On Sunday, Jan. 23, the Lakers hockey coaches selected four Antioch players to play at the All-Star games. There is a varsity and junior varsity game, split into team white or team dark. ACHS hockey players who were represented on the All-Star teams were junior J.V. captain Patrick Carpenter, as well as seniors Jason Fogel, Gavin Frank and Braydon Salata, who played for the varsity game. As part of the All-Star event, every player got sweatshirts and shirts. They then split into their teams and went into the locker rooms together to meet the other players.
The J.V. dark team had a great, yet very competitive, game. After team dark scored their first goal, team white scored five goals in just the second period. However, dark made a comeback with four back-to-back goals, tying the game, which resulted in a shoot-out. Overall, the final score came out to be 7-6 in favor of team dark. Fortunately, Carpenter also had a great game individually.
“My shifts were pretty decent, as I made opportunities for my line and played the puck whenever I got the chance,” Carpenter said.
As the All-Star players are chosen by the team’s coaches, Frank looked back on his time with Lakers and why he thinks he was a selectee for the All-Star game.
“My coaches have seen me play hockey since I was a freshman, and I think they have seen my improvement over the years,” Frank said.
The dark varsity team also came out with a victory of 3-0.
“When the game started at first, it was a little weird playing with totally new people, but I got used to it and it was a fun game,” Frank said.
Likewise, Salata enjoyed the different environment and people he played with.
“It gave me a chance to play more relaxed and have fun in a game for a change and now I can come back prepared for playoffs,” Salata said.
Overall, the All-Star Lakers players had a fun experience playing with some of the best players in their conference; furthermore, these players are looking forward to taking advantage of what they learned into the rest of the season.
