Hockey season at North Star High School has come to a close.
Both the boys and girls team lost their playoff games last week in very similar fashion. The two teams travelled to Tecumseh on back-to-back days and lost one goal games to L’Essor. The boys were first, as they headed on the road last Wednesday.
The boys WECSSAA quarterfinal game went to overtime but the Wolves lost to L’Essor 5-4. L’Essor moved onto the semi-finals this week against the Belle River Nobles while North Star saw their 2023-24 season come to an end.
Coach Glen Holden said it was “an outstanding effort” but the Wolves season came to an end. Steven Desantis started the scoring after a great pass from Ryken Atherton. Kyle Jones would add another goal in the first period to put the Wolves up 2-0. Playing with a short bench, Holden said the Wolves appeared fatigued in the second period and L'Essor would tie things up heading into the third period.
The action was back and forth for the rest of the game and each time North Star scored, L'Essor would tie it up before they eventually won in overtime. Rounding out the scoring in the third was Ryken Atherton and Ryan Reid. Adding assists were Wyatt Jackson, Desantis and Ryan Grondin. Holden gave a special shout out to student manager, Jack Schmidtgall. Holden and assistant coach Chris Bastien recognized seniors Atherton, Cole McGrath, Jones, Desantis, Grondin, Austyn Deschamps, Tiago Goncalves, and Tyler Gignac.
The next day, the girls team made the trip to Tecumseh Arena and they ended up falling by a 2-1 final score. L’Essor scored a goal in each of the first two periods of the hockey game with Ashley Mongeau scoring late in the third period to keep her team in the game.
The Wolves couldn’t get the tying goal despite their net empty for the extra attacker.
“I think it was a good thing to see everyone playing so hard,” said Madison Drouillard. “No one on our team gave up.”
Drouillard and Hannah Coulson are the two seniors who will be graduating later this year.
“We’re so proud of the girls,” said Stephanie Mongeau, who was one of the teacher advisors along with Courtney Bondy. “They did not take a shift off. We’re extremely proud of how hard they fought.”
Four players and two coaches were unable to attend last Thursday afternoon’s girls hockey game.
By Ron Giofu