Last year’s regional loss is still fresh in their minds.
The Spartans outshot Pittsford 48-12, but somehow it wasn’t enough. Williamsville North fell to the Panthers, 2-1, and gone was any hope of a state championship.
This year’s returning players haven’t forgotten the heartbreak, but they’re excited for another chance.
“I think about that Pittsford game all the time,” said senior forward Adam Batz. “I think all of us on this team think that we were definitely better than that team. We outshot them, we played better. They just had a couple fluke goals, and I’m looking to beat them this year.”
“That game was definitely tough,” agreed senior forward Daniel Mosher. “But it was a great learning experience, where we have to know that we have to work as hard as we can every game, and we’ll definitely get back there in our last year and have a different result.”
“The section final is the first goal that we wanna complete, but we were kinda just broken after last year because it was such a fluke game, and we really wanna get back there, so that’s our goal,” said senior defenseman Matt Jeffries.
“Another section championship would be unbelievable, but that Pittsford game just, I’ll never let it go,” said senior defenseman Josh Surowiec. “It’s just tough, but it’ll definitely motivate us this year.”
Led by those four seniors, the Spartans have been working hard through the offseason to prepare for this year. In addition to hockey clinics, they’ve done whatever they can to include the players new to the Fed this year and build those friendships off the ice as well.
“Over the summer, we have our workout program through [head coach Bob Rosen’s] son Jake, and with that we just try to improve our strength and conditioning, and that’s actually a huge help,” said Jeffries. “And then we have the clinics in the spring, which are extremely beneficial.”
“At the beginning of the season, we just work on basic things like passing the puck, edge work, and it ends up helping us at the end of the season,” added Batz.
Jeffries, Batz, Surowiec, and Mosher are doing their best to be leaders to the younger players as seniors on this year’s team.
“We just try to do anything we can to incorporate every player on the team,” said Batz. “We have team bonding, we invite them everywhere, we just try to get them to enjoy the season.”
“Just try to lead by example and show the younger guys what they should be doing, how they should be working hard, and just keep everybody focused on the end goal,” Surowiec said.
Surowiec and Jeffries, along with fellow returners Anthony Trigilio and Griffin Green, will lead a young defense that Rosen expects to be a strength of the team this year, along with returning goaltender Jake Zurat, who shut out Niagara Wheatfield in last year’s large school Section VI finals as Batz scored the lone goal.
“Probably our goaltending and defense, I hope,” said Rosen. “That’s what we’re counting on. We’ll find out. If my defensive coach does a good job.”
“Probably will,” quipped defensive coach Greg Brown.
“Our defense is gonna be pretty strong this year because we got four guys returning from last year, so that should be a big asset,” said Jeffries. “And then we have Jake Zurat, our returning goalie, who’s awesome. And we should be a pretty fast team. We’re not the biggest, but we should be pretty fast.”
“The returning D are a huge asset,” agreed Batz. “They’re all big, they can hit. People will be afraid to play us, I think.”
“I agree, the defense is solid, and same with our goalie,” said Surowiec. “Hopefully just shut teams down. And we’re a real tight-knit group, so hopefully that’ll just help us out this year.”
“We also have offense and a lot of speed on our team,” added Mosher. “We have some young guys who can really move the puck and skate pretty fast.”
Mosher and Batz are among this year’s returning forwards, along with Tyler Durfee, Brett Sardinia and Andrew Bruno. Rocco Bonaffini also joins North this season after spending last year with the Jr. Sabres organization.
But Rosen doesn’t expect goals to come with ease this season; it’s something the Spartans are already working hard at and will continue to do.
“We’re certainly gonna make sure we take care of our own net because I think scoring goals is gonna be a bit of a challenge for us,” Rosen said. “We gotta find ways to manufacture goals. Whatever it is — greasy goals and just getting pucks to the net is really gonna be an emphasis for us.”
Batz and Mosher hope to contribute as much as they can, and Surowiec hopes to once again add some offense this season — the defenseman scored six goals and nine assists in 16 regular season league games last season. But along with Jeffries, this year’s leaders will do whatever they can to help the team and keep that their focus.
“I just try to be all for the team, not too selfish, just help out in as many ways as I can,” said Jeffries.
“Same with me,” agreed Batz. “Just do whatever I can for the team, get people the puck, get some points.”
“I’ll try to play two ways and be a threat, not be a liability in our own end,” said Surowiec. “Try to move the puck up and help the offense out as well.”
“I try to keep the work ethic up there and support my teammates,” Mosher said.
Rosen constantly reiterated that last year’s team was something special throughout the season. As much as he wished they could have gone further, Rosen still sees effects of last year’s leadership on this year’s team.
“The leadership last year and our captains did a wonderful job, and it’s kind of carried forward,” Rosen said. “And you hope through the years, traditions of things that we do are carried on. And when you talk about the program and what’s taking place, a lot of it is passed on from team to team, and I’m hoping that some of the traits that last year’s team had will be continued on with this team.”
Rosen can already tell that this year’s Spartans are hungry to go further than last year. They’ve already talked about it, and he’ll remind them throughout the season.
“Our goals are always set extremely high, and we always ask the kids, where do they wanna be?” Rosen said. “And if they say what their goals are, we’re gonna hold them to be accountable for that and have the accountability of producing what they’re capable of doing and trying to get the best out of them and putting them in a position to get to the best they can be.”
Jeffries, Batz, Surowiec, and Mosher are looking forward to leadership roles this season and making the most of their final season of high school hockey.
“It’s our last year, and all the seniors before us always say how we should just cherish these moments and just make the most of them, so that’s what we’re gonna do this year,” said Jeffries.
“I enjoy being a leader on the team,” Batz said. “I’m looking forward to helping all the younger kids and improving all of them.”
“Like Matt said, it goes fast,” said Surowiec. “I can’t believe I’m already a senior, but I’m just looking to take it all in this year and just enjoy it.”
“We really gotta make the most of it this year,” Mosher said. “Because after this, a lot of the kids aren’t gonna be playing hockey next year, so just keep making the most of it, and hopefully the result is good.”
Williamsville North opens its season Friday (Nov. 25) with a non-league game against Ithaca at Northtown Center at 4 pm before starting league league play Dec. 3 against Lancaster at 1 pm at Northtown Center.