Losing a star player is hard to recover from in any sport. That was the problem faced by Blake’s community ice hockey team this season.

Class of 2006 graduate Chris Murphy led the team in goals and led the division in points, leaving this year’s team in search for some offense; Murphy was involved in over 75 percent of the team’s goals last year. Despite the winless season, the team found leaders in senior captains Robert Supinski, Jake Zaika, and David DeMoss.

The Bengals struggled to find their stride throughout the season, finishing with a record of 0-6-1. On January 26, the Bengals were defeated, 10-0, by the Magruder Colonels January 26, never getting a good feel for their opponent or the game. “The game went by so fast, we just never really got started,” says junior Jason Murphy.

The team came out strong against Damascus January 16. After numerous lead changes, the Bengals fell just short, losing 6-5. Sophomore Brandon Bong netted a hat trick, and Murphy and Supinski each tallied one a piece. “That was one of best games of the year. It’s a shame we couldn’t pull it off,” says Bong. Unfortunately, the previous two games for the team didn’t turn out as well as they had hoped, scoring a combined one goal in losses to the Churchill Bulldogs and Germantown.

The team played its best hockey of the season December 15, when they tied the Blair Blazers 2-2. Supinksi again put the biscuit in the basket, leading the team to their only point of the season. Says Supinski, “It was nice to be able to get a point in the standings after that game to show everyone when we play well we can compete with the teams in our division.”

Despite the poor record and troubled season, the team has expressed no regrets. “We worked hard all year,” says Murphy. “We can hold our heads high and look forward to next year.”