Hockey Preview 2018

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Ferris hockey hopes to be WCHA contenders 3

By John Raffel, Pioneer Sports Writer

Ferris’ hockey team heads into a tough stretch of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, which could determine how much of a contender the Bulldogs will be this season. Ferris started out 4-4 which included an impressive 4-1 non-league win at home over Michigan State. Two losses to Michigan Tech put the Bulldogs at 4-6 “Overall I’m very optimistic,” Coach Bob Daniels said. “I feel we have some really good depth. We’ll probably have more depth up front than we’ve had in a number of years. We have always had some good offensive talent. Now it’s starting to permeate from at least three lines. (Senior forward) Corey Mackin is coming back. Even though he tied for the lead in scoring last year, two summers ago he had two major surgeries and was unable to train. So consequently, he was never in the type of condition strength wise you need to be a top line player at this level. “While he’s highly talented, I thought it hurt his production a year ago. This year, he’s 100 percent healthy and looks great on the ice. We have two players we’re adding that sat out last year. One is Oscar Andren, who is joining us from Boston University. He’s a transfer who sat out last year. He’s a good strong Ferris State's Marshall Moise (right) gets into a shoving match with Michigan State's two-way player. The other one is Frankie Melton, who is a good offensive Adam Goodsir in an early November nonleague game. talent who sat last year out as well. Both of these guys are coming into the (Pioneer photo/John Raffel) lineup.” “We’ve got a freshman, Roni. He looks really talented. Like other freshmen, it Also expected to be top scorers are Coale Norris, who had a promising will take him time to make the adjustment to this level of hockey. He played freshman season as did Marshall Moise and Liam Mcdougall. “Jason Tackett is a in Finland on an Olympic size sheet. So he has to make the adjustment to this junior getting ready to emerge,” Daniels said. “All of a sudden, we’re three lines level. The pace of the game will be quicker around the net because it is a smaller deep. On defense, I’m excited where we’re at. We’ve got some good experience ice sheet. You have to constantly stay in the game and with the moment. I’m back there. We have four juniors and Cam Clark, Zach Yoder, Nate Kallen and Joe impressed with him and his potential.” Rutowski, plus three seniors. With Zach Tierney, Jacob Hetz and Ryker Killins, The Bulldogs wouldn’t mind getting off to a fast start and Daniels doesn’t who are seniors. We have a very talented freshman joining the team, Cooper want to downplay this factor. “I think it’s very important for us to have a winning Zech. It will take some time for him to adjust to the collegiate game. But he’s record after the first 10 games,” Daniels said coming into the season.” He’s lookgoing to be a goaltender for us.” Right now, the goal-tending is being divided between junior Justin Kapelmas- ing at Bowling Green, Minnesota State and Northern Michigan to be in the mix while talking about WCHA contention. He also adds Bemidji State and Michigan ter and freshman Roni Salmenkangas from Finland. “I think we’re going to be Tech to the group. “I’d like to put ourselves in that mix too,” Daniels said. “In a lot pretty good there,” Daniels said. “Justin Kapelmaster looks pretty good. He’s in better shape than he’s been in the past two years. That’s only going to serve him of preseason votes, we weren’t put up in that level. But I feel we have the opportunity to be in that level. It would put us right there.” well.

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Daniels working his 27th season

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By John Raffel, Pioneer Sports Writer

title. FSU advanced to the national tournament for the third time in five years while reaching the NCAA Final Eight. Daniels guided the Bulldogs to the WCHA Regular-Season Championship in FSU's debut season in 2013-14 along with an NCAA Elite Eight appearance and gained WCHA Coach of the Year accolades and runner-up honors for National Coach of the Year. In 2011-12, Daniels claimed CCHA and National Coach of the Year accolades for the Bob Daniels has been on the Ferris coaching staff 31 second time in his career when the Bulldogs seasons, including the last 27 as head coach. took the program’s second-ever league (Pioneer photo/John Raffel) regular-season championship and a historic first-ever trip to the Frozen Four where FSU This marks Bob Daniels’ 27th season as Ferris State’s reached the national championship game against head hockey coach, and he doesn’t seem to show Boston College. any signs of winding down his career any time too The 2002-03 CCHA Coach of the Year Award soon. No one is more surprised than Daniels he’s recipient and a two-time (2007-08 and 2009-10) been around this long. “It certainly doesn’t feel to award finalist, Daniels attained another milestone me like it’s been 27 years,” he said. “I still feel very in his distinguished coaching career when he won young and very young at heart. I still feel very much his 400th game as the Bulldogs' head coach in energized when I come to the arena. I love what I’m 2015-16. Daniels was an assistant coach four years doing. When you love what you’re doing, it doesn’t at Ferris prior to taking the head job. He’s obviousseem to be that long.” ly seen a different type of player over the years. “I He’s the all-time winningest coach in Ferris State’s think the style is a little different, ” he said. “There’s a history and in 2015-16, Daniels led FSU to the couple of things I have noticed. No. 1, the game is school's first postseason tournament championship more scientific. Back in the old days, we did a lot of ever as the Bulldogs claimed the WCHA Final Five weightlifting which maybe didn’t transfer to the ice.

