On Friday, Woodhaven's varsity ice hockey team is facing off against Wyandotte Roosevelt. Depending on how it goes, they might be picking up their 20th win of the season and coach Bryan Sullivan is feeling confident-- and rightfully so.
The Woodhaven Warriors have nine seniors on their team, some of who are in consideration for collegiate play. Athletes like Dillan Gajewski or Zach Robinson-- who recently entered the Woodhaven record books by scoring his 200th goal-- are the kind of talent that makes for a championship team.
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But Sullivan emphasized that winning records are not achieved by raw talent alone. For a team to consistently come out ahead, they need role players and everyone needs to be able to function together well, and Woodhaven is uniquely set up for this chemistry.
"This is a tight knit group of kids," said Sullivan. "Most of them have played together for three or four years, so the team has really bonded."
They have talent and they have teamwork and they will need every advantage because the near future for this team is going to get intense.
If they are going to be champions this year then they will have to face teams like Trenton (18-4), Saline-- who managed to beat Woodhaven in their last game, a 0-0 score that was settled in a shootout-- and the likely final boss of the season, Livonia Stevenson.
"There's an opportunity there to make it, but it's going to require a gallant effort," Sullivan said.
These hurdles will come down the line, and in the meantime, Sullivan is focusing on Wyandotte Roosevelt and getting to 20 victories.
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