They ain't puckin' around

When Friday night comes around, ice hockey games are not on the minds of many students. Not only that, but most have not even heard of AHS’s co-ed ice hockey team with Herndon High School, forming the Herndon Hornets. Although AHS is only represented by three students, that does not discourage them from putting forth their best effort.

Senior Tyler Coquelin is one of the captains for the Hornets. His passion for skating began when Coquelin was only one year old. During the season, Coquelin would frequently watch our hometown NHL hockey team, the Washington Capitals with his favorite player, Adam Oates.
He quickly learned how to play roller hockey. By the time he was 14 he moved on to play ice hockey, which is what Coquelin is currently involved in. He plays for two teams in the Northern Virginia area, the Herndon Hornets and the Reston Raiders.

Coquelin travels up north about once or twice a month with his teams. They also sometimes travel to exotic places. Coquelin’s favorite trip was to Pentictin, British Colombia, Canada, to compete in a tournament.

Ice hockey is a aggressive sport. It is common for hockey players to have fake teeth after having their teeth knocked out by the puck or by a fight. Coquelin said,“I got a concussion from an illegal hit from behind that threw me into the boards.  That’s probably the worst injury I’ve had.” For most hockey fans one of the thrills of going to a hockey game is to witness the fights and broken bones.

Coquelin switches between two positions wing and center. He usually prefers to play center just like Adam Oates. When he plays center, his job is to mostly play in the middle of the ice, away from the sideboards. When he plays wing, his job is the opposite of center. He plays on the sides and gets rebounds to try and set up for the center to take a shot.

The adrenaline rush from hitting people and scoring goals has convinced Coquelin to continue to play when he attends college next year and also in club teams.
The Herndon Hornets have a 1-1 record so far and plan on having a successful season. They meet once a week to practice at Skate Quest in Reston, Virginia. Their practices last about an hour and a half and consist of drills such as suicides that help with their skating skills. Coquelin’s least favorite drill is called rush in circles. “Its when you skate around every circle in the skating rink with a puck.” said Coquelin.

The team is co-ed, but they have not had a girl player on the team since last year. When teams are co-ed, it can sometimes create problems with the team. Some boys feel that it is not right to charge at a girl and throw her up against a board at the same speed you would with a boy.

“It is kind of weird,” said junior John Copenhaver. “Because they are not normally on the ice and you are surprised when you see a girl.”

Copenhaver is another player that makes up the Hornets. He was first inspired to play when his dad introduced it to him. He has been playing for 13 years. Like Coquelin, Copenhaver plays one more than one team. His second team, which is the Ice Dogs, has a record of four wins, three losses and two ties.

The Herndon Hornets next game is December 21, at Skate Quest. They are playing against James Madison and George Marshall High School that is another combined/divisional team.