Westside Club Hockey with Mixed Results to Start Off Season

Noah Atlas and Joe Scioli|December 8, 2021

Zev Gordman

Westside forward Nicholas Lountjer eyes down a puck loose on the near side. – Photo by Zev Gordman

The Westside hockey team began the 2021-2022 season with mixed results. The Warriors have a record of 4-3-1, after two months of competition. After a 1-1 start, Westside tied 3-3 against Millard South in a hard fought defensive battle between both teams. The Warriors bounced back with a 10-1 domination over Millard North at Baxter Arena.

“It felt really good to grab that win against Millard North,” head coach Tom Shaffer said. “In that particular tie against Millard South, I believe we outplayed them enough to get a victory, but the bounces didn’t go our way given a phenomenal performance from their goalie [Jackson Roberts].”

Since then, Westside suffered a one goal  loss against Millard West, and most recently a 2-1 victory against Gretna. Prior to the Gretna match, the Westside football team had just been taken down by the Dragons in the State Championship game, so that served as some added motivation for the squad, when they hit the ice.

“The football game was definitely discussed after our game,” Shaffer said. “We wanted to get a little bit of redemption for Westside, getting out of there with a 2-1 win against Gretna.”

The top scorer for the Warriors has been forward Owen Singh. The Westside junior has scored six goals, including a hat-trick against Millard North.

Ty Madison has been a reliable piece for the team, sitting near the top of the scoring totals and defensive ratings for Westside. Madison has noticed several new additions to the team with five sophomores and one freshman on the roster,  but the Westside senior knows the importance of development.

“We want to keep getting the younger guys reps in practice,” Madison said. “Finding that chemistry between our forward lines will definitely help our overall success as a team.”

The Warriors have been a dominant team defensively during Madison’s tenure, however they have experienced some offensive struggles. 

“We have been struggling to produce offense this year,” Madison said. “I think that’s gonna be the biggest factor in the next few games, seeing how we are able to score the puck and put up points.”

Westside’s next game is on Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 8:45p.m. when the Warriors face Papillion-La-Vista at Holland Ice inside Baxter Arena.