What's the buzz? The boys of Golden State Elite Hockey
CUPERTINO -- A Bay Area youth hockey team won the state championship and will now represent California in the nationals in Minnesota.
The Golden State Elite 18U AA team took to the ice in Cupertino for a final practice on Sunday.
At that practice, a word the players kept repeating was "buzz." They said it reminds them to play with high intensity and attack the net from all angles.
"You know how bees, like they buzz? So the boys are like that. We're buzzing around the ice. We're just doing our thing, we're making it happen," explained high school junior Shree Sandilya.
Sandilya plays right wing for the Golden State Elite (GSE). The hockey team is made up of high school seniors and juniors.
"The boys have been working really hard and we're excited to show what we've got -- representing California," Sandilya said.
Sandilya and his teammates won the state championship in mid-March. They fly to Maple Grove, Minn. on Wednesday to compete at the USA Hockey Nationals.
The Golden State Elite are scheduled to play against the number-two-ranked team in the country along with other top youth teams from the East Coast.
"They play a little more physical. We want to show them we're not scared out here in California. We can hang with them and skate with them," Sandilya said.
They players say they have no fear going up against some of the country's best young players.
"I'm confident in our schedule. I know the boys are confident. Coaches have been confident. So we're ready, we're ready to go," said Emanuel Wetschnig, who plays left wing.
"We've got kids from all around the Bay Area and beyond. Not many go to the same high school. So the fact that we were able to come together and have an incredible season just speaks to the character of all the boys," said GSE head coach Casey O'Sullivan.
Their first game in the tournament is Thursday evening against a Minnesota team.
"They're tough but the boys are buzzing so I think we'll be good," said GSE center Luca Tartaglia.
"When the boys are buzzing, there's not much you can do," Wetschnig said.
"No concerns whatsoever, the team is doing really well. We're all buzzing," Sandilya said.