The Amador Valley Hockey Club plays at the Dublin Iceland Skating Rink every weekend from mid-March to the end of May and competes against high schools like Cal High and Monte Vista in the Tri-Valley Minor Hockey League. 

“We got a great group of kids. Everybody seems to treat each other with respect and kind of support each other, not get down on each other if someone isn’t doing as well as someone else or whatever. We know the kids have all understood that it’s a team and we have to work together,” said Eric Lahrs, Head Coach of the AV Hockey Team.

2021 was a restart for Coach Lahrs, after two years of hockey season hiatus due to the pandemic. Before Covid-19, the Dublin Ice Rink would always be packed with families, students, and even faculty to support the hockey team during games.

“It’s been a little tough because we had a large number of players involved with the club leading into COVID. We had a lot of them graduate, and then some kids now, like freshmen, don’t realize that we have a club hockey team. So it’s kind of been a little more of a grassroots effort this year to kind of get the word back out there,” said Lahrs. 

The team does not have official regular practices between games. In order to compensate, building close team bonds and strong relationships is something that the team emphasizes. Each member of the team tries to speak with each other as much as possible before games.

“It’s tough for a team to build some chemistry as we don’t practice together. However, we do try to communicate as much as we can on and off the ice and overall just have good friendships with each other,” said Brett Patzer(‘23), AV Hockey Team member. 

The team is not assigning captain roles to anyone on the team. Players who are upperclassmen generally play a leadership role as a motivator and mentors to underclassmen.

“I find myself a bit of a leader on and off the ice. I would help with the teams through dryland practices and help communicate on the bench,” said Patzer. 

After getting second in the 2022 season, the 2023 hockey team hopes for another successful year. With guidance from upperclassmen and eagerness from underclassmen, the hockey team is an example of cherishing the community and striving for growth.

“Kids put in the time and commitment to [play], and we just would like to get the crowds back and just let the Amador student body know that there is a hockey team. What makes this unique is getting your classmates to come to watch. [Hockey should be] something that [players] take pride in and you love to share it with people,” said Lahrs.