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I always have loved ice hockey since I was a little boy. I remember playing ice
hockey video games and going to the local ice rink to skate. I realized I had a passion for the
sport and have been playing since I was eight years old. Throughout my career, I have won two
tournaments. I learned how to work together and never give up. By being able to work together
in a group one can accomplish anything he or she sets his or her mind to.
Ice hockey is a “game between two teams, each usually having six players, who
wear skates and compete on an ice rink. The object is to propel a vulcanized rubber disk, the
puck, past a goal line and into a net guarded by a goaltender, or goalie.” (“Ice Hockey”). “Ice
hockey is probably a descendant of bandy, a sport that developed in England in the late 18th
century but that is now played only in the Baltic countries, Sweden, and the countries of the
former USSR. Modern ice hockey is thought to have been started about 1855 on frozen Lake
Ontario by British soldiers stationed in Canada; people in Halifax, Nova Scotia, also claim that
ice hockey originated there.” (“Hockey, Ice”). Throughout my career I mostly played center. A
center is the player who generally plays in the middle of the ice. He/she takes draws against the
opposing center; a referee drops the puck between the two and each center tries to win the puck
to their team. As a center, I played a crucial role in winning draws; setting myself and my
teammates up with quality scoring chances. I also played a large role in the defensive zone,
clearing opposing players away from my goal and covering the opposing center.
Della Bella 2
Although I had played ice hockey for many years before, I had not truly learned the
meaning or strength of working together until this moment. In the playoff qualifying games of
the Jersey Shore Ice Hockey Tournament my team lost each game we played. My teammates
and I felt beaten. Our whole team thought that we were certain to lose against the number one
seed in the tournament. Our coach spoke to us before the game and said “All those people out
there, they don’t believe in us. They (the other team) think they’re going to destroy us. Are we
“So, let’s get out there and prove that we deserve to be here” he said. The game was
about to begin and our goalie had not yet shown up. “Can you give us a few more minutes?” my
coach asked the referee. The officials (referees) refused and insisted on starting the game. We
couldn’t push off the game any longer. We had to play without a goaltender. Somehow, we did
not allow a goal, managing to keep the puck in the offensive zone. Our goalie showed up after
the first period, and received some harsh words from the team. We were now able to play more
on the offensive and were able to net three goals to win the game three to two. Winning the first
playoff game showed us all that we could compete with any of the teams in the tournament,
having beat the number one seed. Our team went on to win the championship game. We were
ecstatic and motivated to win the entire tournament. The team went on to win the tournament.
Even though we had an insignificant chance, we were still able to prevail. I learned to never
give up on anything, even when you think you don’t have a chance and to work together with
one another.
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After winning the Jersey Shore Ice Hockey Tournament the previous year, our team had
learned how to work together and win in the most difficult situations. This year however was
different. We were a better team and had developed chemistry with one another, having played
together for a full season. The team won the first two of our playoff qualifying games, but
ending up losing our third game. We had lost our confidence. After the game our captain, Doug
Rubin, said “I know everyone is disappointed right now. I am too. We need to show that this
will not affect the rest of the tournament. Good teams win games. Great teams win games and
rebound after they have lost. They do not let it impact their game.” That message stuck with
me. I did not want to allow a loss to impact how I performed on the ice. Instead of letting it
bring us down, we used it as motivation; to prove that we were the best team in the tournament.
We went on to win our first playoff game. Our victory showed us that although we had lost our
previous game, it would not prevent us from being victorious. Just as the year before, we had
won all our playoff games to become back to back champions. We never became overconfident
in ourselves nor expected to win like the year before; taking each game just as serious as the last.
I learned to never become overconfident in your abilities, never let your guard down and work
To conclude, I learned that with teamwork and determination anything is possible. Never
become overconfident in your abilities, never let your guard down and work together. I view
myself as strong-minded individual who believes in these principles and has a strong work ethic.
I view the world as I would ice hockey. To be successful, you must give everything your all and
Works Cited
academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/ice-hockey/108494#29695.toc. Accessed 16
Jan. 2018