Years of hard work and a successful senior season pays off for captain of the Varsity Hockey team Mason Anderson. Just one of only two players from Vista Hockey history, Anderson gained acceptance onto Team Colorado, an all star hockey team composed of the best players from Colorado high schools. The tryout process alone consists of multiple games, all of which Anderson excelled in.

“All the kids who wanted to sign up for the initial trial could, and they took the top 80 players,” Anderson said. “Then we went through a whole weekend and played each other a bunch, made it to a top 40 game at the Ball Arena, which was really fun. From that, they decided the top team, and I made it.”

The team has less of a traditional high school hockey season, having only a few practices and a tournament in Minnesota at the end of April.

“We’ll spend the weekend there playing in a National Tournament,” Anderson said. “We just go up there and do our best to win.”

Teammates and long time friends of Anderson, seniors Evan Hunter and Trevor Alexander both feel he deserves the chance to play. 

“I was very excited for him because it’s a great opportunity and he’s a very good hockey player,” Alexander said. “Good with the puck.”

“I would say my reaction was that I was also pretty excited about him making the team because not a lot of people get this opportunity,” Hunter said. “Mason was able to show how good he was throughout the season and how he’s improved since the beginning of the Vista team.”

Not just an all star hockey player, Anderson’s character off the ice is a reflection of his deservingness of this opportunity. 

“He’s really fast. He’s a really hard worker. And he helps me with my math,” said Alexander.

“I would say Mason is definitely a big role model. He helps all the kids on our team work together [and] work as a team,” Hunter said. “I’d say he’s pretty much just a great leader.”

Photo courtesy of Mason Anderson