The DuPage Stars ended their 2016-2017 season on a lower note than the season before, being eliminated from the playoffs in the second round in the quest to defend their title as Illinois Suburban Hockey League Hayes Division champions.

The organization started in 2013, only able to field a junior varsity squad. The problem with starting the team was getting their name out there, but once they found success, the players came skating in. The team fielded 21 players in their first year, a number that has skyrocketed to 52 in the organization for the coming 2017-2018 season.

“We put an exciting product on the ice, and we stress camaraderie among players off the ice. People respond positively to that,” DuPage Stars president Pete Morrissette said.

The most important lesson for the players to learn, according to varsity coach Chaz Davis, is how the development on the ice shifts to the development off the ice.

“We’re developing their mindset regarding anything they do rather than just their hockey skills,” Davis said.”
Senior Cade Zarnowski, who’s entering his fourth season as a Star and has played competitive travel hockey since third grade, feels he’s learned useful life lessons from playing hockey.

“The most valuable lesson I’ve learned from playing hockey is that hockey teaches you teamwork,” Zarnowski said. “In some sports, the efforts of one individual can win you the game, while hockey teaches you how to succeed with the players around you.”

Zarnowski is the assistant captain for the team, which is off to a quick start, but feels they have some keys things to work on.

“We rely on our scoring up front and forget to protect our own end, which doesn’t help much when we run into a goalie that’s on his game,” Davis said.

Though the team has had all of this recent success, including a 20-3 record last season, Morrissette is adamant about keeping their overall structure the same.

“While, it would be great to have their backing, IHSA has been quite clear that they will not sponsor ice hockey unless it can fit within a traditional seasonal sport season,” Morrissette said. “To cut that in half would change the dynamics of how our teams and leagues are run greatly.”