Boys hockey display dominance on the ice early on in the season

Hub Hejna, Staff Writer

The 2016-17 high school season is well underway, and the Pioneers have come out the gates strong. After six games, the team has posted five wins and only one loss.

The team opened the year with a 6-2 win over Kentwood High School, followed by a 6-1 win over Grand Haven. They also hold wins over Manistee, Midland, and LowellCal, a joint team made up of kids from Lowell and Caledonia high schools.

Success has largely defined the season thus far, but the Pioneers only loss was certainly a painful one. It came against Forest Hills Central during the two teams’ first meeting of the year. The Rangers won with a score of 3-2.

“Obviously it was a tough loss, but we’ll bounce back. Next time against them we just have to keep our intensity up for the whole game and can’t take any shifts off,” said Ben Forstner ‘18 regarding the loss.  

Despite the loss, the boys know they need to continue to improve in order to find success down the stretch. “We are looking to improve on playing as a team more rather than playing individual,” said starting goalie Lukas Schut ‘18.

Forstner’s eyes are set on the future, as well, “Our main goal is always to win a state championship, so we want to build momentum and string together some wins heading into the playoffs.”

The boys have until late February to make sure they’re playing their best hockey come playoffs.