Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was in need of a big win, and it got one on Sunday. Just 11 days after a school shooting left 17 dead, the Stoneman Douglas varsity hockey team won the Lightning High School Hockey League Tier 1 state title in Florida. Entering the tournament as a No. 4 seed, the Stoneman Douglas boys upset top-seeded East Lake with a 3-1 win, then beat Jesuit 7-4 in the title game.
Congrats to the #StonemanDouglasHS hockey team for winning the state championship today and moving on to nationals! Tonight on @winknews at 6, hear from the players who say this is something they've been striving for all season. pic.twitter.com/AqlLciySir
— Chris Grisby (@ChrisWinkNews) February 25, 2018
Congrats to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School varsity hockey program on leaving Southwest Florida as state champions! Good luck in nationals March 22-26 in Plymouth, MN. Photo credit: @AMcDevittTV. @NBC2 @ABC7SWFL pic.twitter.com/B7jAIc7AP6
— Joe Putrelo (@Joe_Putrelo) February 25, 2018
"We came into the game knowing we had to give it our all to get the win, and that's what we did, and now we get to bring the trophy back to the best high school in America," forward Joey Zenobi said after the game, via ESPN.
Members of the team dyed their hair yellow to honor Joaquin Oliver, a friend of the team who was killed in the shooting.
The win qualifies Stoneman Douglas for the national high school championship tournament in Minnesota next month.
It's a feel-good story for the team and the community, which is still trying to process the unspeakable tragedy that unfolded last week. A sports title won't undo the grief or loss that families and friends are feeling, but it might bring a little joy and pride back to the high school and its students.
