Eyes on the prize: Nantucket boys hockey stays focused

Last season, the Nantucket boys hockey team may have caught people by surprise.

The Whalers entered last season's MIAA Division 4 State Tournament as the No. 6 seed following a 13-6 regular season. The Whalers were very good, but not necessarily tipped to challenge for the state title.

Three wins, and 12 goals later, the Whalers found themselves taking the ice opposite the Sandwich Blue Knights in the state semi-finals, one win away from TD Garden. Though they lost that game, the Whalers were hidden in the shadows no more.

This season, there have been eyes on them. The Whalers are currently 8-1 following their 6-4 win over Monomoy/Mashpee, and are the No. 2 seed in Division 4 in the latest MIAA Power Rankings. With external expectations rising ahead of this season, head coach Jack Moran knew how important it would be to keep their heads on straight, and stay focused.

"The thing we're trying to do is to get them to concentrate on just playing the game," Moran said. "They have to focus on getting their job done, and they can't let the distractions get under their skin."

Overall, the Whalers have done just that. Moran feels like for 95% of their season, the Whalers have been well-disciplined and focused.

In that 95%, you see every bit of why the Whalers are a state title contender. The Whalers are a deep offensive team, with plenty of skaters capable of being a threat. Moran has preached a team ethos for years, and said this year's team embodies that fully.

"Our team, everybody that steps on that ice, has an equal ability to do everything that they need to do to score goals," Moran said. "That's why I've always said it's a team effort."

In the win over the Sharks, the Whalers started with the ruthlessness in front of the goal expected of one of the best teams in the state.

Nico Tedeschi opened the scoring, and just over a minute and a half later, Braden Knapp doubled the score. Just over two minutes later, Colby O'Keefe scored the first goal of his hat trick, before grabbing his second later in the period.

Just over 10 minutes into the game, the Whalers found themselves up 4-0.

"We just kept our heads on, moving the puck better, a lot better than the third period," O'Keefe said.

Add in points for Canton Jenkinson, and Michael Culkins, and a late goal from Ryan Davis, and that team ethos emerges again, with six different skaters scoring points. This year's team is benefitting from bonds that were forged long before high school.

"It's really just a family now. Everyone has grown up together, (and) played together their whole lives, and it has just been getting better as we've grown up," O'Keefe said.

Still, no team is perfect, and that 95% coach Moran was referring to means something has to account for the other 5%. Nantucket entered the third period with a comfortable 6-2 lead, but nearly halfway through the final period, two power play goals, part of three power play goals scored by the Sharks in the game, cut the lead in half.

After the game, Moran said simply, his team can't take penalties like they did.

"Three power play goals today, it cost us," Moran said about the penalties. "We're in the box, and three out of four power plays, they scored on us."

The thing about great teams is, they not only start games fast, but they close them strongly. O'Keefe understands that for the Whalers to get where they want to go, they can't let things dull their focus.

"Everything else is great until we start getting chippy, and let the team get under our skin and all that," O'Keefe said. "Just got to keep our heads on."

It's not the first time this season penalties have cost them. Penalties proved costly in the Warriors' only loss this season to Nauset, It's an issue nobody in the Whalers group wants to see persist, and Moran believes he's got the right group to be able to correct itself and reach their ultimate goal.

"These kids knew (what they were capable of), the first day we started practice this year. Their eyes are moving forward," Moran said. "They're not counting their eggs before they hatch, (but) they're working one game at a time, and that's the way they have to look at it."

The Whalers are no longer the hunters. There's a target on their backs now, but through it all, they're just trying to stay focused.

André Simms covers high school sports for the Times. Contact him at asimms@capecodonline.com. Follow him on X/Twitter: @that1guyandre.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Nantucket boys hockey stays focused with seventh straight win