The Bonita Vista roller hockey team has just ended their playoff season.
On Feb. 4, the Barons lost to the Eastlake Titans 11-1 in a semifinals match held at the Castle Park High School roller hockey rink, the only rink in the district. Marking the last game of the season, sophomore and second-year player Aaron Odvina asserted that the team still held their heads high.
“Despite our loss, it felt amazing just to be able to play on a team that perseveres no matter the circumstances. Being one of the top teams in the league I feel so proud of all accomplishments we have achieved this year,” Odvina said.
Being one of the least represented teams on campus, it usually gets challenging to garner support from the rest of the school campus. Despite this setback, players were able to persist in their matches and were able to bond and form memories as the top-four team in the district. Senior and three-year varsity player Ethan Quillen reflected on his years on the team and this very sentiment.
“This was my last game and even though Eastlake shut us out, we still managed to be a team and stick together throughout this whole entire season,” Quillen said.
As seniors on the team such as Quillen hand on the reins to next year’s players, he has high hopes that the team will continue to improve. Junior Jolie Liken-Lopez explained how emotional it was to see the team grow.
“[The seniors] were very welcoming and super. The transition to joining this new sport for me made the environment comfortable and because of them, I am friends with most of the players on the team,” Lopez said.
Along with the players came challenges. Earlier this year, the roller hockey team faced player shortages and almost did not meet the requirements to play in the league. Head coach Michael Albright concluded with how despite the new players and challenges this year, the team was determined to leave no stone unturned.
“We have had a great season and our team just have come a long way. They are just not players but in this sport we want roller hockey to continue to grow and for the games to be fun for everyone. Seeing our kids from day one, they try to get extra work in as much as they can,” Albright said. “I am just very proud of how much work they put in throughout the whole season and I am proud of them as a whole.”