We made them strong but not necessarily better hockey players. Consequently, it was hard to sell the players on off ice training. They couldn’t see the benefit of it. But now, with nutrition and strength training, the players, I give them all the credit as they embrace it and see the benefit. They are becoming better players and you can see it in their skating. It transfers over into the game. “You have more kids immersed into hockey 12 months out of the year. It’s become 12 months where you go for different phases. You’re always working on becoming a better player and better athlete. The players are better trained. It’s a quicker game. There’s more emphasis on skill instead of just brute force out there. It’s a much better game today than 15 years ago. It’s faster paced. It think it’s more enjoyable for the players. It’s not so rough and tumble. Now skill rules the day and it’s a better product and a better game.” The future for Bob Daniels? “I’m getting to the age where different things happen in life and you start re-evaluating a little bit,” Daniels replied. “In my heart, I’d like to think I could go another 10 years. I’m 59 now and there’s no reason I couldn’t coach into my later 60s as long as I take care of my health, and so forth. To me, it’s not a job. One of my biggest passions is hockey. What could I do in retirement that would be more fun than what I do for a living?”

Mackin eyes huge season for Ferris By John Raffel, Pioneer Sports Writer

Corey Mackin is coming off his junior season when he led Ferris’ hockey team in scoring. But it’s been challenging in 2018-19 so far. Mackin entered Ferris’ ninth game without yet having scored a goal. He tallied a goal in a 5-4 loss to Michigan Tech on Nov. 9. But he had seven assists up to that stage of the season. “As a team, we’re extremely excited,” Mackin said. “We hear the noise and we’re excited to prove people wrong. That’s our mindset this year. We want everything for our team. That’s what we’ll go after.

“Everyone in our lineup, except the freshmen, have scored points,” Mackin said. “I’m looking to get faster and stronger. I worked hard this summer to build strength. I felt a little weak this year. I’ve been building strength, have been working on that, so I can protect the puck down low.” Mackin is confident the Bulldogs can be strong on special teams. “I think we’ll be dangerous on special teams in both ends of the rink,” he said. “We have to clean it up a little bit. Our passes have to be more crisp. Mackin was hoping the Bulldogs would be off to a good start and maintain it for the rest of the season. “You have to focus on one game Downtown Big Rapids at a time,” he said. “You 231-796-5881 SchubergAgency.com can’t skip a weekend. The biggest weekend is our biggest one coming up. We have to focus on one game at a time. That’s Counselor

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Corey Mackin (21) plays the puck against Michigan State earlier this month. (Pioneer photo/John Raffel) our biggest focus.” Last year, Mackin registered his third straight 25plus points for Ferris State in 36 games (10-15-25). He had three power-play goals, two game-winners and one shorthanded tally, and registered 89 shots on goal. He had six multi-point games and tied for

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Mackin eyes huge season for Ferris

Continued from Page 4

By John Raffel, Pioneer Sports Writer

the team lead in point scoring with Mitch Maloney. As a sophomore, he finished second in team scoring with 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points and was all-WCHA second team selection and finished second in shots on goal with 111. He had two game-winning goals, second most on the team. His

13 goals established a new career-high for Mackin. As a freshman, Mackin played a role in the team’s first WCHA Tournament Championship in team history and was the WCHA Rookie of the Year. He tied for second on the team in points with 25 and led all WCHA Rookies in overall scoring. He’s a Philadelphia

native, and Mackin brings a talented resume from the Coquitlam Express of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). He had a league-leading 50 goals and 54 assists for 104 points in 58 contests during 2014-15.

