The students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school have experienced enough grief to last a lifetime, and yet their resiliency continued to be on full display right here in Southwest Florida.
The students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school have experienced enough grief to last a lifetime, and yet their resiliency continued to be on full display right here in Southwest Florida.
In Germain Arena, the Stoneman Douglas boys’ hockey team overcame the odds as the lowest-seed in the State Amateur Hockey of Florida state tournament and battled to win a state championship not just for themselves, but for their community still grieving and searching for moments like these.
“We almost didn’t even come here because we didn’t know if we wanted to play or not,” senior Ronnie Froetschel said.
An understandable sentiment for students who, just 11 days ago, had classmates and teachers massacred in one of the deadliest school shootings in history. But unlike the 17 victims that will never walk this earth again, the 17 boys on the Stoneman Douglas hockey team had a chance to do something by simply hitting the ice.
“I was just glad to be alive,” Froetschel said, “and I live for (the victims) now.”
In the SAHOF championships, the Eagles entered the day as the bottom seed of the tournament. Admittedly, Stoneman Douglas was off their game during and round-robin games, going winless in three games. But, the Eagles rallied to knock off the one-seed East Lake in the semifinals and cruise in the championship, beating Jesuit 7-4 to complete the Cinderella story.
“No one was lacking energy in the locker room. We all came to play. We were all ready,” explained senior Joey Zenobi. “This wasn’t for us. This was for the 17 victims. We played for them, so passionate, so emotional. It’s all for them.”
“Bad things always lead to good things, and it’s just nice to have this,” senior Matthew Horowitz said. “We plan to bring all the medals to the school. There’s 17 of us on the ice, so we plan to put one medal on every single person that passed away.”
The championship won’t bring back lives. It may not even relieve grief for more than a moment. But what the Marjory Stoneman Douglas boys hockey team did on a in southwest Florida, by making a trip they understandably didn’t have to make, won’t be soon forgotten.
“I’m glad we did it. I’m glad we came,” said Froetschel. “I’m just happy to be alive and I play for those who can’t.”
