 The Brainerd boys hockey team just started their season last weekend and although they didn't win their first game head coach Dave Oz was happy from what he saw and is confident with his players moving forward. Taylor Archer has more. Despite last weekend's 4-1 loss to Bemidji, this team took away several positives that they're excited to take forward this season. We were all pretty happy as coaches, not because we lost, but you could see glimpses of maybe what's going to be here later in the year. We played really good the first period and then we just had six minutes where we kind of shut down on top of our system. But everyone was working hard and we learned a lot from the first game. One of those positives includes the fact that the Warriors have an experienced roster made up of mostly sophomores. We won the section the last two years so they've got a lot of experience and you could see the difference in that way. But I think once we kind of learn how to play with a little pressure and things like that we're going to be fine. The Warriors have a young team this season, but they believe that their speed will help them be successful. There's a lot of upcoming guys that are real fast and all forwards are great. It's a nice weapon to have. It makes it difficult to defend. In fact, when I talked to Coach Chaito over at Bemidji after the game on Saturday, he said just that the speed was something that surprised him a little bit. And it's not just their speed that will help carry them this season, but the amount of work they're willing to put in. A lot of hard workers and everyone's willing to play the body on the line and just give 100%. They understand how to play, they understand how to compete and they're tough, hard-nosed kids. And of course their resilience will take them far as well. In Brainerd, Taylor Archer, Lakeland News. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.