When people think about West athletics, hockey is typically not the first sport that comes to mind. However, this year’s hockey club is turning heads with their strong start in the AT&T Metroplex High School Hockey League.

“We’ve played eight games so far and we’ve only lost one,” senior Josh Mehr said.

Mehr has been one of the standout players on the team, leading the entire league in both goals (11) and assists (11) through the team’s first eight games.

“We are pretty good all around,” Mehr said. “We have good goaltending this year and some good forwards.”

This is nothing new for the hockey team, which has experienced plenty of success in the past.

“The hockey team was ranked third in the nation last year, so overall we have a very strong team,” senior Brett Carlson said.

Carlson is a dedicated fan of the team who can often be found cheering them on from the stands.

“They’re really fun to watch both offensively and defensively,” Carlson said. “They play really fast-paced, and I think that’s really interesting to watch.”

Senior Ryan Doucette, one of the team’s top scorers, attributes much of the team’s success to how well they have learned to work together.

“Our teamwork is really solid,” Doucette said. “We have great chemistry this year. We’ve really meshed well and come together as a team.

With this in mind, Mehr wants to encourage those who do not usually watch hockey to come support the team at their upcoming games.

“Admission is free and the games are usually close to Plano,” Mehr said. “Also, hockey is a fun, exciting and fast game.”

With a long season ahead of them, the hockey team will look to keep this early momentum going all the way through to the final game.

“We’ve got to play hard and win games,” Doucette said.

If you want to see the hockey club in action, check them out Thursday, Dec. 11 at the Dr. Pepper StarCenter in McKinney for their game against Coppell at 7:00 p.m.