by Alex Schley
In a season of despair, struggles, and calamity the boys hockey team(2-13-5) found a silver lining in a very unusual place
After starting the season off with a 1-7-2 record Coach Nanartowich decided to institute the “ Hard Hat,” a white hard hat with a big red “H” on the front. By “recognizing the little guy that you don’t always notice,” Coach Naz was believed it would boost team building and the general atmosphere within the locker room.
But according to senior caption Alex Sleeper, who was awarded the hat after scoring his first varsity goal, it did much more than that. “It forced everyone to work harder and work 110% all the time.”
Starting goalie Trevor Currin also attested to this. “Although as a team we did not have much success throughout the season, we used the hard hat as a goal, showing who the MVP of that game was. It was a good thing to thrive for when playing.”
After every game the player who received the hat in the previous game would give it to another player who went above and beyond, in that game, to benefit the team.
“The hat was player chosen, handed down from one player to another. Whoever got the hat would give it out next game. Amazingly it didn’t just go through a friend clique but more who deserved it. It allowed us to mend and bond more as a team,” Curran explained.
After the coaches instituted the hat, the players ran with it. On game day whoever received the hard hat in the previous game would wear it to school and then to the game.
In addition, to keep the team’s legacy alive, each recipient would sign the hat and write the score of the game.
Despite not having their best season, the boy’s hockey team found inspiration in a rather unusual place.
