Four years encompasses the span of a high-school hockey player’s career. The past four years also encompass the history of the Quakertown hockey program.
The current edition of the Panthers first took the ice for the 2019-20 season. On Wednesday night, they will face off against Plymouth Whitemarsh in a SHSHL (8:45 at Hatfield Ice). The winner will face defending champion Abington for the division title next Wednesday, March 1.
The upcoming playoff game is a milestone for the program, but coach Keith Krem is happiest for the players.
“There’s guys on this team that have gotten to play four years, Including Krem’s son Matt),” he said. “They got to experience the rougher side of it, now they’re getting to see the success side of it.
“It’s cool. In the high-school game, the kids transition through some really key years. You get to see them both as hockey players and human beings. That’s cool more than anything.”
Krem spoke to the goals he had when he launched the program.
“I think I wanted the kids to have success and be confident in the team they were on,” he said, “and more than anything, to be able to have fun representing the community.
“We’re checking off all those boxes. The winning is a cool thing, but more than anything I wanted these guys to be able to represent the school and be proud of it That’s always been the goal and I think obviously, they’re doing that pretty well.”
Hockey Happenings 