October marks the start of a sport that is both admired and played by all ages, hockey. Based on the age of high school students, there are three options for teams. Typically, freshmen who play hockey are on the Bantam team which is suited for ages 13 and 14. The next highest level is the high school team, where players most commonly choose to play for the next three years. However, once a player reaches the age of 16 they are given the choice to move up to the Junior A team (Helena Bighorns) which is slightly more expensive and requires them to try out and get accepted.

The Helena High School Hockey team consists of sixteen players at this time.The team is not exclusive to Helena High and many students from Capital are also on the team. Eight of the players are seniors; Ryan Arntson, Nic Berbos, Justin Durbin, Nick Garcia, Simon Jolicoeur, Kameron Kottas, Jacob Sodja, and Colin Sassano. There is something unique about the team this year, Simon Jolicoeur is a foreign exchange student from Quebec, Canada and is predicted to be the number one goalie in the state for the division.

The team meets every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday to practice for the series of games that will begin on December 2nd. The games are free and everyone is encouraged to come.

The Helena High School Hockey team has experienced great success in recent years, the team won the state tournament in both 2014 and 2015. The team hopes to come out number one yet again in March to continue their winning streak.

The individual players each have goals aside from the unanimous goal to win state.

Kameron Kottas (Center, #23) says “My goal for this season is to push myself to get better and stay healthy”

This is the first season coaching the Helena High School team for Trent Sobeck. For his first year, Sobeck hopes the team “can get the State Championship and just have fun so the ones who are going to play in college can be prepared for it.”

The team has many special attributes this year that can easily help them take home some wins. The team has two goalies that they will switch between from game to game. One of the goalies is Simon Jolicoeur, the foreign exchange student predicted to be number one in the state. The second goalie of three years is Morgan Butler, who has previously assisted the team in their goal to win state.

Coach Sobeck feels that the most special part of the team for him is that it is “the first year [he has] been with them”. Sobeck also looks forward to knowing that a couple of them are going to play for the Bighorns next year “trying to get them ready for that” is also a special part of the season.

Blake Nichols (Defense, #19) says that having half of the team being seniors makes the team unique this year and that “They know what we need to do to get back to state finals again”. Nichols also says that the seniors will “be the leadership us younger players will need to succeed.”

Kottas says “The uniqueness about the team is becoming one as a whole.”

The most popular hockey team in Helena is the Bighorns. The Bighorns are ages 16 through 21 and are at a higher level.

Dane Rieger (Defense, #11) is playing with the Bighorns for his first year and says the biggest difference between the two teams is the skill level. Rieger added that playing in the NA3HL “is definitely a step up from playing in the Montana high school league.”

With the drastic step up to a higher team, Rieger says “my goal for this season is to help my team in any way I can.” He also says “by the end of the year I want to be the top defenseman on the team.”

The Helena Bighorns have already had several home games this season. The games are typically on Friday nights at 7pm at the Helena Ice Arena and cost $6. Everyone is encouraged to come.

The other team which high school students have the option to play in is the Bantam team. Usually the Bantam team consists of players aged 13 and 14.

Nikolai Wallery (Goalie, #33) says he feels good about the season because of “The coach and the talent the team has”.

Wallery’s personal goal for the season is to “Win as many games [as possible] and play as a team.”

Everyone is encouraged to attend the Bantam games on Saturdays at noon as well for support from a loving crowd.

To keep up to date on what games are going on for the week go to the Helena Ice Arena website and click on Schedule of Events.