After the Orchard Park hockey team’s great season last year, the team wants to have another just like it. One major setback for the team, though, is the change in the roster. Last year, the team was filled with seniors, but now it has only 3 returning players. I got the chance to talk to Chris Berdysiak (CB) about the upcoming season. Chris is a senior at Orchard Park High School who was on the varsity hockey team last year. We discussed how the team will look this season, since most of the team wasn’t on the varsity team last year. 

What does your hockey off-season look like?

CB: In the off-season, I do many things to improve my game. First off, I go to the gym 5-6 times a week. I usually go to the gym with a friend on the team, like Tommy or Frank. Not only this, but I also play soccer and lacrosse. Both of these sports include a lot of running that can help condition me for hockey season.

How do you see your role on the team when seniors like Brandon and Sean are gone?

CB: Since Brandon was a captain last year and Sean was also a good leader, I think I have to fill in for their spots. I have to be the type of leader that they were last year. Even if I don’t get the C or the A on my jersey, I will still be a very positive role model for everyone else.

Do you think it’s an advantage that most of the team has been playing travel hockey together at East Aurora?

CB: I think it’s a great advantage for us to be playing together before the Fed season even starts. In March, I didn’t know what I was going to do for travel hockey. I encouraged the idea of getting as many Orchard Park hockey players to join a team together. It was our plan all along to try and play together before high school hockey started—just to build the team chemistry. And since we got Coach Dannecker to be our coach for the East Aurora team, he can see what we need to work on before the high school season starts. This can put us way ahead of the other schools.

What role will the sophomores on the team play?

CB: The sophomores this year will have to be supporting for us seniors—we won’t be able to do everything ourselves. When their name gets called, they will have to try their hardest. If they play the systems and listen to the coaches, they’ll be alright.

What young kid were you most surprised by during the summer league?

CB: After playing in the summer league, there were many guys that stood out to me, but there was one guy in particular that surprised me. This guy was Ty Purrenhage. I always knew that Ty was a great player, but he really looked like one of the best guys on the ice over the summer. In the second game of the summer league, Ty really showed his offensive ability. This moved him onto the first powerplay. Throughout the rest of the season, Ty continued to score goals and get assists. I was also very impressed with Ty’s game in the defensive and neutral zones. He showed patience with the puck and made smart plays.

Do you think the scrimmages we play before the season starts will help the young kids get up to speed before the regular season starts?

CB: Yes, I think it’s a great idea to have scrimmages scheduled before the season begins. It will give the younger guys an idea of how much the game is going to change. It will show them how big of a step there is from JV to varsity.

What do you view as this team’s biggest strength?

CB: I think the team’s biggest strength this season will be the offense. I was a little nervous going into the summer league and having almost a completely new offense. Now, post summer league, I’m not nervous at all. After seeing the way we move the puck in the offensive zone, I think we will be totally fine when the high school season starts.

What is something this team wants to work on?

CB: One thing I believe the team can get better at is the defensive zone systems. Over the summer, we didn’t play as well in the defensive zone as I thought we would. This can be an easy fix for us though. We just have to work at getting better in the defensive zone at practice. Once everyone learns how to play the defensive zone systems, no one will score on us.

Do you think having Chase K. will provide any unique opportunities? How do you imagine his role?

CB: Since Chase is playing AAA Regals, I think it will be a big advantage for us. For the past 4 months, Chase has been playing at a level of hockey that some guys on our team have never played at before. I think Chase will be one of our top goal scorers this year. Chase has always been an outstanding player, but I can’t wait to see how much better he has gotten after playing at a better level.

What is the team’s goal this year?

CB: I have very high expectations for the team this year. Even though we are a very young team, I believe that we can win the sectional championship for the second year in a row. Our roster is stacked with amazing forwards, solid defenseman, and outstanding goalies. We also have 3 great coaches to help us improve. Our schedule this year will be tough, but I believe we can still win the sectional championship.

The young varsity team will face a challenge like none other. Many people believe the team fell off this season after losing most of the team. There are, however, many skilled and talented young players that we will be coming up. The games this season will be much harder than last year. The team likely won’t go undefeated like last year, but the team believes it has what it takes to win the sectional championship.