The Coppell Cowboys varsity hockey team is looking to turn the year around and make a run at the playoffs down the stretch of this season.

With only 5 games left this season, the Cowboys look to change their luck, starting tonight in their game against Plano West. Currently in last place with a 5-12-1 record, the Cowboys have a chance to move up a couple spots with wins in each of their last 5 games. Heading into the playoffs, a better seed would offer the team a better chance at going far into the playoffs with hopes of capturing their second state title. Come out and support your Cowboys at 8:45 tonight at the Dr Pepper Star Center in McKinney!

Taylor’s Gift Foundation is once again hosting a Ladies Doubles Tennis Tournament. Registration began today.

Although the tournament isn’t until April 27, it is important to register early to reserve a spot to play as it is expected to be a full event. The tournament will be held at the Las Colinas Country Club and costs $120 for the two players per team.

Other upcoming events for Taylor’s Gift includes Taylor’s Gift Night with the Dallas Stars which will be held on March 16. Tickets are already on sale, and it is expected to be a big event as the Stars play the Chicago Blackhawks.

For more information on events, visit their website here.

This Thursday, the Coppell Cowboy varsity hockey team (5-4) will face a strong skating Jesuit Rangers team at Miller Ice Rink in Farmers Branch.

Jesuit as an offense is very quick and good at scoring points, as they have already scored 39 goals so far this season. The Rangers leaders in points, forwards Hayden Meshell and Nick Alexander, have the ability to score multiple goals as well as set up others for scoring chances.

Coppell will give the Rangers a good game, as Janson Polk and Jason Reyes anchor the Cowboys offensive front. As for the defensive side, goalie Parker Johnston and his cohort of defensemen have yet to hold the opposition to under two goals a game. Johnston, whose save percentage is a little over 80 percent, will have a tough time stopping the puck from careening into the net.

Jesuit does have the momentum as they are on a red-hot 5 game winning streak, and beat Coppell in the season opener, 7-2.

For more about Coppell Hockey, click here.

Staff Writer

On Thursday night the Cowboys lost a hard fought game 2-0 to the Allen Eagles taking their record to 1-9 on the season.

Coppell did a great job in the first period holding Allen scoreless and keeping the amount of shots low.

The second period is where Coppell really lost control of the game. Allen scored two goals, despite a great game by Parker Johnson, and Coppell just couldn’t come back from the deficit.

The game turned into a game of special teams with the Eagles able to perform on power plays where the Cowboys struggled.

Coppell’s next game is against Dallas Jesuit at Farmers Branch at 8:15.

Football players dangerously collide in a game, which could easily lead to serious concussions with long term effects. Photo by Ivy Hess

By Lance McCaskey
Staff Writer

Staff Writer

Coppell Hockey has flourished under Coach Tim Barr for the better part of a decade, including accomplishments such as City and State Championships. The tenure of Coach Barr finally came to a close with the end of the 2010-2011 season.

In Barr’s wake, the Coppell High School Hockey Association installed Ty Hennes as the new Varsity Head Coach and Director of Coaching early this summer. Hennes was formerly the JV Head Coach but also has an extensive resume as a player – including a NCAA Championship in 2001 with Boston College.

At only 31, Hennes is young enough to still be a player himself, but the CHSHA has expressed confidence that Henne will carry on the tradition of excellence that Coppell Hockey is known for. Filling the shoes of Ty Henne as JV Coach will be CHS alumni Barrett Wilson.

Hennes and Wilson proved their mettle with standout performances in the annual Summer League. Coppell Varsity finished 7-3 and made a deep cut into the postseason before falling to Arlington in the Championship.

The JV squad followed suit, capturing 2nd place in their Summer League.

When looking ahead to the upcoming season, the Cowboys’ success this summer despite the installment of new head coaches is a promising sign for CHS hockey fans.

Coppell has a reputation of having some of the top athletes in all sports. Although he is only here for 12 weeks of the year, Collin Jacobs is 18 and in arms’ reach of becoming a professional hockey player.

Jacobs has played hockey, as center forward, for 14 years on three different teams. Two of theses teams are here in Dallas and the other one was in Seattle. Jacobs was dedicated to his club teams and never had time to play on the Coppell High School team.

“Hockey has always been my passion and I truly hope to be playing hockey for a living,” Jacobs said.

