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Wisco Hockey
Boys High School Hockey Preview #16 - River Falls Wildcats
by
Chris Walby,
11/19/2009
D Playa and I are teaming up to provide boys high school hockey previews for teams from around the state. While we'd love to preview all 90+ teams we just don't have the manpower to get to them all. So, we spent some time discussing amongst ourselves which teams have had recent success, and might be poised to repeat that success. We also considered any teams on the rise that might be worthy of coverage, and of course all of the State Tournament teams from last season automatically get previews. We've come up with a list of around 30 teams we intend to preview, and may add to that list depending upon availability of information and general interest from readers about specific teams. Feel free to e-mail us directly at dplayawi@hotmail.com and chris@wiscohockey.com if you have any questions or comments about our previews. You can also leave comments at the bottom of each post if we've missed a player or there's other information we have not uncovered that you'd like to share with other readers (players injured, not going out this season, playing somewhere else, etc.). Some previews can be found at the Hockey in Wisconsin Blog and others at the WiscoHockey Blog.
Boys High School Hockey Preview: River Falls Wildcats
The Numbers
Record last season- 16-3-1
Goals lost to graduation- 82 out of 104 goals = 79%
Assists lost to graduation- 89 out of 124 assists = 72%
Scoring lost to graduation- 171 out of 228 points = 75%
Players Lost
The Wildcats graduated ten seniors this past spring, 7 forwards and 3 defensemen. The two biggest losses are standout forward Ross Anderson (28-21-49) and top defenseman Luke Jenkins (5-13-18). They are both currently playing for the Springfield Jr. Blues in the NAHL. Gone too are Danny Patrick (10-13-23), Jackson Rhode (10-13-23)and Quin Everson (11-6-17). Last year's seniors manufactured a ton of goals (82 out of the 104) and their production will be missed.
Who Returns?
This year’s offensive attack will be led by senior speedster, Dylan Dock (10-13-23). Dock will team up with junior forward Karl Anderson (9-3-12), senior defensemen Zach Lindquist (2-13-15) and Mark Bennett (0-1-1) to fill the scoring void left by last year’s senior class. In net, junior goaltender Garret Johnson (2.34 goals against average) can make life a little easier on the Wildcats with a solid season between the pipes.
Top 5 Returning Point-Getters Slated to Return; Their Grade Level This Year & Their 2008-2009 Numbers
F Dylan Dock Sr., 10 goals, 13 assists for 23 points.
D Zach Lindquist Sr., 2 goals, 13 assists for 15 points.
F Karl Anderson Jr., 9 goals, 3 assists for 12 points.
D Cooper Maxwell Sr., 0 goals, 3 assists for 3 points.
F Neal Edge Jr., 1 goal, 0 assists for 1 point.
Boys High School Hockey Preview #14 - Wausau West Warriors *Updated*
by
Chris Walby,
11/17/2009
D Playa and I are teaming up to provide boys high school hockey previews for teams from around the state. While we'd love to preview all 90+ teams we just don't have the manpower to get to them all. So, we spent some time discussing amongst ourselves which teams have had recent success, and might be poised to repeat that success. We also considered any teams on the rise that might be worthy of coverage, and of course all of the State Tournament teams from last season automatically get previews. We've come up with a list of around 30 teams we intend to preview, and may add to that list depending upon availability of information and general interest from readers about specific teams. Feel free to e-mail us directly at dplayawi@hotmail.com and chris@wiscohockey.com if you have any questions or comments about our previews. You can also leave comments at the bottom of each post if we've missed a player or there's other information we have not uncovered that you'd like to share with other readers (players injured, not going out this season, playing somewhere else, etc.). Some previews can be found at the Hockey in Wisconsin Blog and others at the WiscoHockey Blog.
Boys High School Hockey Preview: Wausau West Warriors
The Numbers
Record last season- 17-3-0
Goals lost to graduation- 25 out of 91goals = 27%
Assists lost to graduation- 19 out of 115 assists = 17%
Scoring lost to graduation- 44 out of 206 points = 21%
Players Lost
The Warriors graduated three forwards and a goaltender. Gone are Captain Jordan Schmidt (15-14-29), Tyler Bunge (7-2-9), Myles McTavish (3-3-6) and goaltender Justin Peters (2.27 goals against average). Wausau West and their senior class fell just short of their dream season when they lost a heart breaker to Stevens Point in the 2008-2009 WIAA Sectional Semi-Finals.
