Cypress Bay aiming to exceed expectations, nab first FSHL title By Chris Errington


t first glance, the level of achievement the Cy- press Bay High School hockey team has accom- plished during the past decade seems impressive. Take a deeper look and it becomes almost incom-


A


prehensible. For head coach Perry San, despite being one of Florida’s flagship programs, the Lightning still hasn’t reached his expectations. “We’ve come close, but we haven’t quite earned our ultimate goal,” San said. “We’ve got the talent to do it and I think, with the talent we have, we could get there this year.”


San is speaking of a Florida Scholastic Hockey League (FSHL) state championship, a prize that has dangled tantalizingly close the past two years, but remains the program’s elusive goal. In a sport domi- nated by preparatory and parochial schools, Cypress Bay is perhaps the state’s most dominant and suc- cessful public team.


Since starting up in 2002, the Lightning have


remained a near-constant fixture atop the Division I standings, finishing the regular season first five times, earning playoff berths in nine of their 10 seasons and even winning two of three games at nationals a year ago.


Still, while San preaches consistency, player de-


velopment and competing at the highest levels, the New York transplant can’t help but wonder what will come of the day the Lightning finally earn the state’s ultimate title. Cypress Bay fell to state power St. Thomas


Aquinas two seasons ago in the state championship game, but it was last season’s state title game that left the most devastating impression. Leading North Broward Prep, coached by former 10-year NHL vet- eran Peter Worrell, by a 3-0 score, San pointed to some penalties that proved his team’s undoing. North Broward Prep scored a pair of power-play goals and eventually earned a 4-3 victory. Despite the loss, San prefers to focus on the big- ger picture and a future that’s as promising as any state high school has to offer. “If we’d have won (a state championship) already, I’d think of retiring,” the former Weston High School hockey head coach said. “When I came here, the


school didn’t have a coach and I thought I’d help start the program and then turn it over to someone else to handle, but here I am 10 years later. “My wife thinks I’m crazy, but I love the game and


love working with the kids and helping them de- velop.”


This season, Cypress Bay again finds itself near the top of the FSHL Division I standings. Still, it’s what’s transpired off the ice – or namely what hasn’t – that makes Cypress Bay’s story so compelling. Considered one of the most expensive sports to


play in terms of equipment and facility rental, being a public school puts the Lightning at a distinct


Continued on Page 17


The 2011-12 Cypress Bay Lightning gathers at the Saveology.com Iceplex in Coral Springs during FSHL opening night festivities. Photo/Gigi Zumbato RUBBERHOCKEY.com 5


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20