Fresh off a third place finish in last year’s State Tournament, the Blake Boys’ Hockey team has been preparing for the 2020-2021 season for months. However, the ability to showcase their young talent has since been sidetracked.
On Friday, Nov. 6, the upper school was shut down, with plans to reopen at the earliest in mid-January, leaving questions up in the air. What would happen to a sports seasons? The hockey team has been engaged in captains’ practice for the past few months. Most players have been participating in clinics and off-season teams to prepare for the high intensity of a hockey season in Minnesota. Ryan Ressemann says, “I’m looking forward to simply getting back to the sport I love and playing with the great group of boys we have.”
On Wednesday, Nov. 18, Governor Tim Walz announced the partial re-shutdown of Minnesota, effectively ending sports and pushing the season off until Dec. 18, putting the hockey team on standby.
The head coach of the boys’ hockey team, Rob McClanahan states, “The shutdown affects the Blake Boys’ Hockey program in the sense we are unable to build off the success from the past few years. With a team full of new faces it would be great to be able to work to establish a consistent theme, consistent habits, and help this young group build their camaraderie.”
