Cal High’s hockey team’s attempt to defend its title came up just short.

The Grizzlies reached the championship game against Dublin on March 22 at Dublin Ice, but they lost 4-3.

They scored their last two goals with only two minutes to play. Sophomore Mike Caranza led the team with two goals, including one within the last 20 seconds of play to almost tie it up, close but not quite close enough.

But their spirits remained high, especially after Cal blew out De La Salle, 5-2, in the semifinals on March 21 at Dublin Ice. They met this victory proudly and were not too disappointed in their 15-2 season.

“The season was very fun and exciting, and the team as a whole grew closer,” said junior captain Tiegen Bagnall. “It also made it better that we only lost two games.”

Last year, Cal made the championship game a very memorable competition. With only 40 seconds left to play, Cal scored the winning goal to come out on top 5-4.

Although this season was not quite as happy of an ending, there were still several positives.

After the miraculous upset last year, more students became hockey fans and attended games this season.

“Hockey is underrated at Cal,” said junior Rylie McMurry. “The games get pretty rowdy and it’s a very fun sport to watch in general. I recommend that everyone come out to games next year.”

Hockey is not a very well-known sport at Cal. The season starts in October and carries out into March. There are no tryouts and no practices, so the whole hockey community knows each other.

This season, however, the team was surprised how many fans they attracted.

“The best part of the season was seeing how excited everyone got for hockey games,” Bagnall says. “Both the fans and the players.”