Despite a rocky second half of the regular season, on Mar. 10, the girls varsity hockey team defeated the number 6 seeded Fenwick Friars 5-4 in overtime to advance to the state semifinals.
The game was close, with the number 3 seeded Trevians needing an overtime period to break a 4-4 tie. Ivy Dynek, a senior forward and leading goal scorer for the Trevians, considered the result a momentum-builder for her team. “Last night was a big step,” said Dynek. “We tied [Fenwick] every time we played them before. We were more confident going in to this game and it paid off.”
With the win against Fenwick, the Trevians will take on the number 2 ranked Latin School of Chicago Romans in the state semifinals.
According to head coach Nelson Forsberg, Latin plays tough and features some standout players.
“We need to continue to work hard against them and keep an eye on their best players in the ‘semi’s,’” said Forsberg.
Barrett Sullivan, a senior captain for the Trevians, shares Forbergs’ thoughts on their upcoming opponent.
“They have a few good players but they have no depth unlike [us],” said Sullivan. “We just have to stop them from scoring goals. They can’t win if they can’t score.”
Dynek agreed.
“Our biggest concern is shutting down the forwards on Latin. We have to put everything out on the ice on Tuesday,” said Dynek.
While the Trevians are prepared to shut down Latin’s threats, Forsberg expressed concerns about discipline. “We need to work hard all game first and foremost,” said Forsberg. “We need to play a solid defense and avoid penalties. Taking bad penalties will really make things tough.”
In addition to avoiding the penalty box, Forsberg also stressed the importance of rebounds on the offensive side of the puck.
“We have struggled at times during the year to score on rebounds. That’s something we have been working on and it will be important in the game,” said Forsberg.
The varsity coach also believes that a key to winning the semifinal game is an optimistic mindset.
“We have to stay positive and work hard the whole game, whether it’s the ‘semis’ or state,” said Forsberg. “Momentum can shift quickly in hockey, and keeping a good attitude has helped us play some of our best hockey the last couple of games.”
The team has faced extra pressure all season since last year’s state championship victory. The expectation for this season has been to win state, but losing their core of seniors, including captain Molly Klare and alternate captain Carla Zalesky, has made that a more daunting task.
“We feel a ton of pressure going in to these games,” said Sullivan.
“Lots of players graduated last year, but despite being a young team, we have been on a roll.”
The Trevians accumulated a 4-10-2 record during the second half of the season, but still earned a 3 seed in the state tournament, and thanks to a postseason run, the team remains positive and ready to face the next challenge.
“Everybody was on a different page early on in the season, but we have come together as a team and now we all have the same goal,” said Dynek.
Sullivan echoed her teammates thoughts.
“No one expected us to make it past the quarterfinals,” she said. “The most important thing we can do is stay focused. Hockey is a mental game. Both teams have trained so hard for this. The winner is going to be whichever team wants it more.”