Hamilton won’t get shot at hockey title
Hamilton hockey should be suiting up this weekend to play in the first nationals in school history, but as is the situation with so many other teams in various sports around the world, the Huskies are missing out on the opportunity due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Huskies qualified for the 2020 Chipotle-USA Hockey high school nationals with a semifinal shootout victory over Arizona high school hockey powerhouse Pinnacle on Feb. 1.
The nationals were set to take place this weekend (Mar. 26-30) in Mansfield, Texas. The Huskies, a team which ended up winning the Arizona High School Hockey Association Division I state title over Chaparral on Feb. 8, were ready to head to Texas. The team had raised money through a GoFundMe campaign, booked hotel rooms and booked flights to head to the tournament.
However, on Mar. 11, the same day the NBA put its season on hold when Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, USA Hockey decided to cancel its championships set for this weekend and next weekend (Apr. 2-6).
“Safety of our participants has always been our top priority and with the current coronavirus situation, our executive committee unanimously decided to cancel these national events,” said Jim Smith, president of USA Hockey.
The cancellation of nationals meant Hamilton would not get the chance to go to its first nationals, but Huskies’ coach Peter Morris made sure to tell his team to not be too down about it. He said he reminded his players of the state championship win because other athletes such as college basketball players were not able to play for championships at all.
“It’s a real disappointment,” Morris said. “It’s a big let down. But ... the good points of the season was that at least you got to play for the state championship. At least you got to play and win a state championship.”
While his team already had the opportunity to celebrate a championship win, Morris was still upset his seniors did not get the chance to showcase their skills at nationals for college scouts.
“I do feel bad for the seniors because there would be a lot of scouts there, college-wise ... just to look at a lot of the players and not just on my team but all the other teams,” Morris said. “Those seniors lost a great opportunity.”
Morris said the Huskies’ underclassmen are hungry to win another state championship and qualify for nationals again next season.
On a positive note, the team received refunds for all flights and hotel rooms booked for the trip and everyone who contributed to the GoFundMe campaign will receive or already have received a full refund.