The Last Ride
Hockey seniors face the end of the season, and their high school hockey careers
January 23, 2019
The end of the season can bring lots of emotions for a team. Happiness. Sadness. Excitement. Disappointment. Crushing defeats and big victories can influence many of these emotions, and for the seniors, the leaders of the team, these emotions are amplified, because this will be their last season of high school hockey. In some cases, it will be the last time they lace up the skates forever. For seniors Jack Ortinau and Fletcher Zieman, the end of the season has brought many of these emotions.
“It feels kind of weird, just because around this time every season, I’m just waiting for it to be over, because it’s so busy and it eats up all of your time,” Zieman said, “But then again, it’s your last season, so they’re my last games I’m playing, and I’ve been playing since I was 3.”
Although the season may be nearing the end, this is no time for them to let up. There next game, this Saturday at 8:15 pm, is against Francis Howell North, a team that has struggled this season. The Knights have struggled this seasons, going 0-17-0, while only posting up 21 goals throughout those 17 games and allowing 111 against. Coming into the game, the Spartans have high expectations for themselves
“These last few games we’ve lost,” Ortinau said, “but we’re gonna beat (Francis Howell) North by a lot next game.”
Overall, this season has had many ups and downs for the Spartans. They started their season 3-4, despite outshooting their opponents 36-28. They then went on an 8 game winning streak, outscoring their opponents 65-18. Lately, though, the Spartans have hit another rough patch, going 1-2-1, while being outscored 12-16. Senior forward Rayan Barghchoun is still optimistic, though.
“I’m feeling pretty good, we’re a solid team,” Barghchoun said, “We’ve got a good record and I’m feeling really good going into the playoffs.”
The Spartans have good reason to be optimistic, too, as they will have a full roster going into the end of the regular season and into the playoffs.
“The last few games, we’ve missed a lot of people, and we’ve lost,” Ortinau said, “And our season was going so well before these last few games.”
It’s more than just about the wins and the losses for these seniors, though. The end of the season has brought with it many fond memories for the players.
“The coaches are great,” Zieman said, “I remember playing Fortnite with Coach Kyle. It was awesome.”
Whether it’s enjoying time with your teammates, or playing hockey, or playing Fortnite with the coaches, these Spartans have had a blast playing hockey in high school, and they highly recommend joining to anyone interested.
“It’s fun, you’ll really enjoy it,” Barghchoun said, “You won’t regret it.
With the regular season drawing to a close this Saturday, and the playoffs fast approaching, it is normal to experience these different emotions. Such is life. But, that’s also the beauty of life. When one door closes, another one opens. When one chapter ends, the next begins. And when one period ends, another one begins. Life moves on. But, these memories we make in high school will last forever. So go out and make the most of it.