The 9-1 loss to Robinson High School was devastating to the George Mason High School varsity hockey team as they did not begin the 2016-17 season with an encouraging victory. Many players walked into the locker room with their heads hanging low and a look of sheer disbelief on their faces.

“Losing is essential to anyone’s success. The more you lose, the more you want to win,” Former NHL player Brett Hull said.

This is Mason’s mindset going into the next game as they wish for better results in the next game.

“Mason always recovers from the hardships,” goaltender Tom Barbour-Leslie said.

Mason’s record for the 2015-2016 season was 3-5-2, and many players believe that this year will be different. With new beginnings, new teammates, and a new league, the George Mason hockey team hopes to have a strong season and overcome the obstacles along the way.

The Mason hockey team has 23 players – only seven are Mason students – and the others go to Edison High School, who partners with George Mason. The players are talented, but the team chemistry just isn’t there, partly because the athletes are not classmates.

There are many new faces on the team which provides a gap in between players who know each other and the players that do not know anyone on the team. The team must know each other to achieve success.   

“You gotta know the kid to your right and the kid on you left,” Barbour-Leslie said.

The game versus Robinson High School was a one sided game favoring Robinson. George Mason hopes not to reflect on this game. The chemistry between players will get better by every game that passes through the season.  The team hopes that as the season progresses, more players will become comfortable on the ice, with the puck, and with each other.