CABIN JOHN, MD – A week after knocking Rockville and Magruder out of the playoffs, B-CC’s ice hockey team was rearing to go for their second round matchup with the Sherwood Warriors. The teams met twice during the regular season, with Sherwood getting the best of B-CC both times. Unfortunately, this game was no exception.
It only took about three minutes for Ryan Green to get the Warriors on the board. It didn’t take much time for Sherwood to extend their lead, with strikes from Vaughn Teeter and Green once again. Although the score was looking rough, the Barons’ student section stayed in it, and as chants of “David High” rained down from the bleachers, the B-CC senior found the back of the net for his first goal of the playoffs.
The second period was relatively uneventful, but the big story coming out of the period was missed opportunities for B-CC. The team found themselves with several breakaway chances that ended with either an uncompetitive shot or the puck missing the goal completely. The only goal scored during the frame came from Sherwood’s Roman Khrizman to extend the lead to 4-1.
The first half of the third period felt like a now-or-never situation for the Barons, who finally were able to chip into the Sherwood lead with a goal from junior Leo Alley-Strocher. Unfortunately, Sherwood’s Cameron Colandro answered back almost immediately, putting what felt like the final wraps on the Barons. With 2:21 remaining, Alley-Strocher struck again, igniting B-CC’s student section as well as the team. It took only a minute more for the junior to complete the natural hat-trick by scoring all three of his goals within a single period. Down by only a goal now, the Barons had just over a minute to complete the comeback and force overtime. The team nearly scored several times, but Sherwood held their ground up until the final buzzer, advancing them in their quest for the state championship.
After the game, Alley-Strocher offered some insight into his hat-trick. “I think it’s impressive, not just for me, but for the whole team contributing to three goals at the end.” Alley-Strocher also talked about how influential the late push was for the team. “It’s such a hard thing to do when everyone is just down and out, but you get one, and then you get two, and then you get three, and all of a sudden it’s all flipped around.”
Although the team lost, B-CC’s student section made its presence known, and the team could feel it. “You don’t get many games throughout the season where you get a big crowd, and every time you do, you just try to savor it. It’s so special. Playing in front of your peers and your friends, your classmates, and kind of just getting to represent your school for them.” B-CC’s leading goal scorer also talked about the effect his classmates had on the game, citing that “[whenever] Sherwood scored, I was thankful for our student section to kind of just get right in there and shut out any momentum. So even that plays a huge part in the game.”
Next season’s team will feature plenty of new names due to the high turnover from this year’s senior class. Hopefully, next year’s team will see a longer playoff run.
