The Plainfield Predators hockey team currently has a winning record of 13-10-3. They are scheduled to play the last game of their fall season on Dec 17 against Mount Carmel.
“I think we have a very strong culture on our team. We brought in 15 new players to the varisty team this year that all bought in to building a winning program at Plainfield,” varisty head coach, Myke Bangs, said.
The team consists of students from all four Plainfield high schools.
Most students are double rostered, meaning they play on two teams, but they still are able to come together to obtain a common goal of success.
“We hope to have a winning record this season. I think we’ve played pretty good,” junior Owen Peszynski said.
The team spent the season focusing on the communication aspect of the sport as well as individual skills to improve their overall game performance.
“We have implemented systems into the team this year. These systems range from special teams, forechecking, backchecking, and breakouts. The players had to learn these systems and then learn how to play with each other while implementing what we are teaching them,” coach John Paolello said.
Since the season has begun, the team created a bond that has not only strengthened their relationship, but allowed a better performance on their ice.
“When we first started we were not really in sync, over the season we’ve got close to each other and working as a team more,” junior Lukas Woodrow said.
The team has seen a significant improvement since the season has begun. They hope that this improvement will continue not only in the rest of the season but the upcoming years.
“We’ve all improved much as a team since the start. We’re a young team so the improvement will keep going,” junior Ezequiel Blanco said.
Since the team is younger, the coaches make sure to teach the players how to enhance the skills they already have and work on skills they need to become great players.
“With that youth comes maturity and discipline. A lot of our efforts have been building these kids up when faced with adversity,” Paolello said.
As the season comes to an end, the team makes sure to end off on a strong push of effort, still trying their best in every game and practice.
“It’s about giving 100% effort at all times, it is hard but it’s something everyone has to work on,” Blanco said.
