As the first snow flurries glide onto the grass-laden Quad, you can’t miss the Fords icemen forging to their next training session or game. Gear slung across the shoulders, game faces carved in, their composure sets their tone for the year: calm, collected, and ambitious.
So far, hockey has demonstrated their hunger for victory with strong results. With a 2-1 record, they hold victories over the Academy of the New Church and Cherokee High School.
Sixth Former and Team Captain Ryan Moran is excited.
“I feel the season has gotten off to a strong start,” Moran said. “We lost a game to the Hun School, but outside of that our season-opening win [against] Cherokee HS was a great way to start the season against some strong competition. We dominated ANC (Academy of the New Church) in our first league game and are really looking to keep winning as we get into the bulk of the season.”
Hockey has a team with strengths across the roster. Six Sixth Formers bring forth a brotherhood, camaraderie, and in-game experience, while passionate underclassmen also weigh in with a fervor for each game.
With this balance, the team has been practicing extensively to maximize performance on the ice.
“We started practicing a bit before fall sports ended for anyone who could make it. We also had some morning workouts throughout the fall,” Moran said.
Now that the season is fully underway, the practice schedule is even more rigorous.
“Right now we have three on-ice practices per week and workouts on the other days. A lot of guys also play for a club team and are on the ice five-to-seven days a week,” Moran said. “We got the team conditioned pretty early on and have been drilling in schemes ever since.”
“We see winning the league championship as the bare minimum.”
Ryan Moran ’24
With the intensive training and experience, the team sets its sights on the league championship and high success on the rink.
“For the team this year, we see winning the league championship as the bare minimum. For myself and the other [Sixth Formers], our top goal is to beat an APAC (Atlantic Prep Athletic Conference) team like Saint Joe’s Prep or Holy Ghost,” Moran said.
The team currently plays across two divisions. Making a big headway into the APAC is a goal shared by the rest of the team.
“Our season has been going pretty well. [We want] to win a few games in the APAC,” Sixth Former Andrew Bradley said.
The relationships the team has forged will serve them as they carve their way into the rest of the league contests.
“The upperclassmen feel really connected over the last few years and are all on the same page,” Moran shared. “[Our] really talented underclassmen will definitely play a big role for us this year as well.”
Looking beyond the season, that strong underclassmen representation will contribute to the future of the program.
“Next year we hope to leave the IHL and play solely in the APAC—which is at a higher level of competition,” Bradley said.
