We would like to start out our first student profile of the year by introducing you to Jason Irlich, left winger for the Williamstown Braves. Jason is one of those players who has the will to win and hates to lose. Just like his favorite NHL player Mike Richards, he believes that you should never give up no matter how poorly your team is playing. Jason is a very competitive person and that hatred of losing motivates him to play even harder and that hard work will only result in leading his team by example. Coach Mark Cunard agrees, “On the rink, Jason leads by example. Whether we are winning or losing he always gives his best. Jason is a very good student at Williamstown HS. He is also an accomplished soccer player.”

“The best characteristic of my team this season is the combination of younger and older players,” mentioned Jason when asked about his team’s success. “There is an obvious age gap on the team and that combination allows for many different types of players to come together and create a team. The younger players get to learn from the older ones and the older ones can even learn some things from the younger ones.” Well spoken from this young man whose planning to earn a degree in Pharmacy from University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

“Jason has one of the best work ethics on the team,” added Coach Cunard. “Each and every time he goes on the ice, I know that he is going to give everything he has. Jason has become our best penalty killer and shot blocker. He is not afraid to block shots. Additionally, he plays a physical game. He will check when it is called for and take hits when need be.” When we asked coach the question of which direction he sees Jason’s future headed, “Because of Jason's work ethic and intelligence, I see him succeeding at whatever he undertakes.”

Jason recognizes that the support he receives from family in his decision to play hockey is very important and as most know it’s not only an expensive sport, but also it takes the commitment of family to get back and forth to each game. Those are the people you would find at Jason’s big games as well as the other regularly scheduled games. When asked about the person he admired the most, “I admire my grandmother who has been through so much but still approaches life with a positive outlook”.

The team that Jason looks forward to playing is Washington Township because of the rivalry between the schools in all sports. “It’s always a heated and intense game where the fans from both schools are very well into the game.” But that rivalry can be topped with being selected to go to Can/Am with his team as his best hockey moment. During that moment, he spent time with his friends and played some great hockey. As for his worst moment, that would be when he was hit late after a goal and fell awkwardly and ended up separating his shoulder.

During Jason’s spare time, you could find him listening to rock music and eating a cheese steak. His favorite movies are 300, the Departed and Anchorman. During the beginning moments of his career, he obtained his skating style from conditioning and training which started in the eighth grade. That’s when he was trained on how to skate and later on contributed to his skating style.