It was not turning out to be the season the team had hoped for. 

Despite solid talent on the team, the St. Stephens & St. Agnes ice hockey team eked out an underwhelming 5-8 record in season play, but it was enough to tie Georgetown Prep for a third place Interstate Athletic Conference tournament berth.

It was clear to Saints Coach Joel Layton, who has lead the team since its inception 10 years ago, that the traditional approach of rotating several lines of players with talent dispersed among each line was just not working.  

Wed discussed the thought of going with one powerhouse line that utilized the strength of our three most experienced players and support them with our other talent, Layton said.  In order to mitigate fatigue throughout the game, the idea was to place a premium on defense, play with patience to capitalize on the other teams mistakes, and strike quickly to take advantage and put points on the board.

It worked.  Last week the Saints beat The Posts number two and three ranked teams, delivering a perfect storm game against previously undefeated Bullis for an 8-3 win, and following up with a 5-3 victory against arch nemesis Landon the next day to win the Saints first IAC ice hockey tournament title.  

This earned the Saints an unexpected berth in the new Mid-Atlantic Prep Hockey League playoffs this week where in the first round of playoffs Tuesday the Saints proved their staying power by again defeating Landon 4-1, pitting them against Dematha on Wednesday.  The Saints lost to Dematha in season play 7-4.  The winner of the game will move into the League championship game on Friday.

My dream has always been to win an IAC Championship and to beat Landon, senior captain Briggs Davis said.  In the past week, our team has literally been transformed.  Each player has played their hearts out, giving 100 percent, and playing with an unbelievable amount of passion.

For Davis, a native of Alexandria, this weeks tournament marks the culmination of a 15-year ice hockey career that began at Mount Vernon ice rink at age three.  He and team assistant captain Ian Gordon ’09 first played together at age six for the Northern Virginia Ice Dogs.

I knew we could do this, Gordon said, but after a losing season, I didnt think it was going to happen for us.  Its been an amazing experience.

Joining Davis and Gordon on the Saints dream team line is Assistant Captain Will Newman ’08 of Arlington who with Gordon has anchored the teams defense, and sophomore Holt Mountcastle, and junior goalie Mike Smith who has only allowed an average of two goals per game in tournament play, both from Alexandria.

Davis currently holds the Saints record for points scored with a 113-career total, with Gordon, only a junior, nipping at his heels with 91career points.