Who Returns?
Where do I start? The Warriors have enough horses to fill the pasture, the paddock and the barn. They are deep in talent at each position. A healthy crop of seniors return in 2009-2010 for one last shot at a state title. Standout senior defenseman Derek Knetter (8-12-20) and Mitch Borneman (15-19-34), last year's leading scorer, will lead the way and are as physical as they come. Fellow classmates, Troy Fochs (4-10-14), Chase Garavet (6-8-14) and Travis Brown (2-6-8) will also be counted on to log major minutes. Joining the upper classmen are several juniors who played extensively last season as sophomores and will be counted on again to produce in 2009-2010. They are forwards Garret Clemment (7-10-17), Robbie Poirier (9-8-17), Ryan Condon (7-4-11), Cody Hahner (0-4-4), Brad Peterson (0-0-0) and on defense, Matt Bautch (5-3-8) and Brett Zielgel (1-9-10). Out of this junior class, Clemment has devoloped into an offensive threat and is bound to have a break out season. In net, three goaltenders return and each will have to earn their ice time. They are senior Harrison Clark, juniors David Knetter and Wilson Fowle.
Also in the mix is an extremely talented bunch of first year Warriors. Junior defenseman Anthony Caroselli and freshman John Feemster, sophomore forwards Kyle Lee, Tom Kilgore and sophomore goaltender Austin Priebe will wear Warrior blue and gold for the first time this season. Caroselli is a solid defenseman and a threat in the offensive end. Tom Kilgore is a beast in and out of the corners and the talented trio of Feemster, Lee and Priebe are amongst the top twenty kids in the state with a 1993 and 1994 birth year.
After I posted the first of these previews, a reader and a friend of the blog (Parkside21), asked that I include a prediction of some sort for each team to stimulate our readers. Here is my Parkside prediction for the 2009-2010 Wausau West Warriors. In my opinion, the Warriors are the early favorite to win the WIAA State title. This is not a bold statement if you’ve been following high school hockey this past off-season. I’ll also go on record and say that Coach Peter Susens and the Wausau West Warriors have an enormous challenge ahead of them in order to be crowned state champions. Each game, the Warriors will wear a target on their backs and their opponents will bring their very best. The road to the state tournament is extremely tough when you’re viewed as the very best in the state. The pressure can be overwhelming. Each season, state champions battle injury, illness, ineligibility, the “dog days” of January, etc. State champions find a way to put those fires out and they make sure to “bring it” each day to the rink in order to grow their game. Champs don’t get jealous of their teammates and their personal achievements; instead they give praise and bond together as if they’re brothers.
For now, I believe the Warriors have the make up of a state champion. I think the character in their locker room can overcome each challenge they face. It boils down to this... no matter what the sport is, all champions have one thing in common… they trust that their coaches have a master plan and that plan puts their team in the best position to be successful by the end of the season. It's the "buy in and win" theory. Susens’ has a stable of horses, but they will have to buy into his plan in order to hoist the WIAA State title this spring.
Top 5 Returning Point-Getters Slated to Return; Their Grade Level This Year & Their 2008-2009 Numbers
F Mitch Borneman Sr., 15 goals, 19 assists for 34 points.
D Derek Knetter Sr., 8 goals, 12 assists for 20 points.
F Robbie Poirier Jr., 9 goals, 8 assists for 17 points.
F Garret Clemment Jr., 7 goals, 10 assists for 17 points.
F Chase Garavet Sr., 6 goals, 8 assists for 14 points.
Former UW Eau Claire Hockey Standout Comments On A UW Madison Recruit
by
Chris Walby,
11/15/2009
As D Playa and I have reported here at WSN, UW recruit Jordan Schmaltz played two games last weekend with the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL, but is now back down with his Chicago Mission team at the midget major level. Jordan’s two game stint last weekend – part of the Musketeer’s plan to ease Schmaltz into their line up through the team’s affiliation process – received good reviews from Sioux City’s Head Coach and former UW Eau Claire standout, Luke Strand. "Jordan had a solid game one [vs Indiana] and was tested in game two [vs Omaha] a bit,” said Strand. The 13-2-0 Omaha Lancers have the league’s best record and Strand calls them the “the real deal.” The 4-8-1 Sioux City Musketeers reserve the right to call up players from their “affiliate” teams for 6 games during the season. Jordan has now played 2 of his 6 games and Strand “looks forward to having him join [the team] again in the future." After what sounds like a decent weekend, Jordan will have a better idea of what to expect when Strand and Sioux City calls on him again.
