Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé hockey coach Luke Adams is happy to be on the road again after of year of not traveling.
In an interview with the Empire Monday, Adams said the varsity and junior varsity teams had just returned from a tournament in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley and traveling together gave the team ample opportunity to bond.
“Especially after last year, this was a very welcome experience for a lot of kids who haven’t had and welcome for kids who had it a few years ago,” Adams told the Empire in a phone interview Monday. “We know that growth happens in practice and on the ice, but the most important growth happens when teams build relationships together.”
The season began in October, Adams said, and this tournament not only gave the team time to bond but let them check out the competition. The varsity team won two games and lost one, Adams said, but said he couldn’t recall how many games the JV team had won as he views those games in a different way.
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Adams said the Crimson Bears were facing stiff competition all around, and mentioned teams from Homer, Kenai, and Palmer as looking particularly competitive.
But Adams was effusive in his praise for his players, saying the students in leadership roles had really stepped up this year. Adams cited the team’s captain, Sam Bovitz, and Dylan Murdoch as showing good leadership. He said the entire team was excited and eager for the season.
“We got a good look at (other teams) and they got a good look at us,” Adams said.
“It’s going to be fun to be a part of,” Adams said. “We’re setting our goals high, we’ve got a dedicated class of seniors who are ready to push our program forward and we’ve got an extremely hard working and dedicated group.”
The team’s next games are Dec. 2-4 on the Kenai Peninsula, with the varsity team facing off against Homer and Kenai, according to the team’s schedule. The next home game at the Treadwell Arena is Dec. 10-11, when the varsity team plays Kodiak.
• Contact reporter Peter Segall at psegall@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @SegallJnuEmpire.