Kapelmaster hoping to stay healthy By John Raffel, Pioneer Sports Writer

Justin Kapelmaster has been plagued with early-season injuries, but the Ferris State junior goalie is hoping to return to the net for good and get in some key playing time for the rest of the season. Going into early November, Kapelmaster had played four games with a 4.44 goals against average and .877 Justin Kapelmaster is in his junior season as saves percentage. “I’ve had a lot of conversaBulldog goalie. (Pioneer photo/John Raffel) tions with the coaching staff on improving my game,” Kapelmaster said, “and my cardio and stuff like that. I think our team is improving every year.” The will to win has magnified from his previous seasons, Kapelmaster indicated. “I’m a junior and the clock is ticking,” he said. “I want to win even more.

I’m pretty excited.” It’s no secret how important controlling the puck, especially rebounds, is for goalies. “You have to practice with your goalie coach and have rebounding control, making sure you get your stick on the puck, and following your rebound after you direct it to the corner,” Kapelmaster said. He also has plenty of faith in his defense. “The team in general looks strong,” he said. “We have a lot of skill this year. Our freshman class shows that. I’m looking forward to the regular season.” Last year, Kapelmaster started 16 games and appeared in 17 for Ferris State with a .909 save percentage and a 3.10 goals against average and twice was WCHA Goaltender of the week Nov. 13 and Dec. 4. As a freshman, Kapelmaster saw action in 19 games for Ferris State and ranked fifth nationally with a .930 save percentage and 17th in goals against average at 2.22. Prior to coming to Ferris, Kapelmaster played for the Wichita Falls Wildcats of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) and went 33-8-3 with a goals against average of 2.06 and a save percentage of 0.924 in 46 games during the 2015-16 season.

Recktenwald looking for a strong senior season By John Raffel, Pioneer Sports Writer

Trevor Recktenwald is among the Ferris State seniors hoping to have the best season of his four-year Bulldog hockey career. “It’s gone pretty good,” the senior center said. “I’ve gotten a little better every year.” Recktenwald came into this season with nine goals and 15 assists. He had one assist in his first nine games. “I just want to be a better overall player and make sure I’m strong in the D zone and make the plays down low,” Recktenwald said. “I wanted to do the things I need to do to help out my teammates. I think I feed off my teammates very well. My size is an advantage. It’s one of my biggest assets.” Ferris enters mid-November with a 4-6 record but Recktenwald still likes his team’s prospects. “I think we have a lot of potential to be a great team,” he said. “Every game, we’re getting better. We need to touch up some things we need to fix, but it’s going in the right direction.” The key in each game for Ferris “all starts with defense,” Recktenwald said. “We all play each other very well and hopefully good things will come off of that.” Recktenwald established career highs in assists and points last year. He’s a native of Venetia, Pa. and played for Johnstown in the Northern American Hockey League before coming to Ferris. “It’s a very established program,” he said. “Coach (Bob) Daniels has had a lot of success. It was among the major things that caught my eye coming here. I’m very happy with my decision. There were other schools I talked to. Ferris definitely was my top pick.”

Trevor Recktenwald joins on the celebration after a Ferris goal. (Pioneer photo/John Raffel)


Big Rapids hockey team set to make run at another regional championship

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By John Raffel, Pioneer Sports Writer

The 2018-19 Big Rapids hockey team: front row, (from left) associate coach Brady Flachs, Eric Standen, River Spedowski, Ike Lobert, head coach Tim Blashill, Tommy Lobert, Andrew Disu and assistant coach TJ Klein; middle row (from left) Ian Couch, Blake Neibarger, Jon Spedowske, Thomas Crandell, Jack Somsel, Benny Carroll and Cam Massy; back row, left to right, student manager Kirky Daum, Peter Ruttan, Colt Poortvliet, Grant Kidder, student manager Deuce McInnis, Brendan Pippin, Thomas Holt, CJ Jones and student manager Nate Welch. (Courtesy photo)

The 2018-19 Big Rapids High School hockey coaches are, from left, assistant Brady Flachs, head coach Tim Blashill and assistant TJ Klein. (Courtesy photo)