Boys High School Hockey Update #12 - Lakeland Thunderbirds
by
Chris Walby,
11/13/2009
D Playa and I are teaming up to provide boys high school hockey previews for teams from around the state. While we'd love to preview all 90+ teams we just don't have the manpower to get to them all. So, we spent some time discussing amongst ourselves which teams have had recent success, and might be poised to repeat that success. We also considered any teams on the rise that might be worthy of coverage, and of course all of the State Tournament teams from last season automatically get previews. We've come up with a list of around 30 teams we intend to preview, and may add to that list depending upon availability of information and general interest from readers about specific teams. Feel free to e-mail us directly at dplayawi@hotmail.com and chris@wiscohockey.com if you have any questions or comments about our previews. You can also leave comments at the bottom of each post if we've missed a player or there's other information we have not uncovered that you'd like to share with other readers (players injured, not going out this season, playing somewhere else, etc.). Some previews can be found at the Hockey in Wisconsin Blog and others at the WiscoHockey Blog.
Boys High School Hockey Preview: Lakeland Thunderbirds
The Numbers
Record last season- 19-1-0
Goals lost to graduation- 60 goals out of 104 = 58%
Assists lost to graduation- 70 assists out of 144 = 49%
Scoring lost to graduation- 130 out of 248 points = 52%
Players Lost The T-Birds lost some serious star quality to graduation. Gone are forwards Seth Johnson (19-10-29), Nate Gelinas (14-11-25), Luke Abraham (12-13-25) and TJ Tormoen (10-3-13). Defenseman Travis Litvinoff (4-20-24) Jonathon Schroeder (1-13-14) and goaltender Brandon Gwidt (.938 save %) graduated as well. Litvinoff and Schroeder were key cogs on the blue line last season and will be missed, so will Junior standout defenseman, Anthony Caroselli (4-10-14), who transferred to Wausau West this fall. First year head coach, but long time assistant, Ken Thanig has his work cut out for him in his first year at the helm.
Who Returns?
Coach Thanig will retool with senior forwards Brian Theuerkauf (8-14-22), Jake Dern (11-10-21) and junior captain Bruno Borowczyk (12-16-28), the team’s leading scorer returning from last season. Sophomore forwards AJ Oungst (3-6-9) and Jared Dern (2-2-4), solid contributers last year as freshman, will have to elevate their game in 2009-2010 to fill some big holes left by Johnson, Gelinas, Abraham and Tormoen. On the blue line the T-Birds will count on senior Jason Kingstad (2-9-11) and sophomore Tanner Litvinoff (0-1-1)as anchors in their rotation. Between the pipes, senior Scott Mehr and junior Rory Will are in a battle for the starting role.
The Lakeland Thunderbirds lost by a goal to Stevens Point last year in the WIAA Sectional Finals. They have enough talent to make some noise in a tough sectional, highlighted by Stevens Point and powerhouse Wausau West. A trip to upset city in a Thunderbird has a nice ring to it if you're first year head coach Ken Thanig.
Top 5 Returning Point-Getters Slated to Return; Their Grade Level This Year & Their 2008-2009 Numbers
F Bruno Borowczyk Jr., 12 goals, 16 assists for 28 points.
F Brian Theurerkauf Sr., 8 goals, 14 assists for 22 points.
F Jake Dern Sr., 11 goals, 10 assists for 21 points.
D Jason Kingstad Sr., 2 goals, 9 assists for 11 points.
F A.J. Oungst So., 3 goals, 6 assists for 9 points.
