Olivia McKee

Senior Matt DiDonna plays in a game against the Southwest Michigan Blades on Jan. 23. DiDonna said the Gold Icehounds have played well so far this season and hope to finish with a few more wins.

The Carmel Gold Icehounds will go into the Hoosier League Championship Tournament as the number one seed from their division. Mark Sarno, general manager for the Carmel Gold Icehounds, said the team has a bye because of their seed, meaning the first team they play against will be decided by which teams advance after the first round of the tournament on Feb. 11.

“On Friday night, Evansville is playing Zionsville and the Central Indiana Knights go against the Bonnington Blades. (From those games), we’ll play the lowest seed remaining. That’ll be the semifinals,” Sarno said.

The semifinals will take place on Feb. 12 at 4:15 p.m. at the Carmel Ice Skadium. Matt DiDonna, assistant captain of the Gold Icehounds and senior, said he and his teammates still have to be prepared for the semifinals since they are playing in a single-elimination tournament.

“We’re ranked number one for our league, but none of these teams should be taken lightly. We definitely have to come out ready to play for every single game from here on out,” DiDonna said. “It’s playoff hockey, so if you lose one game, you’re done for the season.”

However, if the Icehounds win, Sarno said they will advance to the League Championship on Feb. 13.

Sarno said, “If we win, we’ll play Sunday at 12 p.m. We’ve won (the championship) at least the last six years, so it’s something we take great pride in.”

With the team’s past performance considered, DiDonna said he hopes to continue to win the last few games and have a strong finish to the season.

Didonna said, “It’s been going pretty well so far. Hopefully, we can continue to close it out with some championships.”