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They are the players and coaches who make up the Severna Park ice hockey team, better known simply as “Spockey.” They're the ones who have lost only three games total in the past two seasons.
They're the ones who battered opponents near and far in 2012-2013, scoring 78 goals in 13 games while amassing a 10-2-1 regular-season record, winning the Maryland Student Hockey League Eastern Conference with a 9-0-1 record.
They're the ones who came from behind to knock off Annapolis/Old Mill, 3-2, in overtime in the semifinals of this year’s state tournament on February 20, advancing to the state final for the second time in program history.
Finally, after a thrilling end to a magnificent season, they're something even more extraordinary.
They're the state champions.
At the Gardens Ice House in Laurel on February 25, Severna Park got three goals from Nick Bondra against the Washington County North Stars in the 1A state title game, his third score coming five minutes into sudden-death overtime and sealing a 5-4 Falcons win and the program's first-ever state championship.
Finley Code notched a goal and two assists for the Falcons, who got another goal from James McKenney and 22 saves from Travis Danko in the win, which came in Severna Park's second trip to the title game and first since the ’05-’06 season.
Head Coach Dennis Gaudet, who saw his team’s 4-1 lead quickly evaporate during a nerve-wracking third period, said his squad pulled together enough to emerge victorious.
“We didn't get too emotionally high or too emotionally low,” he said. “We kept even-keeled and stuck to our game plan and prevailed in the end.”
Though the Falcons never trailed, the game was defined by huge swings in momentum, with Severna Park dominating the first two periods before a penalty-riddled third frame threatened to upend their title hopes.
Bondra opened the scoring less than three minutes into the first, receiving Code's pass from behind the net and beating Washington County keeper Jeremy Benda low for a 1-0 Severna Park lead.
The North Stars equalized later in the frame on a fantastic individual effort by Travis Biggs—who sliced through two defenders and beat Danko top shelf—but the Falcons established the tone of the game as a very physical one. Massive checks by Bailey Pottinger and Jake Seibel left a few North Stars sprawled on the ice, and the Falcons were hustling harder and playing hungrier than their opponents through the first fifteen minutes.
Severna Park's vision of hoisting the 1A cup started to take shape in the second period. After Bondra was stonewalled by Benda on a breakaway attempt, he got his revenge moments later, taking a pass from Code, working a nifty juke and five-holing Benda for a 2-1 Severna Park lead.
Just two minutes later, a hard slap shot by Severna Park's Eric Manning was deflected expertly into the net by James McKenney, giving the Falcons a 3-1 edge.
The frustrated North Stars lost a bit of their cool, and a scuffle in front of the Washington County net led to a penalty and put the Falcons a man up. On the power play, Bondra controlled the puck behind the Washington County net and threaded a pass to Code, who smashed it home on a one-timer to push Severna Park out to a 4-1 lead, the Park students rattling the packed stands in booming celebration.
“We've played together for two years straight now,” said Bondra of teaming with Code for a third score. “We know where each other are all the time, and we just have that connection to score goals.”
The end of the second period was a merciful break for Washington County at a time when Severna Park's momentum was at its highest point.
Penalties were nearly the death of the Falcons, as two roughings and a boarding call gave the North Stars a total of four power-play minutes in the third period. Biggs scored with 11 minutes to play to inch the North Stars closer, the shorthanded Falcons noticeably beginning to tire out defending the power play. A score by Sean Krepps with five minutes remaining got Washington County to within one at 4-3, and they tied it just a minute later when a rebound escaped Danko and was flicked home by Josh Barron.
The once-jubilant Severna Park crowd was now drowned out by a much smaller Washington student section as the stunned Falcons looked suddenly to be on the ropes.
Severna Park maintained enough composure, however, to keep the North Stars from taking a lead. Danko made three saves over a furious final stretch that saw each team get good looks at the goal. Jessi Kuhlman’s wrister with two minutes left nearly put the Falcons ahead but was saved by Benda, and a Bondra breakaway was saved by a diving North Star who got his stick in the way just in time. Washington County got three looks at goal in the final thirty seconds but couldn’t score, and the game went to sudden-death overtime.
In the same position against Annapolis/Old Mill in the semifinal, when the Falcons advanced to the final on Ryan Frey's game-winner, Severna Park had already shown themselves what they needed to do.
“We said, ‘We've done this before, we’ve been in overtime, we know how to do it,’” said senior defenseman Jake Seibel. “You have to go out there and just outwork them every play.”
Four minutes in, glory came for Severna Park. On the break, Frey sent the puck screaming towards the goal, and Bondra pounced. His first shot was kicked away. His second was not.
“I was going hard to the net, and Ryan curled to the middle, passed it to me, I shot it at the goalie's pad, shot it again, and it went in,” Bondra said.
The horn sounded; gloves, sticks and helmets went flying; and the Falcons piled on at center ice to celebrate the program's first state championship.
Gaudet spoke of the team's unwavering dedication and focus from before the season even started.
“We set goals at the beginning of the year, and the goal was to win our division, be the least-penalized team, and then advance through the playoffs to the state championship game,” he said. “We accomplished all our goals. I couldn’t be more proud of these guys. Everybody bought in. Everyone was goal-oriented. Every shift, they didn't play for themselves, they played for the team, and now we have the ultimate team prize, the state championship.”
Seibel, the team's captain, put the title in the hands of everyone who has contributed to the program.
“I’ve been playing for four years, and I looked up to a lot of guys when I was younger,” he said. “I knew when we can get to this spot, you gotta win it, not just for us but for the guys in the past, too.” And of this year's squad, the one to finally grab that state championship? “It’s the best group of guys I’ve played with, and it’s awesome to finish my Spockey career with these guys.”
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