Ice flies everywhere as skates glide gracefully against the cool wet ice. As the puck slides towards the wall, players crash against each other. The sound of wood clashes as the fight ensues for the three-inch long hockey puck.
For the Coppell hockey team, this sport that they love is what keeps them going beyond the hard times for the program.
Being the best team in the 2A division in the state, the Coppell hockey team was soaring to new heights with the state championship in 2023. In addition, it scored not one but five players going to national competitions. But the following season, everything changed.
“We lost all of our senior guys,” Coppell coach DJ Graham said. “All of our guys that had been with us for three or four years had all graduated at the same time.”
With Graham’s team not being able to pool enough seniors, the league requested them to forfeit their rights for a season in order to build a more competitive team for varsity hockey.
“We just couldn’t provide the league with enough members,” Graham said. “As we continue to develop our younger players on the JV program, we really advocate for more players to come and join so that we can garner more attention.”
With hockey already being an underrepresented sport, people don’t know much about Coppell’s hockey team.
“Honestly, I did not know we even had a hockey team,” CHS junior Cole Roberts said. “The fact that Coppell hockey won state last year and most of us as a school did not know about it isn’t a good thing.”
For many players, they practice multiple times a day and the odd hours are truly rough.
“I have to get up early for hockey practice and go late to practice,” Coppell Middle School North eighth grade starter Edward Clack said. “It is hard sometimes to find the motivation, but throughout my time with them, I have started to love hockey, and getting on the ice is awesome.”
For many kids, hockey wasn’t even a realistic option until later on.
“I first played baseball and then soccer when I was younger,” CMSN eighth grade starter Carmine Caponi said. “Finding hockey was hard, but with the connections I had, and with the way the team performed in the last few years, I knew I had to play.”
Looking forward to next year, Graham really wants to see an improvement in the team.
“I have been trying to get our team to step up during this pivot year,” Graham said. “Obviously we are in the JV leagues but it is still a way for me to make these guys better for next year.”
With the season underway, Coppell plays every Sunday from then with breaks on Feb. 18 and March 10. The regular season ends March 17.
“We have a tight schedule and late practices but it’s worth it,” Graham said. “With the way our season is going right now, we are going to have a competitive team for varsity next year.”All in all, Graham wants to spread more awareness about the sport.
“I really want to get more fan support and get more people to find hockey,” Graham said. “As we gear towards next year, I want Coppell to see what hockey is and what our team is actually capable of.”
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