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A 9-6 win over top league rival Easton at Bowie Ice Arena on December 19 pushed the Severna Park club ice hockey team to 4-0 in league play this season, and as of January 9 they stood at 5-3 overall, perfect in league play at 5-0. A composite team made up of students from Severna Park, Chesapeake, and Severn, the Falcons have established themselves as perhaps the strongest squad in a geographically widespread league featuring teams from Eleanor Roosevelt, Dulaney, Easton, Fallston, and Kent Island, in addition to county teams Arundel, Annapolis/Old Mill, Broadneck, and South River.
“We really don’t have any weaknesses, which is fantastic,” said Head Coach Chuck Fox following the win over Easton. “Our defense is as strong as you get. I haven’t seen another defense out there as strong. Our forwards are great—it kind of makes it easy to coach when you have that.
Against the previously unbeaten in league play Easton Ice Hawks on December 19, the Falcons flexed their muscle at both ends of the ice from the outset of the game. Expecting a challenging matchup, Severna Park jumped all over Easton early, as goals by Severn’s Hartin Code (twice), Severn’s Finley Code, Severn’s Nick Bondra, Severna Park’s Jake Seibel, and Severna Park’s Jesse Kuhlman—the latter the team’s lone female player—pushed the Falcons out to a 6-1 lead midway through the second period.
“We’re trying to go undefeated in the league,” said Seibel, one of the team’s captains, after the game. Curiously, league rules prevent first-year composite teams from qualifying for the playoffs, so the players see an undefeated league season as their primary goal, and they haven’t allowed the lack of postseason hopes to put a damper on their focus of getting better day in and day out. “All we do is just work hard,” said Seibel. “That’s our motto. We don’t quit.”
That kind of resolve was needed from midway through the second period on against Easton, as the Ice Hawks made a valiant comeback attempt, roaring back to tie the game at 6-6 late in the period. But the Severna Park defense—led by 19 saves from Chesapeake’s Travis Danko in goal—clamped down late, and the Falcons made the most of power play opportunities to notch three more goals during the third period, one each by the Code brothers and one by Chesapeake’s Bailey Pottinger, to wrap up the 9-6 win. Chesapeake’s Ray Rose had four assists for the Falcons; while Severna Park’s Zack St. Lawrence, Joe Weadon, and Travis Witt each had one assist; and Chesapeake’s Ryan Frey also had one assist.
Coach Fox attributes the success of the team this season to their team-first mentality, every player having the back of every other player. “You can see when some of our players go out there and get hit, [our other players] are looking for retribution,” said Fox. “They take up for each other. Whether it’s in practice or in games, they really look out for each other, and you can’t coach it, it just shows up. The nice thing is even though we are three different schools, a lot of these kids play together on the club teams and know each other. There’s a camaraderie that you don’t always get, and it’s nice to have.”
Update: Severna Park shut out league opponent Eleanor Roosevelt, 10-0, on January 6, powered by goals from Witt (2), Bondra (2), St. Lawrence (2), Rose (2), Ted Gregory, and Tom Sheldon; assists by Witt (2), Hartin Code (3), Ryan Frey (3), Bondra, St. Lawrence, Gregory, Jake Siefert, and Joe Weadon; and 10 saves by Danko.
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