By Daniel Carr, Staff Writer
After finishing off last season with a loss to Marriotts Ridge in the county finals, the Ice Hawks are back. The River Hill Ice Hawks made a lot of improvements during their off season, and are looking to bounce back and win the Counties this year.
After going 4-3-4 last season, they have a chip on their shoulder and are looking to majorly improve. They are looking for a long run into playoffs, and hopefully this year the team can come through with a county championship. When asked about how he thinks the team will do this year, Senior captain Eric Roth explained, “I’m trying not to be biased but I really do think that our team this year could really stand out and be good.”
The team is full of great seniors this year that hope to make an impact, including Jason Benedek, Eric Roth, Iain Snoddy, and Chris D’antonio. These seniors have had a lot of experience in Howard County ice hockey. Although they lost some Seniors from last year, hopefully they will be able to keep the same intensity that they had towards the end of their last season.
The players are super excited to get their skates on and get back out on the ice; Captain Iain Snoddy being one of them. When he was asked about this year’s competition, Snoddy said, “There are definitely some weak links in the county and other teams are looking very good, I think River Hill is up there if not at the top with the best teams in the entire county.” Head Coach Jose Valdesuso added “Marriott Ridge and River Hill’s rivalry will continue and get more intense this year after River Hill gets their revenge for the county championship game at the end of last year’s season.” Coach also says that “the seniors seem to have taken a huge step up and really want to be the best team in the league this year.”
Senior Christian Delauney, a huge fan of the ice hawks, went to a lot of their games last year. Delauney was at every game that River Hill was playing in during the playoffs, including the county championship. Christian said, “I love hockey, every chance that I get to go to a River Hill game I beg my friends and family to go with me.” He also says that River Hill, just like last year, should be as good, if not better than they were last year. He expects them to make it all the way, and for this year’s Seniors to really take the next step and lead the team to the top.