High School Hockey Preview #10 - University School Wildcats
by
Chris Walby,
11/12/2009
D Playa and I are teaming up to provide boys high school hockey previews for teams from around the state. While we'd love to preview all 90+ teams we just don't have the manpower to get to them all. So, we spent some time discussing amongst ourselves which teams have had recent success, and might be poised to repeat that success. We also considered any teams on the rise that might be worthy of coverage, and of course all of the State Tournament teams from last season automatically get previews. We've come up with a list of around 30 teams we intend to preview, and may add to that list depending upon availability of information and general interest from readers about specific teams. Feel free to e-mail us directly at dplayawi@hotmail.com and chris@wiscohockey.com if you have any questions or comments about our previews. You can also leave comments at the bottom of each post if we've missed a player or there's other information we have not uncovered that you'd like to share with other readers (players injured, not going out this season, playing somewhere else, etc.). Some previews can be found at the Hockey in Wisconsin Blog and others at the WiscoHockey Blog.
Boys High School Hockey Preview: University School Wildcats
The Numbers:
Record last season- 13-7-0
Goals lost to graduation- 33 out of 75 = 44%
Assists lost to graduation- 44 out of 105 = 42%
Scoring lost to graduation- 74 out of 180 = 41 %
* Points lost to the Dixon transfer 18 out of 180 = 10%
* Cody Dixon has transferred to the Catholic Memorial/Pius Co-op.
Players Lost:
The Wildcats graduated eight seniors during the offseason (6 Forwards 2 defensemen). Gone are co-captains Colin Fritz (11-16-27) and Beau Palin (4-10-14) as well as Teddy Baumann (0-0-0), Michael Crimmins (0-0-0), Kemp Collings (2-1-3), Peter Lanigan (8-9-17), Dane Maher (8-5-13) and Kent Peterson (0-3-3). Seven out of these eight players were members of the 2007-2008 team that made it to the WIAA State Tournament. Another key loss, maybe the biggest (at least on the stat sheet), is junior defenseman Cody Dixon (7-11-18) who transferred to the Catholic Memorial / Pius Co-op.
Who Returns?:
The 2009-2010 University School Wildcats will rely on several players who are capable of putting up big numbers if they remain healthy. Co-captains Alex Tesensky (14-13-27) and Charlie James (3-7-19) will lead a talented and skilled bunch made up of Simon Leahy (10-9-19), Zach Hafeman (1-1-2), Charlie Wigdale (0-1-1), Augie Fritz (0-4-4) , Hotchkiss School transfer Ashton Wackym, Corey Roadhouse (4-2-6) and Aaron Storch (0-5-5). Tesensky, James, Wigdale and Leahy are proven veterans and leftovers from the 2007-2008 team that lost 6-5 against a tough Superior squad at the WIAA State Tournament. That night, Simon Leahy introduced himself to the high school hockey world by scoring a hat trick as a freshman in his first “state” appearance. Wackym, Roadhouse and Storch are the wild cards in the bunch and could have breakout seasons. Wackym is physically gifted and skilled, Storch is a smooth and a shifty playmaker and Roadhouse can score goals.
University School is a tough team and a well established program. They have made state tournament appearances in seven out of the last nine years and they are a serious contender to make it back this year. The Wildcat’s season ended with a tough 4-2 loss at the hands of Arrowhead during last year’s sectional finals. Arrowhead then went on to blow out each team they faced at the state tournament, outscoring their opponents 15-3 and cruising to a state title. You could say that U School was that close, right?
The road to the state tournament is long and there are so many variables to consider, but I’ll be bold and give the Milwaukee area some thing to chew on. My Parkside prediction for the 2009-2010 University School Wildcats… the same two teams (Arrowhead and USM) will meet again in the sectional final, but this year, the Wildcats are the #1 seed and a slight favorite to win.
*Players, high school hockey seasons are like a fireman’s ladder... in order for the fireman to get to the top of his ladder, he has several rungs to climb.
Top 5 Returning Point-Getters Slated to Return; Their Grade Level This Year & Their 2008-2009 Numbers:
F Alex Tesensky, Sr. - 14 goals, 13 assists for 27 points.
F Simon Leahy, Jr. – 10 goals, 9 assists for 19 points.
D Charlie James, Sr. – 3 goals, 7 assists for 10 points.
F Cory Roadhouse, So. - 4 goals, 2 assists for 6 points.
F Aaron Storch, Jr. – 0 goals, 5 assists for 5 points.
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