On Tuesday, Jan. 24, the Altoona hockey team lost to Hollidaysburg with a final score of 8 to 2. This puts the team with a record of 2 wins and 10 losses.

“The season is going pretty well so far. I wish we won a couple more games, but other than that, it’s been pretty good,” senior Colin Monahan said. 

Freshman Jack Compton from Bishop Guilfoyle has been playing for seven years. He has formed bonds with his teammates, despite the fact they go to different schools. 

“My mom wanted me to ice skate, but I didn’t want to figure skate. Some of my friends were doing hockey, and, once I learned how to skate, I transitioned into playing,” Compton said.

The team consists of students from Altoona, Bald Eagle, Bellwood, Bishop Guilfoyle, Central, Penn Cambria and Phillipsburg. The team has ways to bond and stay connected despite going to different schools. 

“We go to dinner after practices, and there is locker room talk and stuff like that. We also have a group chat. We do our best,” Compton said. 

Head coach, Don Burgmeier, has been coaching for 11 years. He first began coaching because of his kids.

“Many years ago, my son’s team needed a coach. I enjoyed coaching the kids, so I’ve continued to do it,” Burgmeier said. 

A little over six minutes into the game, Altoona got their first penalty for roughing. This caused Altoona to be down a man, giving Hollidaysburg the upper hand.

“If there was anything I would do differently, I would have played a more defensive style,” Monahan said.

After getting three shots blocked, Hollidaysburg scored the first goal with a little over two and a half minutes left in the first period. 

“The season is going pretty poorly honestly. I think we are going to shape up and ship out on the tail end of the season,” Compton said

Altoona’s second period starters were Cayden Helsel (sophomore), Iain McHenry (sophomore), Dominic Della (junior), Brady Sassano (junior), Jon Edmundson (senior) and Colin Monahan (senior). Even though they go to three different schools, all of the players work together on the ice. 

“Everybody fits in together because we all know each other from travel teams that we play on,” Monahan said.  

Two minutes into the second period, Altoona changed their starting line. Sophomore Ricky Crum from Bellwood was one of the subs. Within 30 seconds, Crum had scored the first goal for Altoona. 

“It takes time for players from different schools to bond & mesh as a team. The more they practice together and get to know each other, the better they play as a team,” Burgmeier said. 

Altoona’s second goal was scored by Luke Yost (52) with 11 minutes and 20 seconds left in the game. 

“We all feel great when our teammates score. Personally, I feel excited for them, and it’s awesome because it puts us in the game. It livens everybody up, especially the fans,” Monahan said. 

A fight broke out between the two teams with four minutes left in the game. This resulted in a Hollidaysburg player being sent to the penalty box. About a minute and a half later, there were a total of four Hollidaysburg players sitting in the penalty box for various reasons. Despite this advantage, Altoona could not recover from their point deficit. 

“In order to recover from Tuesday’s loss, we will accentuate the positives from the game and work on correcting the negatives,” Burgmeier said.  

The team prepares for games based on what team they are playing and the style of that team. They keep practices as close to game conditions as possible in order to properly prepare. 

“We prepare mentally at practices for the team that is coming up, and we do many drills that are focused around that team,” Monahan said. 

The next home hockey game will be played at Galactic Ice on Tuesday, Feb. 7. The game will start at 7:30 p.m.