Bloomfield Hills hockey skating towards one main goal
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich.听— The Bloomfield Hills High School (BHHS) girls hockey team had a rewarding year under the direction of Coach Mick Singelyn and Assistant Coaches, Marc Bekolay and Chris Koch. The girls hockey program at BHHS has been active for over a decade led by Coach Mick.听 The team was basically built from the ground up. About 6 years ago, the Blackhawks went from losing every game to being state champions in 2020. There have been some good years and tricky years depending on how many people were on the team.听 The number of girls that play hockey is very limited which makes forming a team a challenge. Five years ago, the BHHS Blackhawks girls hockey team combined with Seaholm and Groves high schools to include more players in the girls hockey program.听 The team originally played at Berkley Ice arena and later moved to St. Mary鈥檚.听 This year the team played at the Detroit Skating Club.
Before hitting the ice, the Blackhawks have a few rituals they always follow.听 The girls have a pasta party the night before a game to fuel their bodies. They bring their mascot, a flamingo, to every game.听 A player always kisses it before they go on the ice for good luck. After a big win, the team celebrates by blasting their favorite songs in the locker room and sing along to it.
This past year’s captains were Anjalica Singelyn (senior), Samantha Bekolay (senior), Maddy Abbo (senior) and Jessie Rebock (junior). The 2022/23 season Captains are Jessie Rebock, Reese Hentgen and El Gross.听 Assistant coach Chris Koch shares, 鈥渢hese ladies are a huge part of the team’s success on and off the ice. They all possess great leadership skills and are able to keep everyone focused and ready to play on game days.鈥�
The girls Blackhawks hockey team had a lot to celebrate this year as 2 girls made it to the first team all state and then went on to win Miss Hockey. Anjalica Singelyn was named Miss Hockey this year as well as first team All-State.
The passion, excitement and love of the game helps the girls continuously strive to improve their skills.听 鈥淔rom the girls that have played hockey their whole life to the girls that just started. They push each other, support each other and encourage all to do their best. Hockey is a difficult sport and to see the girls that start their freshman year and see their hockey development by their senior year is impressive,鈥� says Coach Koch.
While the girls hockey program is still seeking its first state title, the team has achieved many successes. A number of girls go on and play at the collegiate level. Some of the schools include Michigan State, University of Michigan, Bowling Green, Adrian College and McKendree University.
The current BHHS hockey season has recently ended but the team is always looking for girls that would like to continue their hockey career as they enter high school. The Blackhawks also encourage girls that have an interest in hockey, even if they鈥檝e never played before, to sign up for the team as they will teach the new players all the necessary skills.
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