Big Rapids’ hockey team is coming off two straight regional championships with hopes of another banner season for 2018-19. With a new goaltender, some

familiar faces and some unfamiliar ones, the Cardinals are confident they can do the job once again. Practices started in late October. The first home game is on Thanksgiving eve, Nov. 21, in the U. S. 131 Cup against Cadillac. The first two regular season games are Friday and Saturday at Sault Ste. Marie. “I thought we had a good year again,” Big Rapids coach Tim Blashill said, looking at 2017-18. “The past four years, we had Fletcher Bolda, our goaltender who started every game here except two. He was an unreal goaltender for us and leader. We’ll certainly miss Fletcher along with the other seniors we had. But we return a lot. I think

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Big Rapids hockey team set to make run at another regional championship

Continued from Page 6

By John Raffel, Pioneer Sports Writer

our team is looking solid enough to take another run at a regional title “We had a good young player coming in including Eric Standen, who is a sophomore goalie. We had a solid team last year with ups and downs as always. At the end, we were playing really good hockey.” Other standout seniors Big Rapids graduated were defensemen Connor McAdams and Connor Lee plus forward James Hundersmarck, who tied for the lead in scoring with River Spedowski, who will be a senior. Blashill said he had 34 players come for tryouts and has a 19-player roster. Spedowski had Big Rapids hockey team managers are: from left, 36 goals last season and Kirky Daum, Nathan Welch and David McInnis. is among four seniors. There are 10 juniors (Courtesy photo) on the team including

Thomas Crandell who had some big numbers for the Cardinals. “We have a decent amount of experience,” Blashill said. “Our team is primarily juniors, four seniors, two sophomores and three freshmen “Goaltending definitely was a strength the last four years. We’re The seniors on the 2018-19 Big Rapids High School looking for offensive and hockey team are: Andrew Disu, Tom Lobert, Ike defensive success from Lobert and River Spedowski. (Courtesy photo) all of them.” The other goalie is senior Andrew Disu, who played two games last season. The schedule may be a little tougher, Blashill said, with the likes of Flint Powers and Chelsea, plus both Traverse City teams and Forest Hills Eastern. Thanksgiving and Christmas tournaments are again on the schedule. Blashill is in his 14th year as coach with seven regional titles. The highlight was a state runnerup finish in 2010 “We have pretty good expectations with what we’ve returned,” Blashill said. It was a busy offseason. “This group has been good with off-ice workouts,” Blashill said.

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River Spedowski is set to score plenty of goals for Big Rapids this season

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By John Raffel, Pioneer Sports Writer

River Spedowski

Senior River Spedowski returns to the Big Rapids hockey team in his senior season with hopes of turning the redlight on several times this season. “Last year things were good,” Spedowski said. “We had a good year. We lost in the quarterfinals. It’s the best year I had in my high school career.” But now is the time to focus on the 2018-19 campaign. “The season’s looking good,” Spedowski said. “We should be right back in the (regional) final.”

Spedowski will be playing forward again. He had 36 goals last season and is among four seniors. “I feel like my skating has gotten better,” he said. “I went down to Grand Rapids and improved on some stuff.” Speodowski’s looking to score points and have more assists. “I’m more of a shooter, I don’t really hit,” he said. Spedowski likes this team’s potential. “We should be OK,” he said. “We have a tough schedule. The tougher it is, the better we’ll be for the regionals.”

(Pioneer photo/John Raffel)

Big Rapids defenseman set to have strong junior season By John Raffel, Pioneer Sports Writer

Lewis Macdonald is set to be a key defenseman for Big Rapids’ hockey team this season. Macdonald missed six games from an injury last season. This year he’ll be playing in front of a new Big Rapids goalie. Four-year netminder Fletcher Bolda has graduated. McDonald played soccer this fall for Big Rapids’ teams and now focuses on the ice. His role is to stop the offense from penetrating to the Big Rapids net. “I think I’m pretty physical,” he said. “I look to use my strength for sure.”’ Big Rapids is an independent, but the Cardinals have won two straight regional titles. “Winning the regional, that’s one of our biggest goals,” Macdonald said. “We have a few tournaments we play in too. All the games are important, but there are two games that stick out to me, Flint Powers and Grandville. Those are two pretty big schools. We lost to Grandville last year 5-1 and we haven’t played Flint Powers in awhile.” Macdonald will continue to play hockey in some capacity during the spring season.

