Stoneman Douglas hockey team wins state championship

Credit: Bruce Bennett

Credit: Bruce Bennett

The ice hockey team at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School won a state title Sunday, 11 days after a gunman killed 14 students and three teachers at the school.

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Stoneman Douglas senior Joey Zenobi told WBBH-TV that the team was playing for the victims of the Valentine's Day shooting.

“We came into the game knowing we had to give it our all to get the win, and that’s what we did,” Zenobi told the news station. “This wasn’t for us, this was for the 17 victims. We played for them.”

Some team members dyed their hair yellow in honor of Joaquin Oliver, a friend of theirs who died in the Feb. 14 mass shooting.

"We almost didn't even come here, because we didn't know if we wanted to play or not," senior Ronnie Froetschel told WBBH-TV. "I'm just glad to be alive."

The fourth-seeded Eagles upset top-seeded East Lake High School in an elimination game Sunday before routing Tampa's Jesuit High School 7-4 later in the day to win the Lightning High School Hockey League Tier 1 state title, according to ESPN.

Officials with Jesuit High School congratulated the Stoneman Douglas team on Twitter after the win.

“The SD players endured unimaginable tragedy at their school, and now they will bring a state title back to their grieving community,” school officials said.

Stoneman Douglas senior Matthew Horowitz told WBBH-TV that the team was awarded 17 medals, one for each player on the ice. He said the team plans to bring the medals back to the school to honor each of the 17 shooting victims.

The ice hockey league is sponsored by Statewide Amateur Hockey of Florida, according to ESPN.

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