Broadneck-Area Middle Schoolers Unite On Ice Hockey Team

The Broadneck middle-school ice hockey team had a successful year competing in the loosely organized middle school hockey league along with Severna Park, Central, Chesapeake and Crofton.

A mix of sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders, the Bruins supplemented their respective club hockey seasons by playing together in a league focused simply on having fun.

The team comprised eighth-graders Kyra Lime, Troy Matchett, James Smack, Albie Palsa, Stefan Wikar, Henry Viscardi, Ryan Kucharski, Dylan Witte and Seth Fisher; seventh-graders Caleb Young, Gavin Wildberger and Payton Palsa; and sixth-graders Jackson Camden, Sam Rivera, Aiden Weber, Nancy Schindler, Brady May, Chase Monaco, Bret Porter, Eliot Martin and Max Marinello. The Bruins were coached by Bob Lime, Steve Matchett, Mike Viscardi, Brian Smack, John Camden and team manager Ann Young.

A highlight for all teams came in the fast-paced county tournament, played in a five-day span in March. All teams play in play-in round games against each other, then a championship matchup is determined after play-in round game results and tiebreakers are processed. Some games are played back-to-back in a single night.

Crofton repeated as champions of the league after defeating Central in the championship game.

The Bruins don’t practice throughout the year and just come together for games, keeping a “pond hockey with coaches” ethos, said coach Lime.

“We treat this as a fun extra team for the players in the area,” said Lime. “It is an opportunity for the kids that go to school together to play on the same team for once. There is a wide range of skill on the middle school teams. The great thing about this league is that the more experienced players help the newer players improve. We do a shootout after almost every game where all players from both teams (including the goalies) take a penalty shot on the other team. It really is a lot of fun.”