Lewis Macdonald

(Pioneer photo/John Raffel)

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Cardinal junior set to have strong season

By John Raffel, Pioneer Sports Writer

Big Rapids junior Cameron Massy is set to be among Big Rapids’ top goal scorers. The Cardinal forward is in his second varsity season. “I think I did OK,” Massy said. “I think I could have done better.” He had five goals and seven assists. “I see the ice well,” he said. “I can help feed other guys.” Massy also plays soccer and said he worked on his hockey game as much as he could. Big Rapids graduated four from last year’s team. “We’re familiar with some of

the new faces too”, Massy said. “We’ve known them for awhile.” Compared to last year, “I’ve improved my skating quite a bit. That should help me all-around,” Massy said. He’s looking to score more goals and/or assists this season. “On the penalty kill, we have a lot of guys who like to block shots and that should help us,” he said. “On the power play we have some heavy shots which should help us.” A key goal for Massy is to get his team past the quarterfinal round.

Cameron Massy

(Pioneer photo/John Raffel)

Cardinal hockey forward coming off injury By John Raffel, Pioneer Sports Writer

Thomas Crandell is in his junior season with Big Rapids’ hockey team and is looking to pick up his scoring production extensively this season. He’s also looking to stay healthy. Last season, Crandell scored six goals and had five assists. Halfway through the season, he broke his collar bone and was out for the rest of the year. “I had my right shoulder separated at the time and I tried to protect it as he came in to hit me and snapped it,” Crandall said. “Hockey is a big part of my life and it was hard. My dad helped me get undressed after that, looks at it and said, ‘you’re going to be done. I had a meeting with my team the next day and said I’ll help

them with anything off the ice.’’ Crandell is back at 100 percent health. “I did a lot of camps during the summer and skated almost three to four days a week,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it is practice or game, you just play your best.” Crandell played forward last year but indicated he might move to center this season. “I think we have a really good shot this year,” he said. “Forwards are looking really good. We have a new incoming goalie. We’re looking at taking a bigger step and going past the quarterfinals. I’m confident with our goalies this year. I think they’re going to be good.”

Thomas Crandell

(Pioneer photo/John Raffel)

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Little Kevin Fund supports youth hockey and learn to skate programs

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Special To The Pioneer

Money continues to come in to the Little Kevin Hockey Fund, which was created in memory of Kevin Courtney Jr., who passed away 15 years ago. All funds go toward the Big Rapids Junior Hockey Association and the Learn to Skate program. “It means a lot,” Kevin Courtney Sr. said. “It keeps Kevin’s memory alive and keeps the interest up and keeps the money coming in to allow us to continue to do more in

the community for (youth) hockey. That is really the whole central idea. It is as much raising awareness as it is about the money. The money is a big part of it, but it also keeps the Little Kevin Fund in the public spotlight.” Courtney and his wife, Julie, founded the fund within the Mecosta County Community Foundation 15 years ago. A major fund-raiser has been a summer

softball game with first responders vs. Bulldog hockey alumni. Money is raised there through donations and a 50/50 raffle. The fund has raised over $100,000 since its creation. "Currently the grant gives the learn to skate program $3,200 which is used to both keep the cost down for all participants in learn to skate and provide scholarships to a number of kids," Courtney said.

MITES learning basics of the game By John Raffel, Pioneer Sports Writer

Nick Scheible and Jamie Park are coaching the Big Rapids MITES who cover ages 6, 7 and 8 for BRAJHA. “We have been playing well so far,” Scheible said. “We have participated in two weekend exchanges so far and they have played hard and had a lot of fun.” From Scheible’s standout, the expectations for the team is “to grow and learn the basics of the game, really focus on becoming good skaters and have fun. We’re a bunch of kids that love to play and have fun. “The MITES participate in cross-ice jamborees and exchanges though the

year with a couple tournaments sprinkled in. We are a very young group but a group that loves to play and compete and have fun so we are looking forward to a lot of growth and fun this season.” Team members are: Brayden Britton, Alex Derwin, Brody Kolatski, Murphy Kwant, Ray Meyers, Easton Ososki, Brody Park, Riley Park, Tyler Renne, Rowan Scheible, Landon Smeaton, Payton Sowles, Barrett Wethington and Noelle Zocco.

