Judge Hockey: Another Season Gone

This hockey season for the Judge Memorial Bulldogs was thought to be a season of rebuilding. A new coach with many fresh faces had many people optimistic about this season. They started out the season with hopes of playing in a state title game. Even though nobody thought this was possible, the coaches and players still had faith. Well, the season is coming to an end and the Bulldogs hockey team fell short of their goal of a state championship.

"We all had very high hopes for this season, but some of them couldn't be fulfilled," says Wilson Lamb, who plays on the varsity team, despite being a freshman. "Obviously, we would have like to see out team go farther, but it was still a very fun season and I loved every second of it."

The Bulldogs are finishing off the season with a mediocre record, but they are still proud of it. "I'm very proud of all of my teammates; not just from their performance of the rink, but also because of the way that each and everyone of them kept their composure throughout our struggles and triumphs. They are all great sports," says Lamb of his teammates.

This was thought to be a season of rebuilding, and in a way, it was. All of the teammates were brought together by first year coach, Todd Brown. Even though this wasn't the year that the Bulldogs had hoped for, there is always next year. Junior standout, Shawn Benvugnue, and rising stars like sophomore Steve Strehl and Wilson Lamb will make up one of the best hockey teams to ever play at Judge Memorial.

A Team Left Behind

On Friday, December 5th, Judge Memorial Hockey played a game against Davis High School. As the people began piling in, the Davis side of the rink was swarming with Davis fans. Within five minutes of the game, there was not a single spot open on the Davis bleachers. The Judge team alternatively, had one, lone student, a dedicated teacher/priest, and a few supporting parents. Out of the 815 students that go to Judge Memorial, there was one student representing Judge and supporting the hockey team. The Davis fans were nothing short of brutal. Not only were they making snide remarks to Judge Players, but they were mocking everything Judge stands for; they were disgracing the name of Judge Memorial, but in the same sense, Judge was disgracing itself. The game ended in an outlook of aggravation and deep frustration because bluntly this was nothing new. The hockey team represents Judge, but who represents them? The moral and mental conditions were at a saddening low.

This was not the only game of this outcome and degrading mental affect. As part of its mission statement, Judge Memorial encourages and teaches students: “Respect for oneself, for one another, for the learning process, and for the physical environment which should be the hallmarks of all who form the Judge family.” The Judge Family: Is that what we really are? A family doesn’t leave out a member; a family respects and loves everyone; and most important, a family supports each other. Seeing this year’s hockey season, one can conclude we are far from family.

As these Davis fans cheered on their players and insulted and degraded the Judge players, the one Judge fan and the few supporting parents yelled as loud as they could for their team, but their voices could not be heard over the opposing sides.

We, as a school, can help out the hockey team, and all unrecognized and shadowed teams for this matter. Whether it is hockey, swimming, soccer or dance, we all need to be there to show our love and support for each other. We need to be a family and we have to start now. We, Judge Memorial Catholic High School, need to build up that pride again and show our students we care for them. “When you pull on that jersey, the name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the name on the back.” –Herb Brooks at the 1980 US Olympic Hockey Game.

Bulldogs Hockey: A Season of Rebuilding

As the Judge Memorial Bulldogs had their first hockey practice on August 25, they were all very excited about beginning hockey season, despite having to be at Steiner Aquatics Center at 6:00 AM. They were all very tired, but happy to be there because they are hoping to get past their recent struggles. Although Judge has a storied history for their hockey time, they have not done their best in the past few years.

"We have a very young team," says coach head coach Todd Brown, "but we are growing and we are looking to improve on last year." Coach Brown is new to the Judge Hockey program and he hopes to start off his Judge Hockey career right as the team prepares for Sky View on September 8^th. "We have many new challenges this year, but I have also seen a lot of improvement in our first practices." The Bulldogs are led by Shawn Benvugnue, junior, and Steve Strehl, sophomore.

Freshman hockey player, Wilson Lamb, is just as excited about this season as Coach Brown is. "We have a lot of talent on our team this year," he explains, "As long as we work together as a team we have the potential to beat anybody." Although this is his first year of Judge Hockey, Wilson can't wait to play, even if he is only on the junior varsity team. He has been playing hockey since he was little and is very excited about getting to play at the high school level. Even though this is a rebuilding year for the Bulldogs Hockey team, the expectations for this season are very high.

Judge Hockey

Judge’s Hockey Team is off to a slow start. The Varsity team started off by losing to Cache Valley in an exhibition game and then to Park City in the regular season. They then tied South Valley but again, lost to Brighton. The Junior Varsity team has also not had the greatest start in the world. They lost to Fremont and tied the next two games to Park City and Viewmont. Although they aren’t winning all their games the future years look better.

The five freshmen on the hockey teams give new hope for wins in the future. With Stevie Strehl (#23) at left wing, Keegan Teeter (#2) right defense, Shepard Scott (#21) wing, Davis Pope (#31), and Alex Andruzzi (#39) goalie, things are looking upward. Stevie Strehl who is on the starting line, has already scored once this season for varsity and four times for JV. Shepard Scott has put his name out there by already scoring once for the varsity team. Both the varsity goalies have also proved useful. Davis Pope already has 52 saves for the varsity team and twelve for JV while Alex Andruzzi has 15 saves for varsity and 10 for JV. And last but not least Keegan Teeter has appeared in 4 games for the varsity team and 1 for the JV team.

All in all even though Judge’s hockey team hasn’t started so great it looks like they will be able to pick it up and finish strong. The future also looks good as long as the freshman keep it up. We’ll look forward to new and great players through the next years and good luck to both varsity and JV at their next games!

Judge hockey has a new star

Judge's Bulldog hockey team has had a rocky start to the season, but one new addition to the team is proving to be a strong asset. Freshman Steve Strehl has already put himself on the board twice this season, the first time in the varsity game against Cache Valley Independent. He was at it again this past weekend, scoring the only two goals for the JV team against Park City in Park City. New goalies Davis Pope and Alex Andruzzi are also proving to be very valuable, both for their agility and accuracy. Good luck to our varsity team against South Valley Independent tomorrow at 8 o'clock in the Acord arena!

- by Lieren S. Allen

Hockey Team Gets New Coaching Staff

The Judge Memorial Varsity hockey team has a whole new line-up this year, and not just on the roster. Former assistant coach Anthony Pike has taken over the position of head coach on the team. Cole Fisher, another assistant from last year, has also returned with his teammate Chuck German for the University of Utah hockey team. Both Fisher and German have played on the U of U hockey team for a few years, and are contributing both their college level experience and their skating skills to the betterment of the team. The Bulldogs have also been blessed with a group of new freshman players, including a new goalie and several sharp skaters who are already adding their talent to the team at practices. After losing veteran players Sean Abel, Marc Potvien, Kris Kanger, Dakota Kummer, and Chris VanWagenen, the team is barely at a full roster. However, with all the new talent and perspective, the team stands a high chance of having another great season.

- by Lieren S. Allen

Hockey is hittin' the ice

The hockey season is off to an early start, literally. They have started practice every Wednesday morning at 6:00 a.m. at Steiner. They don't have a schedule yet, but the season should include 14 Varsity and JV games, and at least 16 practices. The games are expected to start in September.
- by Max Lamb