A buzz of excitement fills the Burlington varsity hockey locker room. As players lace up their skates for a preseason practice, chatter about a championship is in the air.
Sayre Fisher ‘25 will be a captain on the team this season.
“I think we’re gonna have a very good record this year,” Fisher said. “I definitely think that if we set our minds on it, we’ll have a pretty good championship run. Maybe even get a championship win.”
Fisher, a 5’8”, 140 lbs center who recorded 33 points last season, plans on leading by example.
“[I plan on] putting in 100% [effort] in practice and encouraging all my teammates to do the same,” Fisher said. “And showing them how it’s done in our games by working as hard as I can, and making the right decisions.”
Head coach Russell Johnston says he is “extremely” optimistic about the upcoming season.
“We have a core group of skilled players, made up of Juniors and Seniors,” Johnston said. “Those returning upperclassmen have skated with each other for years and we should be able to unlock a lot of chemistry.”
This will be Coach Johnston’s second season as head coach. When it comes to the winning strategy Johnston thinks he has the answer.
“We are going to apply a lot more structure to this year’s season. More set plays, more strategy, more systems,” Johnston said. “We’re going to lean in on our top lines more than ever, and play more aggressively as a result.”
Last season the team ended in 20th place with a record of 7-12-1. But Desmond Collins ‘27 believes the team’s offseason work will make the difference this year.
“I’m confident this season,” Collins said. “I think that a lot of our guys have put in work over the off season and gotten a lot better. The guys are going to have a big year”.
Collins is considered by his teammates to be one of the Seahorses best defensive players, but he is hoping to bring more to the table this year.
“I hope to bring a little more offense to the team than I did my freshman year, I think I can put up some points,” Collins said.
So will this be the boys’ year? Fisher certainly thinks so.
“Our team as a whole should be pretty good in the league,” Fisher said. “I’d definitely say top three or four.”
