On Nov. 13, the State High Ice Hockey Team faced Somerset in a thrilling shutout. State High won 5-0 with goals from senior Shane Bader, juniors Alex Chobody and Ollie Brumberg, and sophomore Ryan Marusa. The matchup was their second meeting of the season; on Nov. 4, State High won the first game 8-1.
With such a dominant win previously, the team went into the rematch feeling good, confident, and determined to beat them again.
“Going into it, we expected to win, so we were very confident cause we already beat them 8-1,” Marusa said. “It’s positive and negative in the way we are confident, but sometimes when that kinda stuff happens, you go into games knowing that you’re better, so you take your foot off the gas a little bit, but I think overall it’s positive for our team.”
The team has been off to a strong start this season, even while dealing with eight injured players. Despite missing a good portion of their lineup, their first win over Somerset gave them confidence heading into this second game.
“I got a hat trick the first game and I was not really nervous, but I still knew we were missing eight players, so we had to be ready,” freshman Ryan Dolphin said.
Just a few minutes into the game, Bader kicked things off by scoring the first goal for State High. They fought hard to keep Somerset off the board, and at the end of the first period, the score remained 1-0.
Being up by a goal early and holding Somerset scoreless gave the team early momentum. The way the team was playing let the crowd stay assured and have trust in the players.
“The team was playing really good together. It made me feel really confident from the beginning of the game because I could just tell that they were going to do great because of how well they were working together and how seamlessly it went,” sophomore spectator Charley Goodstein said.
Going into the second period, State High carried a one-goal lead. With 14 minutes left, Marusa scored to extend the lead. Three minutes later, with 11 minutes to go, Chobody scored. He added another goal with 18 seconds left in the period, making it 4-0. The second period was a huge success, with State High scoring three times and controlling the pace.
Entering the third period, Somerset was still scoreless. The team continued pushing to finish strong and protect the shutout. With 4:45 left in the game, Brumberg scored the final goal, securing the 5-0 win. The team worked together and used their skills to close out the game. The matchup was entertaining, leaving the players proud of how they performed.
“We felt really good about the win, and we played as a team, so I think that was all positive,” Dolphin said.
“I think we played really well, I think our goalie played great, obviously a shutout you will always take, but I think it was a very solid game by everybody,” Marusa said.
The State College fans left happy and impressed about how the team performed, carrying yet another win with them.
“The game was really fun to watch because every time I would get distracted or something they would just score another goal, and I just got sucked back into the game. They were playing really well together, and they were powerful, and they were definitely really confident with their skills, and they just wanted to win,” Goodstein said.
The team is back home at Pegula on Dec. 4 to take on Conemaugh Valley at 7:50.
