April 1, 1993
Cardinal O’Hara senior Brian Nattress has been playing hockey almost nonstop since age 3. He actually quit hockey that first year, crying to his father that he did not like the game. His retirement did not last long. By age 4, he was crying again. This time, the tears were for a completely different reason because he missed the game. So, less than a year after he gave up the sport, he was back on the ice, a place he has remained every year for the last 13 years. His high school playing days ended Tuesday night with a 7-1 loss to Father Judge, which gave the Crusaders a 2-0 sweep in the best-of-three final series in the Tier II level of the Flyers Cup Tournament. Nattress scored his team’s only goal, capping a 20-goal, 12-assist senior season for the Lions (13-8-3).
“I’m satisfied with the year we’ve had as a team,” said Nattress, who is still undecided about where he will attend college and play hockey next fall. “We’ve gone a lot further than most people thought we could. In fact, the two main reasons for our success this year are our new coach, Bill Swahl, and just the fact that the players on this team have a tremendous heart. We almost won the championship…. It was great to be part of this team.”
Actually, he was more than just a part of the Lions’ postseason success. In fact, the main reason the Lions reached the final series at all was a scoring outburst by Nattress. In their March 23 semifinal game, O’Hara beat Boyertown, 7-2, and Nattress, the Lions’ top-line center, had a hand in all but one of his team’s goals. He had five goals and an assist.
“It was just one of those nights,’ Nattress said. “Things just came my way that night. Sometimes that happens.”
Spoken like a true 14-year veteran
– Bill Doherty
The original