The usual path of a hockey player starts with club teams, or depending on skill level the player might advance to a junior league. Junior leagues are basically amateur hockey leagues for players between 16 and 20.

It is on these junior league teams that scouts from either college hockey teams or professional hockey teams typically look at them.

At 15, Jacobs showed greater talent than most players in his age group and several older than him, so he advanced on to the junior league and moved to Seattle. Jacobs is now a part of the Seattle Thunderbirds, where is he is considered a professional and is paid for playing.

While in Washington, Jacobs lived with a bullet family, which is a family with open rooms allowing hockey players to live with them while they are in season, and one of his teammates. Jacobs does attend school in Washington, but education is not his top priority due to the amount of time he must dedicate to hockey. When his season is over, Jacobs comes home to Coppell and is enrolled in classes at CHS.

Jacobs showed amazing performance during his second year on the junior team. He played all 72 games and scored 13 goals and 13 assists. These stats are sure to catch the attention of many people looking for young talent.

“He sets his goals high and tries his best to reach them, when he comes up short he gets upset but it makes him try even harder for his next set of goals,” senior Goodwyn said.

Jacobs’ amount of dedication on the ice is impressive, and it takes a lot to be able to move with six inches on steel on slippery ice trying to catch a small puck.

“Our workout schedule is rigorous and mandatory,” Jacobs said. “From 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. we do regular weight lifting, then two hours of skating on the ice and end with a cardio workout. My diet is full of carbs to give me the energy to keep up.”

Although his hard work is impressive, the fact that he is 18 and on the fast track to a professional career in the sport that he loves holds a sense of amazement and pride.

The future for Jacobs is very bright and over the last season Jacobs met with every NHL teams. If for any reason he is injured or unable to play anymore, he still has full rides to several Canadian colleges in his pocket, but he is not allowed to play hockey for them since he waved his right when he joined the WHL.

Because of his hard work and immense dedication over the last 14 years, Jacobs is likely to be drafted by an NHL team this next season. There is no guarantee which team he will be on but several teams have their eyes on him.

“Collin is a phenomenal person on and off the ice, no matter where his hockey takes him he will expand his talents and bring positive progress to his team and the sport,” senior teammate Garret Peterson said.

Photo Courtesy: Collin Jacobs

Staff Writer

The 2011 Coppell Cowboys hockey team is loaded with talent and huge potential. No one questions that. Coppell Hockey Board of Directors President Kent Howard called the team “very physical, very fast” and the team had very high expectations before the season.

However, this season, that talent and potential hasn’t always translated into victory.

It has been a roller coaster ride of a season for the Cowboys. At times, they have dominated the ice, such as their 8-0 rout of Flower Mound. At other times, however, the Cowboys have been the victims of a beat-down themselves, such as their 6-0 loss to Southlake Carroll.

The team is currently 9-9-2 (nine wins, nine losses, and two overtime losses) after 19 games, with only one contest remaining. Their dreams of eclipsing, or even repeating, last year’s 3rd place finish at the State Tournament seems nearly impossible at this point.

Their hopes were dashed even further tonight (March 1) when the Cowboys were dealt a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss to a formiddable Plano squad, the current 2nd place team. The Cowboys’ only remaining opponent is Allen, who they will take on next Thursday for an attempt to finish the season with 10 wins.

Allen (13-6-0) is another intimidating opponent, holding 3rd place in the Varsity Gold standings. The Cowboys have played close games against the Eagles earlier in the season (losing both meetings 3-2) so the Cowboys have a good chance of obtaining revenge and ending the season on a high note.

It has been a season of ups-and-downs for Coppell Hockey, and although they did not repeat last year’s success, it was a great effort by the Cowboys and was a good experience for the young team as they begin preparations for next season.

Staff Writer

2010 was filled with breath taking moments in many sports including hockey, soccer, basketball, and football. Graphic by Scott Bennett.

As I contemplated the past year during the first days of the New Year, it struck me that 2010 was truly a great year. It was filled with fantastic games and performances, and the most prominent were the amazing moments in sports leaving fans speechless.

One thing is for sure: it was an exciting year for sports enthusiasts. All of the usual hype surrounding yearly sports events such as the NFL or NBA was converged with rare occurrences such as the Winter Olympics and the World Cup.

This made 2010 the ultimate year in sports, stocked full of amazing moments. Although there were definitely thousands of amazing sporting feats that could be mentioned, I have compiled what I think were the five most amazing sports moments of 2010.

