Although it is a club sport not recognized by the Virginia High School League, the hockey team draws sizable crowds but can still be forgotten. The games, which typically start between 8 and 10 p.m. when ice time is less expensive, draw sizable crowds to watch students from Dominion and Potomac Falls battle other high school teams in the area. The Panther-Titan hybrid team looks to further improve from an impressive 7-3 record last season. Junior left winger Hunter Tettelbach expects the team to do even better this season after a hot start.

“So far we’ve been playing pretty well through two games. We beat the first team 5-1 and the second team 10-1,” said Tettelbach.

Maintaining such an exceptional record is difficult for any team. This task appears even more daunting after losing key players, such as last year’s captain Ashton Rogers. Tettelbach believes that this void will be filled with other veteran players carrying the load.

“Ryan Fox [senior at Dominion] is our new captain. So far, he’s really stepped up to the challenge. Everyone has,” said Tettelbach.

The Panthers-Titans look to further improve their record against rivals such as Stone Bridge and Broad Run, who bested the team last year. Tettelbach, in agreement with the rest of the team, says that fans should not let hockey games go under the radar.

“Fans should expect good hockey. They’ll see a lot of goalscoring in some big games and hopefully an even better record,” said Tettelbach.

Roster (from Potomac Falls):

Logan Adams

Tyler Cowden

John Gallagher

Ethan Hamilton

Trevor Smith

Hunter Tettelbach

Next game:

Dec. 5 against Woodgroove – Ashburn Ice House

Key matchups:

Dec. 19 against Centreville/Fairfax, 6:10 p.m. – SkateQuest of Reston

Jan. 23 against Yorktown, 6:40 p.m. – Kettler Capitals Iceplex