HBHS Junior Hockey

HBHS' hockey teams are being convened for the new season.  Sometimes we forget what it is like to make the transition into what can be an extremely challenging sports environment for our youngest students.  A brand new member of the school, Chris Riddell (Year 9, centre of photo) offered his insights into the differences between secondary school hockey, and the competitions he's been involved with prior to starting high school.

How long have you been playing hockey?

I started when I was about six, at Gordonton, playing six-a-side, on grass.  I now play on turf, as part of the Boys' High U15 team.

You recently played your first secondary school match, against Westlake Boys' High School.  What was that like?

It was a two hour bus trip to get there, and the game itself was much faster than anything we had been used to before.  The turf was an Olympic field, so it was blue, while the ball was yellow, so that we could see it really clearly.  Even the change in something like that takes some adjustment. 

How did the game progress?

Two minutes into the game they were attacking really hard.  They scored.  Our backs struggled to keep on top of what was happening, so it was a bit discouraging, but it was important for us to see that this is what the game is like at this level.  Our goals for that game were man-to-man marking, being fast with the ball and thinking hard about the game.  Our attacking was good.  A lot of the stuff down the side line was good - we had chances, but their goalie was very skilled.  Every time you got up into the circle he would rush up at you, tackle you and shut down any chance you had of scoring.

It was our first time playing together and even though we didn't win, there were some things that we did right.  For the Year 9s, it was a huge experience to play high school hockey properly.