The ice hockey team (9–5) was defeated by the Leonardtown Ospreys 4–3 in overtime, ending their season in the second round of state playoffs.
In the first period, both teams appeared evenly matched as each team traded off taking shots at the opposing goalie. Leonardtown’s Devin Bean struck first to give the Ospreys a 1-goal lead with around eight minutes left. The Vikes remained unfazed, as senior Andrew Fou quickly responded with a goal of his own 30 seconds later to tie the game up at one. Just two minutes after that, Benjamin Luo slid one past the goalie to give the Vikes a 2–1 lead entering the second period.
Much of the second period was a defensive battle, as both teams struggled to garner many strong possessions and constantly applied pressure on the defensive end. On the few chances the Vikes had to extend their lead, the Leonardtown defense quickly forced turnovers. After 10 minutes of no scoring, Jack Magill of Leonardtown tied the game back up at two a-piece with two minutes remaining in the second period. No other goals were scored, and the stage was set for an intense third period.
Similarly to the previous two periods, the third and final period did not disappoint. The Vikes started to lock in on the offensive end and started to pressure the Leonardtown goalie more. The offensive firepower became too much to handle as junior Zach Kraus fired one into the back of the net to put the Vikes up one with nine minutes left in the period. Things were looking good for the Vikes until the final two minutes when Jack Magill scored his second goal of the night to tie the game back up at three and send the game into overtime.
In overtime, with the entire season on the line, both teams went all out as they constantly traded strong possessions. Eventually, Magill capped off his historic night with his third goal to give the Ospreys a one-goal lead with four minutes left in the period. The Vikes were unable to respond, and the game ended 4–3 in favor of the Ospreys.
The loss concludes the Viking’s 2023/2024 season.