Squirt Blue starts out 4-0

The Squirt Blue is the 8-10-year-old group in the Big Rapids Amateur Junior Hockey Association. Coaches are Brady Flachs, Ian Ziska, Chris Bigford and Mike Bigford and manager Betsy Ziska. The team started out 4-0 with 17 goals for and two against. “We focus on skill and character development, effort, being a good teammate,” Big Rapids coach Brady Flachs said. “Skating, puck skills, hockey sense, and positioning will be emphasized. Team objectives are effort, first and foremost the goal for

the team plus being a good teammate, plus hockey skill development. “The team works incredibly hard at practices and games and is selfless. They all are very coachable and have great attitudes on and off the ice. This group focuses hard on playing hard in every zone and emphasizes defensive play.” It’s a small group, Flachs noted. “We typically have 7-to-8 players less than other teams we play,” he said. “We love this and acknowledge every player

has to work hard, and be prepared to best serve the team and give all of their effort for each other. We have a solid mix of experienced players and firstyear squirt players. Each player is openly learning the responsibilities of every position on the ice and prepared to do anything to benefit the team and their teammates.” Players are Krew Bolby, Cooper Flachs, Gunner Flachs, Sean Lauzon, Freddie Ortiz, Seth Perdue, Zach Repke, Ashton Rose and Cash Ziska.

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Squirt White team off to strong start By John Raffel, Pioneer Sports Writer

The Ice Dogs Squirt White team, ages 8 to 10, started out with a 2-1 record. Bryan Marek is head coach while Joe Strohkirch is assistant coach and Julie Strohkirch is manager. "Work hard in practices and games as well as having lots of fun," are expectations of this squad, a team spokesman said, plus developing essential skill sets like skating, stick-handling and understanding basic knowledge of the game. “We have a mixture of ages on the team, therefore some of the older players possess a little more skill and experience which creates opportunities to demonstrate and learn about leadership. Due to our small team size, our players are building endurance to compete against teams which typically have more players. "Our Squirt team consists of only nine players so there is no shortage of ice time for our players to enjoy the game and develop the skill sets needed to play hockey at the next level. Having a small team allows more focused coaching time per player."

Squirt White players are: front row, left to right, Zachary Frey, Jake Strohkirch, Reid Curtis and Raquel Welch and, back row, left to right, Aiden Clarke, Brayden Pischel, Braylan Danielson, Addison Clarke and Holdon Foos. (Courtesy photo)

Peewee team starts out 3-0 By John Raffel, Pioneer Sports Writer

The Big Rapids Ice Dogs U12 Peewee team has started out with a 3-0 record. Joe Strohkirch is the head coach while John Ososki and Todd Dew are assistants. “The team will play approximately a 40-game schedule starting in October through March, which will include at minimum of two tournament weekends,” Strohkirch said. “I believe this team has the capability to be highly successful in both regular season efforts and tournament play. We have a significant number of seasoned players that have come up through our program together. We expect this team to qualify for districts and advance into league and state tournaments. “Development is our highest focus so individual skill elements are key as we transition to developing offensive and defensive concepts. We intend to develop all players in every position, but only two goalies though, as we progress through our season. I feel our team can skate. Skating keeps us strong on our feet and creates space for us to play. More often than our opponents, we are on our feet and in control of the puck.” Strohkirch enjoys coaching and watching U12 age players. “They are exciting to watch as they begin to execute the skills

Members of the Big Rapids peewee team are: back row, from left, Ethan Voigt, Caleb Speese, JJ Strohkirch, Brody Ososki, Reese Dew, Roman Meyers, Johnathan Losinski and Wyatt Welch; front row, from left, Nicholas Pischel, Isaac Zocco, Ari Ziska, Bradley Deverman, Aiden Smith and Cameron Miller. (Courtesy photo) necessary to truly play this game together,” he said. “We have all seen the joy on a single players face when they succeed, it is even more rewarding when you see an entire line of players come together with that same joy knowing they all contributed to a goal.” OTHER TEAMS Also in BRAJHA, there’s the Bantam B team coached by Mike Grant and manager is Dawn Younge. The JV team is coached by Mike Spedowski. Manager is Amy Bomay.


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