The season has just ended for the Coyote Adapted Floor Hockey team (the Coyotes are a co-op team with players from St.Michael, Monticello, and Buffalo), and looking back on their season there are some outstanding highlights to be proud of. They finished their second-ever season at Buffalo High School with a 3-6 record.
After a big win for the Coyotes against Anoka 13-7 on February 27th, the Coyotes came off the court with confidence and excitement for their next couple of regular season games. With this continued momentum, the Coyotes were looking towards post-season play.
“We all thought it was going to be hard,” Sophomore Brandon Powers said, “but we all stepped up our game and were able to win.”
The Coyotes grew a lot throughout this season, improving on their skills to better their game. Many fans and parents watched as the Coyotes kept persevering through both the wins and loses and were excited to see them advance to the section game with tougher competition.
“While watching these guys play you can actually see them improve,” Sophomore and manager Justin Bunting said. “They then continue to do exactly what you told them to do, and [watching that] makes it so fun.”
The coyotes had two more games after their game against Anoka, winning both of them. Unfortunately the Coyotes lost the section game against South Washington on Thursday night 14-4, with goals from Mackenzie Davis, Hannah Strom, Brandon Powers, and Sophomore Calvin Wyse.
Despite this loss, the Coyotes had a great finish to their season, and they improved so much from the start of this year. They exemplified so much growth in the overall knowledge of the game, and started connecting passes and creating shooting opportunities.
“The largest improvement was in our team play,” Coach Ruth Clarke said. “The last four games, the team just [seemed] to come together. They were passing the puck, getting in front of the net, crashing the goal, and defensively working together to keep the puck out of our end.
“Another thing that stands out to me is finally seeing all the athletes on the team getting involved in the play,”Clarke said. “Some of the athletes are intimidated by the speed of play and all the noise and distractions, but it was so exciting to see all of them get involved this year.”
The team was always positive and came to practices and games with great attitudes. Sometimes it can be hard to play against teams where they are more skilled, stronger, or faster. The Coyotes stayed strong however, and were still able to create this environment of inclusion amongst all of the teammates, and everyone was able to get involved in the games, even against the tough teams.
The Coyotes had many memorable games and moments that they should be proud of. They exemplified hard work and were able to come together as a team and do their best.
Photo by Emma Latcham-Reiter, Tatanka Yearbook
