Battlefield Hockey Beats Rival Patriot

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Photo by Shannon Phillips The Battlefield High School Bobcat beat rivals the Patriot Pioneers 7-5 Friday night. Photo by Shannon Phillips

The Battlefield Bobcats’ hockey team came into their senior night with a 1-6 record and left with a 7-5 win against rival Patriot Pioneers.

During senior night, the team’s seniors are honored for their efforts, contributions, and commitment to their school and its athletic program.

The Haymarket Ice Complex hosted the game for both Patriot and Battlefield, accompanied by an intense and excited atmosphere as students piled in.

Patriot began with the first goal of the night from Zach Norby and an assist from Anthony Pinnisi, which Battlefield returned with an equalizer goal from Malcolm McGlasson with an assist from Bryan Bruggewortth.

First period ended 1-1.

Pioneer Zach Norby scored his second goal of the night to break the tie with an assist from J.D. Hicks.

However, the tempo of the game began to shift after the Bobcats scored three goals in a span of 7 minutes.

“Team effort wise, we played unbelievable,” Battlefield captain Nick Ludeman said. “Once we scored those three goals, we had a lot of momentum swing into our favor, which made Patriot play twice as hard to chase the lead.”

Patriot senior and captain J.D. Hicks ended their drive with an assist from Alex Harvey in the last two minutes of the second period to narrow the deficit down to one goal.

Photo by Shannon Phillips Patriot captain J.D. Hicks, with an assist, ended the Bobcats three goal drive during the second period. Photo by Shannon Phillips

Battlefield’s Nelson Demarest countered Patriots’ attack with a goal and an assist that were within 12 seconds of each other.

At the end of the second period, the Bobcats were able to pull away with a 6-4 lead to dominate over the Pioneers.

The pace of the game slowed as the third period began. The Bobcats and the  Pioneers wore themselves out trying to maintain possession of the puck.

The game ended with the Bobcats winning 7-5 over the Pioneers.

“We did the best that we could,” Hicks said. “We had some really bad breaks and a couple defensive plays that lead to goals that should not have been scored in the first place.”

Overall, Hicks offered a positive outlook for the future of Patriot hockey.

“As the captain, I try to lead by example. This was my senior night and I really wanted to prove how far we’ve come as a team,” Hicks said. “I think we proved that despite the score. We still have a 6-3 record and a playoff run to begin so hopefully we can accomplish something with that.”

Battlefield Head Coach Dave Ramos trusted that his team would pull out the win from the start.

“Our record may not have shown it going into the game but we have a very strong team and roster,” Ramos said. “Our confidence was just as high as any other game.”

This is the second year of the hockey program at Battlefield and their first senior night.

“Given the conditions, I was a little nervous. We had a lot of help from the Patriot managers as well,” Ramos said. “I think our senior night was very successful and all three seniors played really well especially our captain Nick.”

Ludeman believes that despite their record and history, Battlefield played the most important game of the season to the best of their ability to accomplish the win.

“We had a tough season with a lot of injuries and guys not being able to make some games so we felt Patriot was going to underestimate us,” Ludeman said. “The guys are really proud of this game and tonight couldn’t have gone any better. The boys played unbelievable, senior night was a success, and it was a great game.”

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