In the seventh game of the season, the team played Denton County on Thursday, Nov. 8 at the Dr. Pepper StarCenter Frisco. The game started out looking unsuccessful, but toward the end, the team got their act together and defeated the Spartans, 6-to-4.
The starting players of the game were senior Luke Wodka, juniors Christian Berteau, Garrett Finn, Zach Van Compernolle, Logan Weinert and sophomore Ricky Sobieski. They were the strongest starters in previous games, but tonight the team seemed off their game. They were unfocused and tired. Denton received the puck after the first faceoff and passed the puck down to score in the first seconds of the game. Plano lost control of the puck within minutes of the game starting, and did not get control back until later in the game. Senior Jonathan Lebel entered the game and boosted much of the energy for the entire team. Berteau and Wodka played off each other and helped Weinert defend the goal. Junior Philip Traxler quickly came into the game. The opponents then took control back and scored again, leaving Plano back in Denton territory. Even though they were being aggressive, the Plano defense was not up to par this evening. However, after the second score, the team got a very passionate “pep talk” from Coach Jeff Mewett and quickly got their act together. Weinert, the goalie, defended the goal very well from then on. The puck was then passed to Lebel, who attempted the first shot on Denton. Their goalie was very skilled and blocked all 11 of Plano’s shot attempts. The boys seemed to lose momentum toward the end of the first period, but they did a better job defending against Denton. The score at the end of the first period was 4-0 with Denton in the lead.
Plano held the opponent back from the crease, or goal area. Traxler made the first point for Plano. However, the referees debated on whether it was fair or not. The crowed cheered when they announced it was a fair goal. Candela did a great job covering the entire ice; one second he was down defending and the next he was attempting to shoot. A Denton player was put into the penalty box for tripping. Seconds later, Lebel took an easy shot and scored for Plano. The team had better control of the puck during the second and third period. It was evident that their energy was much higher. There was a perfect setup for Candela to score, so they passed to him and tied up the score. Finn and Traxler were all over the Denton defenders, slamming them into the boards to get back the puck. The boys became more and more aggressive as the game went on. Candela then scored again, assisted by senior Michael Sax. The score was tied at the end of the second period.
During the third period, Plano seemed like a completely different team. They were passing more and were more aware of their teammates. Senior Brock Van Cleve was put into the penalty box for “boarding”, slamming full speed into another player. Traxler and Lebel scored the final points for Plano, bringing the score to 6. During the entire game, Weinert blocked 29 shots on the Plano goal. The other goalie, junior Ryan O’Dell, did not play today, but Weinert did an excellent job.
The team needs the support of their classmates, so let’s get more students to the games next week.
Check back here every week for Plano sports updates.
Varsity Hockey Schedule
15-Nov-12 6:30 PM PL-US vs McKinney
20-Nov-12 7:30 PM EU-Gold vs SL Carroll
29-Nov-12 7:30 PM FB-Gainey vs Mansfield
6-Dec-12 6:30 PM PL-US vs Keller
13-Dec-12 6:30 PM DPA-Arena vs Jesuit
20-Dec-12 7:45 PM DPA-Stars vs Grapevine/Colleyville
10-Jan-13 6:30 PM DPA-Arena vs Coppell
17-Jan-13 6:30 PM DPA-Arena vs Birdville
24-Jan-13 6:30 PM PL-US vs Arlington
31-Jan-13 6:30 PM PL-US vs Richardson/Rockwell
7-Feb-13 7:45 PM DPA-Stars vs Midlothian
14-Feb-13 8:45 PM MK-South vs Plano East
21-Feb-13 6:30 PM DPA-Arena vs Marcus
26-Feb-13 8:45 PM MK-South vs Frisco
28-Feb-13 7:00 PM MK-South vs Allen
