Winston Churchill ice hockey is primed to make another deep postseason run.
Finishing the regular season with the best record in the Montgomery Hockey Conference, Churchill now has their sights set on what will hopefully be a long month of February.
The Bulldogs are led by Senior Zack Silver, whose 24 points were a notch above last year’s 23 en route to a heartbreaking loss in the state final.
An alternate captain on last year’s team, Silver’s jersey now proudly features the ‘C’. He is the captain of a 9-1-2 Churchill team with unfinished business.
Zack Silver now wears a different letter on his left chest. Courtesy of Mike Nelson, WCHS Ice Hockey Club.
Silver is this week’s Montgomery County High School Athlete of the Week.
Each week throughout the school year, the Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame is partnering with Montgomery Community Media to honor an Athlete of the Week from the county’s more than 40 public and private high schools.
“He’s really developed into a leader that can galvanize a group and get them motivated,” said Silver’s head coach, Steve London. “He’s never complaining, always at practice, always cheering on his teammates.”
The team’s lone loss came in December at the hands of Walter Johnson. After mounting two separate 4-game winning streaks throughout the season, the evidence suggests Churchill is equipped to maintain a high level of play.
“Sometimes it takes that senior or junior to step up and start yelling at some people if we’re down some goals,” London said. “When we need a goal or a big play to happen, he’s usually the guy who does it.”
The Bulldogs will face 11th-seeded Sherwood in the final round of the MHC bracket Friday night at Rockville Ice Arena. The winner will move on to the Maryland Student Hockey League tournament, representing Montgomery County in the state playoffs.
