Stoneman Douglas hockey team gets warm welcome at National Championships

PLYMOUTH, Minn. -- Seventeen.
That's how many students and staff members were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during a mass shooting on Feb. 14. Those 17 are on the minds of the school's boys hockey team, which is playing at the 2018 USA Hockey National Championships. The tournament began Thursday and run through Monday.

Eleven days after the shooting, Stoneman Douglas won the Florida state hockey championship as the lowest seed in the four-team Tier 1 tournament, winning 3-1 in the semifinals before a 7-4 victory in the title game.
Which brings them to the national championships with the number 17 still on their mind.
"Winning state was such a relief," said Stephanie Horowitz, a Stoneman Douglas student who traveled to the tournament to cheer on her classmates. "It brought some light into the city during a time that was full of dark.
"Even if we lose nationals, it doesn't matter. The fact that we made it here in such a hard time is amazing."
Luke LaForge, a freshman goaltender and son of Stoneman Douglas coach Eric LaForge, said the tragedy has fueled the team.

"We put that toward our playing style," said Luke LaForge, whose brother Matthew is playing on the Tier 1 team at the national tournament. "That's somewhat why we did so well at state, because we were thinking of the 17."
But Stoneman Douglas has quickly realized they are playing for more than 17. As eyes shifted focus to the school and Parkland, Florida, after the shooting, the hockey community rallied. Advancing to the national championship in Minnesota, the 19-man Stoneman Douglas team was welcomed with gift bags, treats, a banner signed by competing Regis Jesuit (Colorado) team, jerseys from the Edina Junior Gold squad, and plenty of outreach in new friendships.
Edina forward Stephen Doll, whose team defeated Stoneman Douglas 13-3 on Friday, said rolling out the red carpet for a team and group of players that have been through so much is "the least we could do."
It transcends hockey.
"It's been really great," Stoneman Douglas forward Ronnie Froetschel Jr. said. "[We] weren't expecting this at all. It's been really cool and means a lot."

It not only transcends hockey, but it goes beyond what any 15-, 16-, 17- or 18-year-old should have to face. For the coaches, that's been even more impressive than the victories that got them here.
"It's been great to watch them as they process through everything and [to have them] come together as a team has been awesome," assistant John Greer said. "As they deal with other teams, watching them be gracious and thankful and a very well-composed group of young men, I couldn't be more proud.
"No matter what happens this weekend, I am happy with what these young men have accomplished."
Despite losing 7-1 and 13-3 in their first two games of pool play, the Stoneman Douglas team has made an impression that goes beyond what happens on the ice.

"Beyond all of this, they deserve to be here," Edina coach Bill Smith said. "They were quite an impressive group of boys. It's been fantastic to have them."