As this paper went to press, the Dover-Sherborn & Weston boys hockey team was preparing for their “elite eight” game against Sandwich on Wednesday, March 6. Ending their regular season with a record of 16-4, ranked fifth in Division 4, and going 2-0 in the first rounds of the postseason, they have already surpassed the past two seasons where the team made it to the sweet sixteen round. They now hope to make it to the finals at TD Garden, a dream for all hockey players.
Assistant captain and junior Sam Hinkley has tried to focus the team on how important it is to have everyone committed in hopes of achieving their goal.
“We are just making sure that everyone is always going at 100%,” Hinkley said. “A team can’t do something special unless everyone buys in.”
Due to the team’s motivation and cohesion, head coach Alex Marlow feels very confident in his players and their ability to work together.
“These seniors were the coaching staff’s first group of incoming freshmen class when we took over. We have had four years to develop a great relationship,” Marlow said. “We know when we can lean on them and be tough and when to let them ride. They have incredible hockey IQ so it has been awesome to see them put it all together this year.”
With the team’s successful record, the players also headed into the post-season very confident.
“We have a really good team, and there are definitely a lot of upperclassmen who are really motivated,” freshman Christos Rogaris said. “I think [the playoffs are] going to be really fun, and as a team we can make something really special out of this opportunity.”
Although the team has had a lot of success in the regular season, they have worked to keep that momentum and composure to advance as far as possible.
“As a captain, I’m trying to make sure we’re taking the season one game at a time and not getting overconfident,” captain and senior Andrew Goldstein said. “I’m also trying to make sure we stay focused and maintain good habits throughout the rest of the season and into the postseason.”
In order to prepare and succeed, the team has brought extreme intensity and drive to the ice every day, despite various obstacles.
“Right now, we are just trying to stay conditioned and healthy. This time of year injuries and sickness are always traveling through the locker room. We want to make sure we get healthy and keep our legs under us,” Marlow said. “Our team’s speed helps us in games. We just need to make sure we use that speed relentlessly on our opponents and don’t let up until the end.”
Due to the team’s regular season success, they are seen as a larger threat to opposing teams.
“We feel confident in our systems, but we need to know that there is going to be a huge target on our back through the playoffs because of how we have performed this season,” Marlow said. “They know they can’t take a night off. It’s always good to win and play well in the regular season, but you need to carry that confidence into every shift of the postseason.”
Although the team ended their seasons in the second round of the tournament the past two years, this year they hope to use that as motivation which has enabled them to progress further.
“One of our goals going into the season was to take care of business in the regular season in hopes of securing a higher seed,” Marlow said. “The past two seasons we have won our first round games, but have been in the middle of the pack, rankings wise, and because of this faced the first and second seeds respectively each year in the second round of play, losing 3-2 in overtime to #1 Norwell and 3-0 to #2 Sandwich.”
The playoffs are a very intense part of the season, so the team has worked to prepare for any and all competitors.
“A goal that I have for myself is to play fast and with pace,” Rogaris said. “I know it’s going to be high intensity and people are going to want to win, so we just have to keep up with that speed.”