5. 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship Game: Duke vs. Butler

The 2010 NCAA Tournament lived up to its nickname “March Madness” when Butler faced Duke in the championship game. With just three seconds left, Duke went to the free throw line with a 60-59 lead. Brian Zoubek swished the first free throw to extend Duke’s lead to 61-59. When Zoubek missed the second, Butler’s Gordon Hayward sprinted up the court and tossed up a prayer from half-court at the buzzer. The shot was inches away from going in, but bounced off the rim, giving Duke fourth national championship. Had Butler won, it would’ve gone down as one of the greatest upsets in NCAA history. Watch the video!

4. Texas 5A Football Playoffs: Coppell vs. Trinity

Senior corner back Bennett Okotcha tackles Trinity receiver. Photo by Aditi Shrikant.

Next on the list is the Coppell Cowboys football team’s matchup against the Trinity Trojans in the fourth round of the playoffs. This isn’t exactly the Super Bowl, but as a witness, I can attest that this game had intensity like very few I’ve seen before. Both teams were undefeated, and knew that everything they had worked for was on the line. Trinity, being the No. 1 team in the state, was obviously favored. However, Coppell was hungry for an upset, and jumped out to an early 13-0 lead. The Cowboys led for the entire game, save one play: the final one. Coppell had a 40-35 lead with a second left and Trinity lining up on the goal line.

Everyone in the stadium was on their feet; the intensity was cranked up to top notch. However, the Coppell side completely deflated as Trinity rushed into the end zone for a 41-40 victory. Coppell’s storybook 13-0 season was the first in school history and their loss to Trinity was by far the best high school game I’ve ever seen. Watch the video!

3. Olympic Hockey Gold Medal Game: USA vs. Canada

For the “bronze medal” spot on the list, we’ll venture outside of the U.S. to Vancouver where the 21^st Winter Olympics were held. The United States and Canada’s hockey rivalry was revived as the two battled for the gold medal. The score was tied 2-2 at the end of the third period, sending the game into overtime. Only a few minutes into the overtime period, Canada’s Sidney Crosby slipped the puck into the net behind USA’s Ryan Miller. The red-clad audience exploded into a frenzy of cheering and flying Maple Leaves. This was part of a historic 14 gold medals for Canada in the 2010 Olympics, the most of any nation. Watch the video!

2. World Cup 2010: USA vs. Algeria

Even over the unbearable noise of the vuvuzelas, there was plenty of epic action in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. In the final match of group stage, America was in a duel with Algeria, both teams fighting for their spot in the knockout stage. The intensity reached a climax when the match was hurdled into extra time at the end of a scoreless regulation. In the first minute of extra time, when least expected, USA’s Landon Donovan collected a shot blocked by Algeria’s goalie and swiftly punched it into the net. The game was over, and the USA team was moving on to the knockout stages. All across the world people were thrilled by this spectacular moment. Watch the video!

1. Super Bowl XLIV: New Orleans vs. Indianapolis

Claiming the top stop as the most memorable sports moment of 2010, was the New Orleans Saints’ Super Bowl victory over the Indianapolis Colts. The Saints prevailed 31-17 on the biggest stage in all of football. New Orleans overcame an initial 10-0 deficit in a riveting game of trick plays and improbable feats. This was not just a win for a football team, but for the entire city, struggling to rebound from the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina. Awe inspiring images of jubilant Saints fans and Drew Brees lifting his son into the air in joy after the game are the stuff of legends and will always be known as one of the most amazing moments in 2010, and in sports history. Watch the video!

Football seasons over but what is the next sport that everyone can enjoy?

Well, there is soccer, baseball and hockey but theres one sport that I think is the most enjoyable of them all. Lacrosse; two time state champs are beginning there season at the end of January. The team has been practicing for a few weeks now and they look to be ready for another winning season.

The team this year has moved up to division 1 but they arent very scared of their competition. The main competition this year will probably be Saint Marks and Highland Park which are both big time schools for Texas lacrosse. Both the teams have a lot of recruites to play at the college level but so does our Coppell team having division 1 college recruits and last year a nomonie for All American. Both these teams and our team have a lot of returning players which will sure make for an interesting season.

The Coppell Lacrosse team invites everyone to come watch their games and this year they will be playing almost every home game in the football stadium. Since football season is over with what sport our you going to watch? LAX!