As the puck drops, it quickly makes its way to the opposite side of the rink. A Langley player charges towards the elusive chunk of hard rubber. A clump forms. One student breaks out, attempting a goal. No luck. Instead, the clump dissolves and Langley falls back. Then Langley advances again. Two minutes and two seconds into the game, junior Kevin Diner scores.

For Langley’s second league game of the season against Herndon, the energetic start set the tone for a successful game. After the mercy rule, which dictates that it is not sportsmanlike for a team to beat another team by an extremely high margin, was invoked, Langley came home with a 10-0 victory.  The game set the tone for a competitive season that players, parents and managers hope will catch the attention of Langley students.

For the hockey players, the sport requires intense dedication. “It’s one of those sports that you are constantly traveling for,” team manager Maddy Weingast pointed out. Long travel times, combined with games that sometimes start as late as 10:40 p.m., create pressure for players and dedicated fans alike.

Sophomore Justin Briggs, a Saxon ice fan, recognizes the hard work players put into hockey. “A lot of my friends are on the team and a lot of times hockey doesn’t get a lot of support, so I try to go out of my way to support them.”  Briggs, who regularly attends hockey games, passionately supported his team at the Herndon game, screaming, “You got Stonewall Jackson in the pipes” after Ryan Framinan successfully blocked an attempted goal.

However, according to Briggs, Langley hockey does not often get the recognition it deserves. A typically crowd in Briggs’ words includes “parents and siblings, maybe girlfriends.”

This certainly was not the case with game against Herndon, where the stands were packed—largely by sophomores, like Connor Blaul, who had come out to see Lizzy Weingast, the team’s only female member, play.

The crowd’s enthusiasm appeared to have fed the teams’ success. Senior and captain Mikey Adams was happy with his team’s performance against Herndon. “It definitely makes me optimistic, because it shows that even though we have a young team, we have a strong team.”

Team managers Weingast and Riley Cutler hope to see large crowds support Saxon ice hockey throughout the season. The two have gone through the season schedule, searching for hockey games that are close to Langley and don’t conflict with the basketball season. They plan on advertising these games with posters, flyers, and Facebook announcements.

[nggallery id=85]

Photos by Na He Jeon