to Dominate! "Dominate!" has become such a buzz word for the team that it has replaced the usual "SPARTANS!" cheer between periods. "Dominate!" is on the programs, it's on the teams sign, it's even on the teams morning announcements at school! So how did this get started? "Honestly, it was started by our senior center Mike Strickland during the first game against James Madison" said Assistant Coach Eric Hardman. "I was giving a speech to fire our team up for the third period and Strickland just kept saying dominate, dominate, dominate. It was perfect. I was trying to tell the players that we needed to make the extra effort in everything we did and not just rely on our talent. After the game I asked Stickland what we did and he said 'DOMINATE!' ,and it has stuck ever since." said Hardman. |
| No doubt, many at the school are wondering how the team has become such a dominating force and questioning how long it will continue. Yet, according to freshmen Chris Munn part of the answer is the talent level of the freshmen. According to Coach Hardman "We are very lucky to have four talented freshmen or we would have very little depth". "Our difference makers are our four top players though! Without Strickland, Bobby Surdam, Tom Harrison, and Marc Dudzinski we would not be as strong as we are." Of the four top players, goaltender Marc Dudzinski is clearly one of the most important. "He single handedly can win a game for us" said Surdam. Marc Dudzinski has been such a star that he has been nominated for the CAPS PLAYER OF THE MONTH AWARD, for the best high school hockey player in the league! Add the fact that Surdam and Harrison play competitively for the Washington Junior Capitals and you have all the makings of a team that can dominate. The coaches also credit the dedication and heart of all the players. The team gives all that they have every game, they aren't the largest team in the league (4 players are under 5 foot), but we play with the most heart. According to Coach Hardman "Last game every player contributed. Even the players who are playing their first year of hockey were an integral part of our win. It's always fun to win when everyone contributes and it's not just a couple of players leading the way! |
| Asked how long this winning streak and tradition can continue Coach Hardman seemed optimistic, "We have some tough games up ahead, we might lose a couple but we sure are going to enjoy the journey". As for the winning tradition continuing next year Junior Bobby Surdam also seemed optimistic "Well with Strickland and Dudzinski graduating this year it's going to be tough. We need to find a goaltender, but our team keeps gaining experience and continues to grow in talent. Right now though we're just concentrating and enjoying this year." |
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