The Future is Bright for Mill Creek’s New Inline Hockey Team

new hockey team gave fans an exciting performance in their recent regional tournament. According to head coach Todd Galucki, Mill Creek started slowly the first day against some powerhouse teams. But they won a dramatic 6-5 comeback victory early on the second day, which earned them a final game against Grayson. Grayson had dominated Mill Creek in two earlier games this season.  Mill Creek fought Grayson hard, pulling within 3-2 midway through the game, before finally succumbing to Grayson, 5-2. More importantly, this tournament provided a boost in team morale and a boost in fan excitement for this new hockey team. 

“But in defeat,” coach Galucki said, “the team came together on that final day and gave their family and fans a glimpse of what the future could hold for Mill Creek.”

At the beginning of the season, there were a handful of players interested in playing inline hockey, but there was nobody to coach the team. After meeting with the team manager for the ice and inline teams, Galucki decided to accept the coaching position in order to ensure that Mill Creek could have an inline team this season.

“Quickly we were able to find enough players to form the team, including some very young players in 8th and 9th grade,” coach Galucki explained. “Because of the exceptional talent of our three seniors, we were placed as a team in the higher seeded 2A division. This meant our younger players would be under constant pressure to improve their games.” 

The difference between 2A and the lower 1A division is typically speed and time, so this very young team works hard to speed up all elements of their game. 

“This has led to a tough season in terms of wins and losses, but should pay dividends in years to come,” coach Galucki said.

The team works hard in order to overcome all of the obstacles a new and young team has to face in its first season.

“Most of the players have been asked to leave their comfort zone and try to learn new positions this season,” coach Galucki added. “Forwards who are used to crashing the net and scoring goals have been asked to protect their own net and play defense.  And likewise, defensemen who are built to block shots and move opponents out of the way have been asked to fine-tune their offensive skills.”

The Mill Creek Hawks hockey team is not only hard working; they are athletes with amazing team spirit.

“We have an incredibly positive and enthusiastic team, despite the lack of wins to show for our efforts,” coach Galucki said proudly. “The kids on the team encourage each other and never get down on one another when things go bad.  Even in practice they are very spirited and upbeat.  These really are high-quality kids and they’re a credit to their school and their families.”

Dacula Patch Team of the Week: Mill Creek Hawks

Head coach: Todd Galucki

Other coaches: Chris Mosher

Players: Avery Barrett, Austin Leonard, Jude Wright, Amy Zawada, Tyler Kesselring, Brett Mosher, Jack Spence, Chad Sumner, Colin Brandys, Kyle Brandys, Will Jackson, Rodrigo Soares, Adam Galucki

Players to watch: Avery Barrett, Colin Brandys, Tyler Kesselring, Rodrigo Soares

This year's record: 1-8

Upcoming games:

Sat. Feb. 4 at 10 a.m. Archer vs. Mill Creek  SGAA

Sun. Feb. 12 at 4 p.m. Mill Creek vs. McDonough  SGAA

Click here for more information on the Mill Creek hockey team. 

Send us an email to nominate the next Dacula Patch team of the week!