The Westbrook High ice hockey team improved to 4-3-1 with back-to-back victories over Sanford and Noble last week. The Blazes topped the Redskins by a 7-4 margin on Wednesday, Jan. 2, and they downed the Knights last Saturday by that same 7-4 score.

“I think one of the biggest reasons for our early success is the positive attitude and mind frame of this hockey team,” said Westbrook coach Travis Jalbert. “As a coaching staff, we have stressed to the players time and time again how important it is to stay positive and come together as a team, not just a bunch of individuals.”

The victory over Sanford was fueled by a three-goal night from Tommy Lemay and two scores from Zach Johnson. Westbrook’s other two scores came courtesy of Zach Souza and Brian Doyle.

The win over Noble was sparked by a six-goal first period that saw the Blazes take control from the outset. Johnson scored two of his three goals in the first period with other tallies coming from Shayne Nealy, Tyler Rand, Lemay, and Souza. In addition, Westbrook goalie Dane Tupper came up with 19 saves in net for the Blazes.

The Westbrook squad is getting significant help from lots of players this season, something any sports team needs to be successful. Seven players have at least two goals and 10 players have contributed at least two assists so far this season.

“We’re getting contributions from everyone in our lineup, which doesn’t force us to rely solely on one or two players,” added Jalbert. “I think the one characteristic of this team that I am most proud of is they never give up mentally. During the Christmas tournament, we were trailing 5-0 after 20 minutes and came all the way back to within one goal with just a few minutes left to play. That kind of commitment and dedication speaks volumes to the kind of players we have.”

Teams and players are always looking to get better as the season moves forward and the Westbrook hockey team is no exception.

“The one thing that I would really like to see us improve on as the season continues is our defensive play as a team,” Jalbert said. “We need to focus on and realize that it’s not only the defensemen that play defense, and likewise not only the forwards play offense. We need to support each other all over the ice and play solid two-way hockey as a team.”