Skating Towards Their Shot at States
Ice hockey’s recent success is motivating them to advance past playoffs
By Dat Huynh
Ice hockey’s recent success is motivating them to advance past playoffs
By Dat Huynh
Referred to as a modern-day “gladiatorial” fight by the NBC Sports Boston Staff, cold chills, fast speeds and painful hits makes ice hockey a thrilling and exciting sport to both play and watch, motivating students and coaches to found Pioneer’s ice hockey team three years ago.
In their third consecutive playoff run, Pioneer’s ice hockey team is looking to advance further towards achieving their ultimate goal of winning a championship.
Assistant coach Jeff Shiverdaker has seen a great improvement over the past few years. He believes that players have built up their relationships and close bonds by practicing harder and more frequently.
“Many of our players have played now with us for three years, and there becomes a familiarity,” said Shiverdaker. “This year, we have been able to have more regulated practices of which in the previous two years we virtually had none.”
In his final year of high school hockey, Phillip Collard, 12, knows that they have improved since he started playing last season, but still holds them to high expectations in hopes of winning a championship.
“The overall dynamic of our team has gotten much better over the years and we have gotten closer and closer. I think that itself has helped a lot with our success, which was helped by us gaining more experienced players,” said Collard. “We are going to need people to step up at critical times and stay out of the penalty box — taking penalties has hurt us all season.”
With his love for the game and determination to win, Riley Chung, 11, encourages his teammates to win in order to motivate both himself and his teammates to play at their best.
“I’ve always had a passion for the sport and it’s taught me many things, not just about the game, but about life in general. I play and compete for my team so that the team can reach its maximum potential,” said Chung. “The team has noticeably become a lot more competitive. We always aspire to do our best and to win every game.”
Head coach Steve Neverve has also been coaching since the formation of the varsity squad, and shares the goal of advancing to the California Amateur Hockey Association State Championship. Most importantly, he coaches his players with the intention of trying to make them better individuals, teaching life values that the players can apply to their future. Neverve helps kids on and off the ice, using hockey to instill morals.
“I like to help people and this is how I give back,” said Neverve. “There is nothing more satisfying than helping kids grow. If I can make even the smallest impact on a kids life to help them be better prepared for what happens in life, then I’m happy. It’s my goal to give them more confidence by teaching them that it’s okay to take chances and fail, while also showing them how to handle success, failure and adversity.”
In their third consecutive playoff run, Pioneer’s ice hockey team is looking to advance further towards achieving their ultimate goal of winning a championship.
Assistant coach Jeff Shiverdaker has seen a great improvement over the past few years. He believes that players have built up their relationships and close bonds by practicing harder and more frequently.
“Many of our players have played now with us for three years, and there becomes a familiarity,” said Shiverdaker. “This year, we have been able to have more regulated practices of which in the previous two years we virtually had none.”
In his final year of high school hockey, Phillip Collard, 12, knows that they have improved since he started playing last season, but still holds them to high expectations in hopes of winning a championship.
“The overall dynamic of our team has gotten much better over the years and we have gotten closer and closer. I think that itself has helped a lot with our success, which was helped by us gaining more experienced players,” said Collard. “We are going to need people to step up at critical times and stay out of the penalty box — taking penalties has hurt us all season.”
With his love for the game and determination to win, Riley Chung, 11, encourages his teammates to win in order to motivate both himself and his teammates to play at their best.
“I’ve always had a passion for the sport and it’s taught me many things, not just about the game, but about life in general. I play and compete for my team so that the team can reach its maximum potential,” said Chung. “The team has noticeably become a lot more competitive. We always aspire to do our best and to win every game.”
Head coach Steve Neverve has also been coaching since the formation of the varsity squad, and shares the goal of advancing to the California Amateur Hockey Association State Championship. Most importantly, he coaches his players with the intention of trying to make them better individuals, teaching life values that the players can apply to their future. Neverve helps kids on and off the ice, using hockey to instill morals.
“I like to help people and this is how I give back,” said Neverve. “There is nothing more satisfying than helping kids grow. If I can make even the smallest impact on a kids life to help them be better prepared for what happens in life, then I’m happy. It’s my goal to give them more confidence by teaching them that it’s okay to take chances and fail, while also showing them how to handle success, failure and adversity.”