The Hayward Boy’s Hockey team has made several changes for the 2024-2025 season, but they are very hopeful to have a great outcome. The biggest change is a new coach, Neil Mattison. Coach Mattison was born in Superior, Wisconsin, where he played high school hockey. The boys are all very fond of him and Sophomore Darren Clifford said, “He works with us kids very well and believes in our development.” Another big change is their system on the ice. The system includes a new breakout, neutral zone regroup, and four check. The players think that once they learn the system completely, their game as a whole will improve very much.
The seniors on the team this year are Guy Swenson, Raymond Hart, Kaleb Rasmussen, Thatcher Moncel, Landin Cadotte, Marshall Cooper, George Taylor, and Manager Zay Stojek. The boys all love hockey very much and all of the memories that come with it. Junior Charles Egger says that his favorite times with the team are in the locker room, the showers, and on the bus because it is a time when they can all mess around with each other. Freshman Cole Nelson said that his high school hockey experience is going amazing so far. “It’s a big team which makes it feel like a family” His goal for this year is to get his first varsity goal. Senior Guy Swenson says that his favorite memory in all of his years playing hockey is winning the state championship in Peewee A’s. Another thing that he loves is the annual Teddy Bear Toss which is an event that takes place after the second period of the game, where fans throw stuffed animals onto the ice to give back to the community. This year the Teddy Bear Toss is on Friday, December 20th, at the Hayward Sports Center. The Canes play Superior.
The captains on the team this year are Guy Swenson, Keegan Walsh, and Kaydon Kennel. These three boys plan to work and lead very hard to have a great record this season. Keegan Walsh thinks that the team will end up first or second in the conference and that they have a chance of going to state. The team all agrees that the one thing they need to improve on is their communication on the ice. Junior Liam Aldoff says they can improve this by, “Being more aware on the ice and fixing it by head checking.”
The Hayward Boy’s Hockey team has a lot of potential this season so make sure you make it to a game this year and cheer them on!
