The Brentwood Bruins went head to head against Centennial-Page at Ford Ice Center for the GNASH season opener on Monday night. With the Bruins coming into the season with high expectations with the talent that premiered on their team, their expectations were met, capturing the win 7-4 against Centennial Page.
Bruins coach Chris Orem expected the win out of his team.
“Absolutely, it’s what we were hoping,” said Orem. “The past practices leading up felt really good. I started to think twice when they put two in on us during the penalty kill, but overall, I think we did pretty good.”
During the second period however, backchecking became a large issue for the Bruins, causing four break away attempts by Centennial-Page.
“We got some guys working hard for the puck and then don’t have the energy to get back,” said Orem. “We tried to shorten shifts so we can try to stay on the D-side of the puck.”
Freshman Chloe Kamssu made the varsity Brentwood team while playing with a AAA travel team. She has managed this all while being one grade year ahead than her birth year, meaning Kamssu should still be in middle school. Kamssu has been looked at by several college coaches already with high hopes of Kamssu potentially signing a letter of intent. Chloe Kamssu will be the player to watch over the next few years. That is a fact.
“Chloe is a smart player,” said head coach Chris Orem. “She earns her playing time. If you noticed, she doesn’t get behind the puck. She always has her stick in the right places, and she knows where to be away from the puck.”
Captain Brennen Williams was excited to be back and playing hockey for his fourth year with the Brentwood Bruins.
“It was a great first win of the season,” stated Williams. “It was great having the boys back together and putting a good win together.”
Williams is hoping to go to win their next game against Blackman-Stewarts Creek on the 25th to build to the season. When Williams was asked about college hockey, he said that he had gotten into the University of Pittsburgh with the hope of playing on their ACHA Division I team. The Brentwood Bruins have others as well that are looking to play college hockey with the hope that this year sets a standard on how they should be playing.
Centennial-Page coach Mike Barns understands that while wins are expected, there is other work to be done to improve the team overall.
“Of course we have expectations to win, but we also have other goals that we work on before the game that sets how we approach and want to win that game,” said Barns. “Some we met and some we didn’t, but after this game we have some we have to work on for the next game.”
The captain of Centennial-Page, Brandon Seymour, has been looking into the possibility of playing college hockey, keeping his option open. He mentioned looking at Ole Miss as well as the University of Tennessee at Knoxville if he decides to continue his hockey career. When asked about what it was like to be a captain of a team that involves to different schools, he responded that he is excited about bringing together two different schools and two different groups of people together and bonding as a team. Page High School, up until last year, was tied with Hume-Fogg Academic as a team. When asked if there was going to be any rivalry, Seymour stated that he did not think there would be any rivalry.
“There weren’t too many Hume-Fogg kids,” said Seymour. “I don’t think there will be much beef at all. I think everyone is just out there to play hockey at the end of the day.”
All in all, both teams are looking forward to this upcoming season, one team already riding on their first win, another team taking what they can from their first loss to push forward. Brentwood plays again on the 28th at Centennial Sportsplex against Blackman-Stewarts Creek while Centennial-Page plays again on the 30th against Mount Juliet at Centennial Sportsplex. Best of luck in the season to both teams.
Editor’s note: If we have incorrectly misspelled a player’s name, please let us know in the comments section below. Covering high school hockey is new and resources are limited, so we want to get it right!
