The St. Louis U. High hockey team finished its whirlwind of a season a little disappointed this year. After a heartbreaking shootout loss to Marquette in the quarterfinals of the Challenge Cup, the Jr. Bills 2020-2021 season came to an end. Impacted by quarantines as well as injuries, the Jr. Bills are left wondering what could have been in this unique season. The senior class leaving this year were the 2018 and 2019 State Champions and will leave a lasting legacy to the classes below them. 

“I think that even though it didn't go better for us this year, we still showed the younger guys what they have to do to win games, and to carry the legacy of SLUH hockey,” said senior captain Matt Warnecke.

“The seniors were all amazing all year,” said junior Max Sextro. “They all lead the team in different ways and all helped underclassmen feel welcome since we had so many that needed that. They also performed on the ice, leading us in our great season and into the playoffs where we had an early exit.”

Even though the seniors did not finish with a final state run, they carry the accomplishment of winning the Jesuit Cup four years in a row. 

“Winning the J-Cup every year was cool,” said Warnecke. “It’s always a big game when we play De Smet and we keep winning. That’s awesome.” 

The team was led in scoring by Warnecke, who had 7 goals and 6 assists in 14 games. Behind the strong contributions from the captain, the team finished with a record of 5-7-4 and averaged 2.38 goals a game. With one of the strongest power play units on the ice, the Jr. Bills boasted a 30.3 percent success rate. The power play propelled them to their first win over Maquette in the quarterfinals, where two out of their three goals were on the man advantage. 

However, the Jr. Bills were constantly faced with quarantines and injuries throughout the season and into the playoffs.

“Knowing that we got through all the injuries and quarantines, I was very proud of the attitude in the locker specifically from our leaders down,” said head coach Steve Walters. “They came to the rink every day, ready to play, ready to practice, and there was a complete buy in from the entire team.”

The whole team fought hard this season, and as the seniors leave a lasting legacy, the juniors look to continue the resilience and fortitude of Jr. Bill hockey. 

“I really look forward to being a senior on the team next year because I’ve been with so many great seniors in the past two years who have helped me a ton,” said Sextro. “I look forward to giving that to underclassmen next year, and also trying to lead the team on the ice.