Sports

Season Preview: Belluche Leads Team to Strong Start

Captain David Belluche ’14 delivered a huge hit on a Brewster Academy forward, drawing shouts from the home crowd and setting the tone for the rest of the game. Big Blue hockey went on to win its season opener 7-1. Boys Hockey has shown off its offensive prowess for the start of the season. A deep roster with good chemistry has resulted in Andover outscoring opponents 18-8 over the course of its first three games. “This year we have more lines that can hurt up front than we have had before. Everyone has been pulling their weight, so we’ve been getting balanced scoring. That has been one of the keys to our success so far,” said Assistant Captain Michael Lata ’14. Belluche looks forward to his last season on the ice with players, both new and returning, who have been more than up for the challenge so far. “I think we’ve got a lot of guys that are stepping into big roles. We lost a lot of Seniors but everybody is realizing that the younger guys have to step up and play a big role this year, and the Seniors are doing a good job of leading the team,” said Belluche. “It’s a work in progress, as it always is, and we just have to make sure we continue to improve every practice and every game,” said Head Coach Dean Boylan on the importance of not getting complacent with the team’s strong start. He is also working to keep the team in the moment. “What we try to do is focus on the next practice, and the next practice after that. If we are doing that, we will end up playing better in the next game, and each game goes shift by shift,” Boylan continued. While it has gotten off to a fast start, the team continues to improve. As the leadership, coaching and talent come together, Big Blue hockey will be a formidable team this season.