Geographically speaking, the road to states has been shorter for Kenmore East than for any of the other seven schools in Buffalo this weekend. With HarborCenter and Section VI hosting the state championship for both Division 1 and 2, the Bulldogs don’t have to travel any further than downtown Buffalo.
But for coach Pray and his players, many of whom he’s coached much longer than just their high school careers, it’s been a long road. And all Pray wants now is a happy ending. The 12 seniors on the team include Pray’s son Trevor and several others whom Pray has essentially watched grow up.
That, along with the close friendships on this year’s team, make a state championship that much more desirable for Pray.
“I would love to see this group do it,” Pray said before practice at Brighton Arena Wednesday afternoon. “This has been a really special group of guys. Some of these guys I’ve been coaching or associated with since they’ve been 7 years old, so it’s been great to see them all grow up. They have a good chemistry, and not only do they play together, but they do a lot of things off the ice together as well, so it’s just a really good group of guys. And you kind of need that; it’s all part of having a good team.”
While the other seven teams playing in Buffalo this weekend had the extra team bonding only a hockey road trip can provide, the Kenmore East players looked no different at Friday night’s dinner to kick off the weekend. And the Bulldogs have the added advantage of home ice advantage; they’re no strangers to HarborCenter.
“It is nice sometimes getting on that bus and going and the group staying in the hotels and going to meals together, but at the same time this is kind of exciting at the HarborCenter,” Pray said. “So there’s pros and cons, but there’s a lot of good to being here. Home ice advantage. We’ve played at HarborCenter, and then also the fan base. Hopefully we get a good fan base out, so that’ll all be helpful.”
Still, the attention of much of the state will be on Kenmore East and each of the teams playing at the HarborCenter this weekend. Pray’s hope is that it won’t affect the way his team plays.
“There’s gonna be more spotlight this weekend than ever before, so we just want to stay grounded and just take care of business,” Pray said.
“Good practices, do the right things before these games when it comes to rest and nutrition and all that. We’re looking forward to the dinner Friday night, but at the same time, we want to make sure we get home and rested for Saturday. That’ll be the big thing. We have an advantage being able to sleep in our own beds, so we want to utilize that too.”
At 5:15 pm Saturday afternoon, the Bulldogs are scheduled to face off against Lake Placid. Should the Bulldogs win, they’ll face the winner of Skaneateles and Pelham, which will have been completed by the time Kenmore East and Lake Placid begin.
Pray did his homework and knows some of what to expect from the Blue Bombers.
“We know they got one very strong line, so that’s something we’re gonna have to plan for a little bit,” Pray said. “They did have a player that had 70 points for the season, so we know they have some offense there. Their goaltending seems to be very strong too, so that’s something we’re gonna have to prepare for as well.”
The game time is just another advantage for Kenmore East. With Saturday’s first game at 9:30 am, the Bulldogs are the lucky ones who will be well rested and ready to play at a time they’re more accustomed to.
“We’re used to those times with Fed games, so we’re more suitable to that time,” Pray said. “Sometimes the morning games will throw some teams off a little bit, so I’m kinda glad we’re in the afternoon.”
Pray coached a state champion in 2012, and he’s hoping for more of the same this year, especially with his son as one of the leading scorers on the team. Two things this season has shown the Bulldogs that they need: a fast start and a team game.
“We’re excited, and we’re hoping to recreate some of the magic from 2012,” said Pray.