NP floor hockey team rolling along towards state play

As it heads towards the regular season finale and an anticipated berth in the state tournament, the New Prague High School floor hockey team is looking to the potential of defending its state championship.

New Prague was slated to play Stillwater Wednesday, Feb. 25. Details of the game were not available when The New Prague Times went to press.

Trojans 15, Mankato 5 The Trojans traveled south and blitzed Mankato, 15-5, Monday, Feb.13. New Prague peppered the Mankato goal with 103 shots, a level of offense and scoring creating plenty of playing time for starters and reserves alike.

Ray Parker paced New Prague with seven goals and an assist in the win. Aaron Adamson scored three times and assisted on three goals. Trystan Seger scored twice and assisted on another goal. Luke Ryburn scored a goal while Elliot Soukup and Carter Tupy both had a goal and an assist for New Prague. Jeffery Teal, Bobby Star and Lorelei Hamre all had an assist for the Trojans.

“Tonight, we played well right from the start,” said assistant coach Jeremy Kalal. “We again dominated on defense and were able to put on a ton of offensive pressure.”

The undefeated Trojans, with their win over Lakeville and most recently Mankato, are expecting the No. 1 seed from their division into the state tournament. State tournament play begins Friday, March 17, Kalal said.

‘Another gear’ The Trojans recently welcomed their counterparts from the NPHS ice hockey team for a friendly scrimmage. The floor hockey players held their own against the skaters at a game on the hardwood.

Brad Drazan said the floor hockey team held its own against his squad in the annual scrimmage. The score was not kept during the practice game. He said the players on his team enjoy interacting with the floor hockey team members. The skaters welcomed the floor hockey team to an ice hockey game earlier this year, sharing a locker room visit and honoring the team for its state championship from last year.

“It is always a fun time,” Kalal said. “The (ice) hockey team loves it and our players absolutely love the competition. The (ice) hockey team comes down and helps us prepare for the state tournament and gives us a faster paced game that gets our kids to find another gear so to speak.”