![Junior Diya Arun stares out a window. For Arun, the winter season brings out the holiday blues. “ I think [the winter] has a negative effect on my mental health because I feel like the cold weather and people around me are also sadder [and] that affects me,” Arun said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_8047-1200x800.jpg)
![French teacher Marieme Toure serves a plate of the Senegalese food she prepared for her AP French Language and Culture class, to senior Faiza Syed. “I never had Senegalese food before,” Syed said. “I thought it was so cool that she was able to bring a part of her culture [and] background to us.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0798-1200x906.jpeg)
![The Phoenix varsity volleyball team lines up for the national anthem. “We were more communicative [with each other] during this game, and I feel like we kept our energy up, especially after the first set,” senior Jessica Valdov said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0202-1200x800.jpg)
On Friday, Nov. 8, the Phoenix/Pride boys varsity hockey team competed against the Loudoun County Captains/Tuscarora Huskies for a commanding 11-4 win, adding a second win for the season. The game started off heavily contested throughout the first period. The Phoenix/Pride scored one goal to tie the game, but near the final minutes of the period, the Captains/Huskies stole the lead with a goal to end the period in a 2-1 Captains/Huskies lead.
The Phoenix/Pride ramped up their offense and defense in the second period, pulling ahead with five more goals off of breakaways, deft passing plays, and penalties from the other team. The Phoenix/Pride ended the period off strong with a 6-3 lead over the Captains/Huskies.
The third period was the nail in the coffin for the Captains/Huskies, as the Phoenix/Pride completely took control of the game, cushioning their lead with another five goals to end the game in an 11-4 win for the Phoenix/Pride.
The game was completely in favor of the Phoenix/Pride as a result of their quick momentum and hard coaching, but who are the Rock Ridge representatives?
Meet the Team
The Phoenix have three players on the combined team: senior winger John Lunn, defensemen junior Connor Bultema, and sophomore Brooks Furtek. All three have deep ties to hockey and hope to see a future team with strong support from Rock Ridge.
Q: How did you first find interest in hockey?
Bultema: My parents never played hockey, but I saw the [Washington] Capitals play, and I wanted to play hockey, so I played hockey.
Furtek: My dad played hockey, and he influenced me to also play. I also grew up watching the [Washington] Capitals play.
Lunn: My parents would always put me into hockey camps as a kid, and then I moved overseas.
Q: How did you start playing hockey at Rock Ridge?
Bultema: [I wanted to play because] I played hockey, and I just wanted to play hockey for the school. My friend and I played for Briar; no one knew we were from Stone Hill, but we just played with the team. Then, my freshman year, we combined and played JV with Independence because we didn’t have a varsity.
Furtek: It’s 10 more games every year [playing for the school], so might as well. My eighth grade year, we partnered with Briar and Loudoun County, but last year was our first year with Heritage.
Lunn: [I started playing on the Phoenix] during junior year. I wanted to be the team manager, and I showed up to the second game and the Heritage coach was like ‘Dude, what are you doing? I’ve got [adult] league stuff; just throw it on and play.’ [Playing with the team for the first time] was alright. I was nervous because I’d never played before, but it was fun.
Q: How do you feel being a combined team with Heritage, even if it’s 3 Rock Ridge players?
Bultema: I’m a little bit salty [with the Rock Ridge Hockey members that quit].
Furtek: I think that it would have been a big help if we had [old members] on the team, but Heritage also has a couple good players that came up this year.
Lunn: Obviously, I like [the combined team] because without it, I wouldn’t be playing. It’s kind of fun and nice to meet people from other schools and get to know other kids.
Q: How did it feel to beat the three-peat winners (Langley) your first game?
Bultema: It felt really good because before the game we didn’t know if we were gonna have a goalie. So we asked Langley’s coach if we could borrow their fifth best goalie, but he declined. We found a new goalie, and he’s really good. He carried us to the win.
Furtek: We went into the game thinking we weren’t going to win. We just pushed, and got the win.
Bultema: [Our coach] got nine calls from Langley, saying that they wanted to protest the game because of [goalie Joshua Williams].
Lunn: Well, it felt like beating the three-time state champion. It was really good. Personally, I wholeheartedly expected to get blown out there, but then we were just sitting there at warm ups and we were like ‘Oh, my God, we got this. This is gonna be nothing.’ They went up first, and I didn’t really have any doubts, and I knew we were going to get it back [to win] 2-1.
Q: What are your goals for this season?
Furtek: Win. Do better than we did last year, which is already looking very possible, and I don’t have many personal goals, but winning is the biggest thing.
Lunn: We just need to get pucks deep and I think the team needs a little more chemistry [to improve].
Q: What are your motivations?
Bultema: Winning, and having fun, and that’s [the key].
Furtek: Something our coach preaches is that it’s high school hockey; it’s meant to be fun.
