Gloves are off this year with Brighton High School’s junior varsity hockey team. The players have checked, penalized and scored their way through the season and have successfully proven themselves as individuals and as a team.
This year, the JV hockey team has had quite the season, ultimately ranking second in its division. Even accomplishing an 11-0 win this season, the JV team has had not one, not two, but five wins against zero. One-nothing, three-nothing, seven-nothing, eight-nothing—their scores are among the most impressive BHS athletics have seen this year. With a final standing of 13-8-4, they secured their second rank in the division behind one of Brighton’s biggest rivals, the Detroit Catholic Central Shamrocks.
Their final standings in the league didn’t matter in their semi-final game against Catholic Central, though. The Bulldogs defeated them in a three-person shootout, where sophomore Andrew Campbell scored the winning goal while sophomore Philip Peterson stopped all three shooters from CC, ending the game 2-3.
The Bulldogs then went on to win their championship game against the Northville Mustangs in a blowout 4-1 final score. This not only marks their gaining of the title of champions but also an impressive three-peat, as they have won their championship for three years in a row, a feat few teams achieve.
But their scores are not the only impressive things the team has accomplished. They have developed a strong community and work ethic over the course of the season, working tirelessly to improve their ability and performance.
“This season pushed me to grow as a player and a teammate. I’ve improved a lot, learned the value of hard work, and I’m ready to see if my dedication to the sport will pay off,” goalie and sophomore Beck Mattila said.
However, it seems that it wasn’t just the players’ cooperation and teamwork that had an uptick, but also their tenacity and aggressive playing style. The Brighton Bulldogs didn’t take kindly to other players’ shenanigans and were not afraid to take it to the next level.
Hockey is infamously a rough sport, with checking, body blocking and even pushing when in front of the net being very common. However, more often than not, players don’t take kindly to each other and quickly intensify the altercations, and this season was not an outlier in this sense at all.
The JV team had the most penalties out of any team in their league, with 55 more minutes than the next highest, which was 253 minutes. While it may not be the most prestigious statistic to be the best at, it only goes to show the Bulldogs’ effort and determination to end up on top.
On a different note, Brighton’s faced off against its infamous rival, Howell three times. While Brighton did lose the total with a 1-2 final standing, they still had fun beating them on their own ice. During their first face-off, Brighton beat Howell at the Biggby Ice Cube 3-1.
“My favourite games are against Howell,” left-wing and freshman Trey Slocum said.
Overall, every player contributed in their own way this season, whether blocking shots, making them or checking the opponents. Between crushing wins and team cooperation, the JV team has had a very successful season and remain the champions of their league.
