After spending months in quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central Valley Warriors hockey team did not know how much of a season they were really going to have. Hoping that they would have a season, around the beginning of Nov. 2020, they were able to start their season with pride.

On the team from Freedom, there are three seniors Marc Evans, Matthew Keller and Jesse Nelson, and two freshmen Chase Grable and Aiden Pournaras.

“Playing with Marc Evans has been a blast and he is very helpful on the ice. I enjoy all of the time I can spend with him on the ice, and that is my favorite part about the games,” Grable said.

“Being a senior on the team gives a feeling of importance and being a mentor. The younger guys all look up to the seniors for advice and how to play,” Nelson said.

Having an older influence is one of the greatest factors in playing a sport. Having a veteran to look up to gives the younger players guidance and support while on the ice. Having that guidance, younger players can step up when they are more experienced to help incoming freshmen. Being there on the ice for each other,can have a tremendous impact on them as they learn more throughout their years of playing. Playing with a team can be one of the greatest experiences a player can have.

“It’s fun being a senior on the team, but it’s also pretty sad being the last year,” Evans said.

Seniors on the team have been affected the most knowing that their final season was cut short from the COVID-19 pandemic. They were still grateful for the season that they were able to have instead of not having a season at all. Being there with the team was surely a great experience to have after months of quarantining and not seeing anyone.

“Covid hasn’t affected them much, only when the shutdown happened is when we lost time. Since Covid, it has stayed about the same as it was, with masks though,” Nelson said.

Hockey may be a good sport to play considering there is not much physical touching without gloves and face masks. Skating on the ice together can create contact, but not too much to the point of having to social distance or shut down.

The current record for the Warriors is 1-10 after their first win on Mon. Feb. 8. Celebrating their first win together surely was great after this hard time everyone is going through right now. With their season coming to an end in early March, the team surely will look ahead for gaining more wins.