The Old Rochester Regional High School Bulldogs faced a “tough loss” on the ice Saturday night, Dec. 14, going against Dartmouth High School in the first game of the season.

It was a close game with a lot of action as both teams took turns tying up the score. With a score of 4-4 by the end of the third period, the game was extended into overtime where Dartmouth took the winning shot.

“Definitely a little bit sloppy on both sides,” said ORR Head Coach Zach Ledogar after the game. “I think there were 18 total penalties — a lot of lazy penalties.”

He added, “All in all, I think both teams battled pretty hard. It's been a good rivalry between the two of us over the last, let’s say, six years.”

The annual rivalry game also saw the return of the toy drive run by the teams in conjunction with the Friends of the Jack Foundation. Anyone who brought in a toy for donation received free admission.

Looking ahead at this season, Ledogar said he’s feeling good as the team has a “good mix” of young and seasoned players, with nine seniors and five juniors remaining from the previous season.

“We had a lot to build on from last season,” he said. “We made it to the Sweet 16 and we’ve only lost three players, so I think our confidence is high.”

Ledogar added, “I think coming into night, our confidence may have been a little too high, thinking that we’d be able to just go out there and do it without having to work hard.”

After observing the night’s game, Ledogar said the team needs to work on powerplay, getting more offense deep in the zone, stopping turnovers and playing “fundamentally sound defense.”

Sophomore Andrew Kennefick, who has been playing hockey since he was two years old, said he loves the sport for the camaraderie.

“My mom threw me out onto the ice one day and I just sort of fell in love,” he said. 

Over a decade later, Kennefick said he is still committed to growing as a player. He highlighted cutting down on penalties “that kill us” and getting better at controlled shots as ways he’d like to see the team improve this season.

“I feel like we did pretty well for our first game, but there’s a lot of areas to improve on,” he said, adding, “I feel like we came together as a team, which is crucial for winning any game.”