Facing high expectations to defend last years State Championship title, the Jesuit Rangers Hockey team eagerly trains to battle it out on the ice and inch their way closer to that final, decisive game.
Although the Rangers began their season  Sept. 26 with a loss of 0-4 to Denton County Varsity, the team quickly recovered with a 5-2 win against the Prosper High School Eagles on Oct. 3. The team then struggled, but hung on to  beat Coppell High 1-0 on Oct. 10. The Rangers continued this impressive winning streak with a 2-1 win against McKinney High the next week on Oct. 17.
However it wasn’t all smooth sailing as they lost 4-3 in a long and demanding battle against Frisco High on Oct. 27, and Plano West added to the Rangers’ set backs with a 10-1 rout on Oct. 31. October 7 saw another close loss of 2-1 to Southlake. Now the Rangers seek to regain their early season  momentum for an opportunity to make the playoffs and a shot at the State Title.
This year, the Jesuit Rangers hockey team consists of “a heavily weighted team of underclassmen who are learning to compete at the Varsity level,” says Coach Kevin Smith. This marks a big shift “from last year’s team that had a big senior class.”
According to center and team captain Cory Hazelbaker ’14, the challenge comes from being able to fill the shoes of the fantastic players who graduated last year.  ” I know our guys, especially our veterans and leadership, are up to the task,” Hazelbaker said.  They certainly have to step up since, as Senior Nicholas Jantrakul explains,”we have about 12 players as opposed to the average 15 and it’s pretty tough just to play.”
The hockey team has learned valuable lessons through its first seven games. Since many of the varsity players have suffered injuries, the team struggled to play shorthanded, but Hazelbaker explains,”because of some solid defensive play by Sullivan Sheahan ’17, George McBey ’16, Louis Helsen ’16, Holton Schwartz ’16, and Austin Jantrakul ’14 I feel that we have a chance to win every time we touch the ice.”
The definitive moment of hope for the season arrived when the team pulled out the win against  Coppell on Sophomore Cameron Bartkoski’s lone goal, proving the underclassman’s ability to play alongside more mature players.
The hockey teams puts forth determination and dedication with every game they play. Forward Brendan Legas ’15 explains,” I’ve learned that if a group of guys (even when outmatched) put enough effort into accomplishing one goal,  they can surprise a lot of people.”
Make sure to come out and support your Jesuit hockey team next Thursday as they play Grapevine/Colleyville on Thursday, October 14 at Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco.
