Frozen Frames 

    30 individuals working together, relying on each other, and sharing a common goal of getting the win. At Ithaca High School, the boys varsity hockey team spends much of the winter on the ice, balancing schoolwork with early morning practices and late-night games.

    What we see and celebrate are the goals – hoping at the end of the day that we’ve scored more than our opponents. What we don’t see but should also recognize is all the hard work that leads up to the game. The dedication and effort that takes those 30 individuals and turns them into a unified team. Each player spends hours at practice, repeating drill after drill, taking shot after shot until what we see on the ice looks like a well oiled machine.

    In November, when the ice is down at Cass Park, tryouts start. Those who are returning from the prior year show up with a level of confidence that is countered by the nerves of the prospective players, those hoping to be part of the Ithaca boys varsity hockey team. A freshman on the team, Owen Maxson, states, “Joining the hockey team has been a huge transition from youth hockey. This experience so far has made me realize I need to get way bigger and stronger in order to keep up.” Once you’ve made the team, the hard work officially starts. The team practices 5 days a week, including two early morning practices. It takes dedication to show up at the hockey rink for a 6:30 am practice in the middle of winter.

    This photo essay captures the small, often unnoticed moments, the focus before a faceoff, the conversations on the bench, the cleanup after the final buzzer, that together define what it means to be part of the Ithaca hockey program.

Puck Drop

Focus

The players gather after a shot

Opponents

Ansel Cosgrove skates for the puck

Faceoff

Reflection

Handshake

Sticks

When speaking to members I learned the behind the scenes of their typical practice and game. I decided to show the images in the chronological order of the game. I started with a picture of the bench to show the bigger picture of the whole team. Then included a faceoff picture. In the middle I included pictures of individuals skating, the team standing around, and even included a picture of the other team to show all the parts of the game. At the end I have the handshake line and a photo representing “cleaning up” the game.

    I think the biggest artistic choice I made was to put all pictures in black and white. The lighting in the arena was very yellow. I edited it to be more white but it still didn’t look how I wanted. I decided to put them in black in white to completely eliminate the issue. It makes the photos look more uniform.

    I chose to document this group because growing up I have always gone to my brother’s IHYA hockey games. This year he tried out for the varsity hockey team (as a freshman) with no intent of actually making the team. He ended up making it and throughout the season I’ve heard about his experiences on the team. There’s so much that he tells me that I would never guess from simply attending a game. Through this assignment I tried to capture moments that everyone sees (faceoff, players skating) but also include moments that people often overlook, or leave before they can see (handshake line, moments after a save, and the opposing team).